Tag Archives: Video

eStream 2025 update: What’s new?

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An update to Planet eStream will be launched across Lancaster University on 23rd April 2025. It is quite a big change and users will be automatically moved to the new version on this date.

If you aren’t already familiar with the platform, Planet eStream is the recommended method of embedding on-demand videos into Moodle courses. You can also use it for multimedia student submissions without file type or size limits. Another feature is Planet eStream Connect which makes it easy to record upcoming TV and radio programmes, with access to an extensive archive of pre-recorded shows that can also be embedded directly into Moodle. The TV and radio archive currently goes back to 2007 and eStream are aiming to backfill the archive to 1987.

This new update doesn’t just provide a new look; there are great improvements to a user’s experience through a more streamlined navigation and recording is now available across all browsers without the need for additional plugins.

In this post, I’m going to introduce you to some of the key changes and a couple of features you may not have noticed.

The new look

Your area in eStream is now a side bar that can be opened and closed and appears on the right hand side of the screen. It automatically pops up when you enter the site and can be closed via the ‘X’ sign. To reopen the sidebar click on your profile/initials icon in the top right hand corner. The default section of your area is the “favourites” tab but you can also access other tabs relevant to you such as your watch history, your media area, quizzes, video edits and conversions. You might remember that your personal eStream area used to default to the quizzes tab so the default to the favourites tab is a small change.

The Lancaster University eStream homepage also looks quite different and in my opinion, more attractive. The most popular videos for eStream users at Lancaster University are displayed on this page for easy access.

The icons to search categories, create new media or open tools are slightly different but can still be found at the top of the page to the right of the search bar.

The Lancaster eStream homepage as shown with the users area side bar open.

Creating new media

To create or record media in eStream go to the cloud icon at the top of the page and this will open the “Create Media Options”.

From here you can access the web recorder as well as other ways to add content to eStream such as the options to create a playlist, upload media, add external links and access the TV and radio archive (eStream Connect). eStream also has a separate option where you can import Microsoft Teams Meetings from your OneDrive which is useful for captioning and sharing online lectures or events with students and other staff.

The web recorder no longer needs additional browser plugins to work and can work on any browser. For example, when using Chrome as your browser, to use the web recorder you had to enable a Planet eStream extension – this no longer applies in the updated version.

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Getting frustrated recording videos?

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Written by Liz Walkden – Learning Technologist in the Faculty of Health and Medicine

Over the past month, I have received some cries for help when it comes to successfully recording videos and adding subtitles to them.

We know that the use of video is a really significant part of teaching and they have really positive benefits for both students and staff. Videos are engaging, accessible, reusable, cost-effective, great revision aids, and more!!!

However, they can be difficult and time-consuming to make if you don’t use the right tool for the job!

So here is a brief introduction to three tools available to you here at Lancaster that allow you to record videos. Hopefully this will help you choose the right one for you:

Microsoft Teams

Teams is for teams. It is a collaboration tool where you can record a meeting of multiple people who share screens and discuss a topic. You might be using Teams if you need to record a meeting for posterity or you used it to record a “live lecture” for distance learners. You would then upload this video to eStream as Teams meetings stored in OneDrive will expire after 60 days. You are able to create the subtitles in eStream using Microsoft Azure if needed. From there, you can upload the video to Moodle using an activity such as the ‘Page’ or ‘Text and Media’ activity.

However, Teams isn’t useful when it comes to recording an individual person who might be presenting content solo to create an asynchronous resource for students. The faff of uploading a video created in Teams, then uploading it to eStream and then uploading it to Moodle is quite something! This is made more time-consuming when you are trying to upload the transcript or captions along with it. Just record a video like this directly into eStream (or you could use Panopto – see below). Save yourself some time!

You can find further information on the Recording Microsoft Teams meetings page.

eStream

You can use eStream for both recording and storing videos. Students and staff can use it and it integrates well with Moodle which is why it is recommended for students who need to record and upload a video as part of their assignments.

If you are recording a one-off video, such as a ‘Welcome to the Course’ style introduction, eStream is the best tool for the job. You can record using eStream, add subtitles automatically through Microsoft Azure (available in eStream), and then upload to Moodle. You can embed the video on a course page or add it using a Moodle activity such as the ‘Page’ or ‘Text and Media Area’ (look for the little green ‘e’ icon in the text editor in the activity settings).

More information and training on how to use eStream can be found in the portal.

Panopto

Panopto is our lecture capture system which is used within lecture theatres however, the software can also be downloaded onto your laptop for use for recording lectures, introductions and other educational videos. This can be done via AppsAnywhere. Panopto has the added bonus of being able to add quizzes and YouTube videos to your recordings. It can also record more than one screen/input at once if needed. Again, this is a great option if you are recording a video on your own without a ‘Team’ but need to share it via Moodle for your students using the Panopto activity. You can also generate captions automatically in Panopto.

More information and training on how to use Panopto can be found in the portal.

As always, feel free to get in touch with myself (Liz Walkden) or the ISS Digital Learning Team via the help centre with any questions about video production.