Video Content Management - Using the Panopto Video Player as a Viewer


Introduction

Panopto is Virginia Tech’s chosen video content management system and video creation tool that allows users to create, share, and manage video content easily. 

Panopto is integrated into Virginia Tech’s Canvas platform, allowing instructors to record, upload, and share videos directly within Canvas. Panopto also provides tools for organizing videos, tracking engagement, and enabling students to review content.

This guide covers how to use the Panopto video player for viewers. For additional Panopto topics, please see: Virginia Tech Panopto Resources.

Contents

Instructions

Background

The Panopto video player allows you to customize your viewing experience to switch between video streams (if multiple are available) as well as interact through features like slides, captions, notes, discussions, etc. 

In order to view videos in Canvas:

  • Panopto Video must be enabled in your Canvas course by an instructor.
  • You must be enrolled as a student in a Canvas course to obtain viewing permissions.

In order to view videos outside of Canvas:

  • You must be added as a viewer to the Panopto folder or video by the creator of the folder/video.
  • If someone shares a video that you don’t have access to view, see: How to Request Access to View a Video.
  • If you receive a Forbidden error, make sure you log into Canvas first and launch Panopto from Canvas in the same browser.

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Video Players

Panopto has two video players:

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Playing Videos

  1. Click on the video to open the video player.
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  2. If the video doesn’t auto-play, click the Play button to begin watching.
    Image of the above instructions

For full details, see: How to View a Video.

Playback Controls

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  1. Play/pause button
  2. Ability to scrub forward/backward in 10 second increments
  3. Seek the video
  4. Adjust volume
  5. Turn on captioning
  6. Click the settings icon to:
    1. Adjust caption settings (How to Change Caption Style and Language While Viewing)
    2. Change playback speed
    3. Change the quality
  7. Full-screen view
  8. Change layouts for multiple video streams and slides (if available)

Learn how to navigate Panopto by using the search tool to locate folders, videos, and key words.

Viewing and Searching Transcripts

  • Captions appear on screen and are synced with the video.
  • Transcripts have the same words, but in a separate, searchable document. 
  1. From Panopto, click on a video thumbnail or title to go to the video.
  2. Click on Captions in the left toolbar, and the transcript will appear to the left of the video.
  3. Search your transcripts by entering a key term in the Search this recording field to find where the term appears in the video.
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Interaction/Engagement Features:

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Downloading Videos

Downloading is only available if the video owner has enabled downloads. If you follow the instructions below and downloading is not available for a video, contact the instructor or video owner to ask if they would enable downloads or provide the file another way.

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Troubleshooting

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Getting Help

If you need help with Panopto in general:

  • Check Panopto System Status.
  • Review Panopto documentation.
  • Contact Panopto Support.
    • Click Login and sign in with your VT email address to access 24/7 support options:
      • Choose Live Chat to chat with an agent.
      • Choose More Ways to Contact Support to access support phone numbers for your region.

If you still have questions:

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