I've been using web conferencing for several years, and consider it an invaluable training tool. I mean, really, how did we ever live without it? But as with any live training, sometimes the schedule of those who could benefit gets in the way. That's why it's great to be able to easily record your web conferences for the viewing pleasure of those who couldn't attend the live conference. Recordings also provide the attendees with the ability to revisit the session to refresh their memory, or watch sections they may have missed during a momentary lapse in attention.
All web conferencing services aren't created equal when it comes to recording. The granddaddy of web conferencing, Webex, doesn't offer a convenient way to record the audio and video. The audio must be captured using a special phone jack, which is most definitely NOT convenient, and has the potential for a number of different glitches. I keep waiting for them to improve in this area, but so far, no dice.
Luckily there are better options out there. Here's some basic facts on some that I've tried.
Live Meeting
Recording Format: Downloadable wmv file. Can also view recording from Live Meeting site using Windows Media Player
Ease of Recording: Requires sometimes slightly confusing configuration to enable the audio. Essentially, the Live Meeting server must dial into the conference call
File Editable?: Because of a change in codec in their new version, recording is editable in Sony Vegas Movie Studio only. Alternately, I'm told (but haven't tried it) that the file will become editable using other programs after it has been run through Windows Media Stream Editor.
More Information: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/livemeeting/HP011426151033.aspx?pid=CH011442321033
ReadyTalk
Recording Format: Flash. Can download files or view from ReadyTalk site. There is a monthly storage fee.
Ease of Recording: Extremely easy. Audio is integrated with conference center. Host just clicks on record button.
File Editing: It's not clear to me whether these files can be easily edited. Luckily, turning the recording on and off is so easy, extensive editing may not be necessary.
More Information: http://www.readytalk.com/docs/brochures/readytalk-recording-brochure.pdf
Raindance
Recording Format: Proprietary. Requries Raindance Media Player. Downloadable.
Ease of Recording: Extremely easy. Audio is integrated with conference center. Host just clicks on record button.
File Editing: Not available.
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for writing about us. I just wanted to clarify something, WebEx does support recording the full audio and web conference session without special hardware. The capability is accessed through the Meeting menu, under Recorder Settings, select Record on Server.
Please drop me a line if you have any questions, I am happy to provide further assistance on the feature if you need it.
Thanks again,
Michael
WebEx provides a very convenient way to record meeting which include the audio and the video. It is called NBR (Network Based Recording). The recording is saved on WebEx Server and can then be easily shared and streamed to others. There is no need for a special phone jack anymore.
http://www.webex.com/pdf/NBR_datasheet.pdf
Hi Cindy,
This is Yaniv Levi, Product Manager at WebEx. WebEx started supporting NBR (Network Based Recording) since October 2006 which doesn't require any additional hardware. In this solution, recorded sessions are being saved on the WebEx servers and could be easily accessed and shared for playback and download. File format is ARF (Advanced Recording Format) which is our proprietary format that was optimized for high quality while keeping small files sizes. Recording can be easily converted to WMV or Flash using the ARF player.
The recording will capture all the data/content that was shared in the session (documents, application sharing, video, etc.) as well as the various types of audio conferences (WebEx Teleconference, VoIP and 3rd party conference).
As posted previously, more information can be found here:
http://www.webex.com/pdf/NBR_datasheet.pdf
Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions.
Thanks
Yaniv.