#1 2010-05-14 08:44:17

**_grun4it_**

Better recording editing tools

I am writing this in hopes that it will help Adobe make an even better product and to save others from the same problems that I have faced.

Situation:
I had a very frustrating three days dealing with a minor issue.  We had a webinar for 46 CEOs and our management on a very important topic.  We had just one computer hosting the webinar.  We had a chat pod.  I was running everything when a staff member asked to respond privately to a chat message.  He was typing away when I was told to change slides.  This acted as a return and sent the private chat to everyone!  Yes, we should have a second machine set as a presenter to answer chat.  The message appeared for 8-seconds, but the storm here has lasted for 3 days now.

The big reason there is so much pain is that the recording has the chat up for 8 seconds, unless one jumps ahead.  Then that 8-second chat appears for the remaining 30+ minutes.  My rep and I spent a while trying to see if the edit recording function will help.  Cropping that section would remove important audio. I am told to (and did) download the program (1.2 hours), converted it to a format that Premiere CS3 can edit (4.4 hours).  Put a graphic over the offending chat, rendered the video (I zoomed in to remove the gray bar, too). This took 4.3 hours, then rendered it to a WMV at another 4.4 hours.  All this time, I am not doing other pressing projects which makes my boss crazy.

After all this messing around, I deduct (because I can block text in the chat) that the recording is XML scripts running FLV files.  This is not indicated in any easy to find resource. The issue is that Connect did not go back to see if the chat is cleared when a person jumps ahead and likely went to an earlier key point.  Digging in the forum I find -  http://your.connect.url/yourrecordingur … wnload=zip  where im.zip is the name of the downloaded zip file.  I do this and dig around for hours in the xml to find the chat.  After doing all this, it takes untold hours to have Connect process the 22.34 MB files from the zip.  Likely there is a Flash Server reason, but this is way too clunky and time inefficient for what is basically text and small FLV files.

Suggestions:
Any of these ways to edit recordings are not reasonable workarounds.  This is a good product, but Adobe needs to make a simple editor for manipulating the XML files without going in to each xml file and physically manipulating the code.  This is a dangerous thing if not done with care and certainly beyond the capabilities of many of your users that have been moved into this role.
The requests below would make recorded programs have a longer useful life. It will also set Adobe Connect apart from its rivals.

Make a recording/modification admin page
1.    You could add a preserve original recording feature that would not allow any changes to the recorded file.  Some groups may use these recording as legal records/minutes.
2.    You could add a Make a Revised Copy for those that want the original and one that reflects changes.  A radio button could be clicked and that notifies in the presentation the date of revisions.  Unselected, the end user would not see this notice
3.    Add the ability to change the chat or a note box (even add one) to say, Pre-Recorded Program, All Chat and Phone Lines are Closed.  Or it could scroll at keyed times.
4.    Choose, before the recording, what pods will or will not be recorded.
5.    After the recording, choose what pods will or will not be shown or what pod information will replace the original.

Simple XML editor:
The key here is that the program follows the audio as its timing
1.    Drag and drop in a timeline or setup like the current editors slide list, but where one can change the slides, timings and pods actions.
2.    Download presentation audio button for editing the audio. Could have option to convert to mp3.
3.    Upload the audio button