If you want to capture a session but there is no need
for an immediate live broadcast, choosing the Capture Audio or Video
option enables Windows Media Encoder to capture and encode the session
for future playback. This option can be used to capture training or conference
sessions, press releases that will be broadcast at a later time and
date, or organizational activities such as parties. The captured content
can be stored and played back either on a scheduled broadcast basis or
on demand.
Preparing for a Captured Session
To prepare for a captured
broadcast, a Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000 workstation,
Windows Server 2008, Windows 2003, or Windows 2000 server with
compatible camera and microphone, or a system with a video/audio capture
card, must be configured and tested for basic functionality. The camera
and audio devices should be able to capture and record video and audio
content at the desired level of quality.
After the remote system is working properly, a session can be captured.
Capturing a Session for Future Broadcast
To capture a session,
Windows Media Encoder should be launched on a system that has a camera,
microphone, and enough disk space to capture the content. After being
launched, follow these steps:
1. | Select Capture Audio or Video, and then click OK.
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2. | Select
the video and audio device source that will be capturing the event.
Refer to the “Choosing the Bit Rate(s)” sidebar for more details on
choosing the capture options. Click Next.
Note
Don’t worry about adding an extension to the filename. A .wmv file extension will be initially created for video files (Windows Media Video), and a .wma file extension will be initially created for audio files (Windows Media Audio).
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When given the option of
choosing the content distribution method, the various options determine
the options given on the next screen of the wizard.
When the Windows Media
Server (Streaming) option is selected, the capture of the media will
have multiple bit-rate options because Windows Media servers support
variable bit rates, and multiple users can receive a different media
stream based on their connection bandwidth.
When the Web Server
(Progressive Download) option is selected, a recommended option is
selected because web servers only support a single bit-rate
distribution. Typically, the Web Server option chooses a lower bit-rate
option to take the variable bandwidth capabilities of web users into
consideration.
The Windows Media
Hardware Profiles option provides the option of choosing a single video
and audio bit rate at a higher bit rate than the Web Server option. When
a Windows Media hardware profile has been defined on the system, a
specific bandwidth and quality can be generated.
PocketPC devices typically
have limited cache, buffer, and storage space, so a lower bit-rate
option is recommended. This becomes the lowest common denominator for
media capture and playback.
Lastly, the File Archive
option creates the smallest captured file. However, the quality of the
video is typically poor, although the audio is of good quality. The
assumption on this setting is that the audio information is more
important than the video information.
Choosing the right method of recording produces better results for the system playing back the content.
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3. | Enter a name for the file to be saved. Click Next to continue.
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4. | Choose
how you want to distribute your content. Your choices are Windows Media
Server (Streaming), Web Server (Progressive Download), Windows Media
Hardware Profiles, PocketPC, or File Archive. Click Next to continue.
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5. | Optional
information can be added to the captured file, such as title, author,
copyright, rating, and description information. Enter the desired
information and click Next to continue.
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6. | The
next screen gives you the option to begin the capture when the Finish
button is clicked, or to simply finish the configuration and start the
session later. Make the appropriate selection and click Finish.
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Because a live session is not
being viewed, sometimes it’s hard to know what the resulting quality of
the captured video and audio will be. Testing the various capture
methods and fiddling with the bit rates can confirm whether the
resulting video and distribution of the video content will be
acceptable.
