Streaming Video FAQs What is "streaming video" anyway? Streaming video is a sequence of visual data that is sent in compressed form over the Internet and displayed by the viewer as it arrives. Streaming media refers to the combination of visual and audio data. This guide uses the term streaming video to refer to visual data that may or may not contain audio. With streaming video, a Web user does not have to wait to download a large file before seeing the video or hearing the sound. Instead, the media is sent in a continuous stream and is played as it arrives. The user needs a player, which is a special program that uncompresses data and sends video data to the display and audio data to speakers. A player can be either an integral part of a browser or downloaded from the software maker's Web site. Two common players are RealOne (for PC's) and QuickTime (for Macintoshes). Where can I download players? A free version of RealOne Player can be downloaded from: http://www.real.com A free version of QuickTime can be downloaded from: http://www.apple.com/quicktime Where can I see examples of Streaming Video that are used here at UMass? Examples of effective streaming videos can be found at: http://www.muse.umb.edu/best_practices.htm http://www.muse.umb.edu/video.htm How do I prepare my content? The introduction should be 1-2 minutes, or about 100-120 words, in length. Introductions normally include information such as what the course is about and the instructor's background and qualifications. Keep it short and simple! We have a teleprompter set up to assist faculty in remembering their script. If you would like to utilize the prompter, please prepare a script for the prompter in Microsoft Word format and email john.jessoe@umb.edu a copy before your record date. We will then load the script in to the prompter before you arrive. What should I wear? Wear clothing that makes you feel and look at ease. Solid colors of clothing are best, especially pastels, blues and light grays. Avoid: Extremes of black, white and very bright colors (especially reds and pinks). Patterns such as small checks, dots, or tweeds. Loud, bold or vibrant patterns on ties. Large metallic or reflective jewelry; it can cause distracting reflections. Highly reflective silk materials. What should I do while presenting? Look into the camera to establish and maintain eye contact with students. Avoid making distracting noises and movements (twisting a watchband, clicking a pen, crossing and uncrossing your arms, etc.) Vary your facial expression and tone of voice to enhance verbal communication. Maintain a moderate speaking pace What other guidelines should I follow? Content should be organized in blocks of 15 minutes or less. It is crucial to plan content well in advance. Content should be realistically organized and explained taking into consideration the fact that this medium does not allow the student the opportunity for live interaction. Consider what information can be communicated visually and how. Be imaginative in ways to communicate information visually whenever possible. If you would like to utilize streaming video to support your course, we can digitize the material from VHS tapes, or whatever type of medium you have, and create streaming video files that you will then link from your course shell. If using any equipment, understand its operation and limitations prior to the start of taping. Maintain eye contact with the camera. This will help to keep the learners focused and interested. Do not read material. What guidelines should I follow concerning my visuals -- such as PowerPoint? Always prepare images in the landscape format. The format of television images is expressed as a height to width ratio of 3:4. There should be a 3-inch text-free border. Maximum of eight (8) lines per visual Maximum of thirty-six (36) characters per line Minimum 36-point headings and 24-point subheads and text Fonts should be chosen for readability. Arial, Helvetica or other san serif fonts in boldface are best. Limit the number of fonts per visual to three. Ideally, print black (or dark color) text on contrasting (light) blue or other color background. Minimize the use of colors or patterns that do not serve as a communication function. Try to limit the colors to 2-3 compatible colors per visual. Make images large and reduce the amount of text proportionally. Leave a lot of white space around a graphic. Don't place the text close to it. Consider the resolution (amount of detail or "readability") of the pictures once they are converted to streaming video. Special attention should be given to text and to detailed pictorial information, such as charts or graphs, x-rays, maps and the like. Who can I contact directly on campus? Please contact John Jessoe at john.jessoe@umb.edu, if you have any questions. . .

Distance Learning Video Production Center University of Massachusets Boston 100 Morrisey Boulevard ~ Boston, MA 02125-3393 tel: (617) 287-3990 ~ fax: (617) 287-3999 john.jessoe@umb.edu