#1 2011-06-13 15:42:20

**_dali_**

Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

With Adobe Connect 8 came the higher resolution video pod that gave me a much better quality video when I am using my webcam. But when I use my camcorder I feel the video is not as good as it should be. In fact, my Logitech 9000 gives a better picture than my Canon Legria HF20 with my video capture device.

1. Any suggestion which video capture device is the best for Adobe Connect 8 when using Mac or PC?

2. Any workarounds when the camcorder widescreen image is not cropped in Adobe Connect but instead pressed into the 4:3 Video pod format which makes me look slim again :-). Maybe a good capture device can fix this?

3. Would it help to have a capture device that takes the signal from the camcorders component output instead of the composite or S-VHS? Can Connect handle that signal/resolution?

4. Any other suggestions, tips, trixs how to get the absoute best video quality in the video pod with a camcorder?

I have tried Master Video Control to enhance the quality. I have also tried Talking Stick (a killer app/pod in Adobe Connect, really great). But what I want to do first is to optimize the quality from the camcorder into Connect.

The truth is out there, I hope :-)

/Dan

**_rpathak_**

Re: Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

Hi Dan,

Thanks for liking the new video pod in C8. I've tried to answer your queries below:

1. We have found Microsoft's, Logitech's, Creative's, Thinkpad's integrated and Mac's integrated webcam devices very compatible to Connect's Video pod.  Following is the list of some of these devices' models:
- Logitech QuickCam Express webcam
- Logitech webcam pro 8MP
- Logitech QuickCam
- Microsoft lifecam 5MP
- Creative Vista

2. At present, we don't have any such workaround. For this, we are dependent on camera devices.

3. I don't have quick information about this use case. I'll revert back to you later.

4. Try changing FPS/quality settings in Video preferences. Try to publish the camera stream from a client opened in Addin and from another client opened in flash player. I hope addin's client should have better quality.

We will explore the opportunity to improve the quality for camcorders in future release of Connect.

regards,
Rakesh

**_dali_**

Re: Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

Thanks for your answer Rakesh. Most of the webcams, except for the cheep ones, gives a good and sometimes even high quality video image in Adobe Connect. I am using a Logitech 9000 720p myself. But these webcams are just giving a good picture in a range of 2 meters or less. What I meant with video capture device is not a webcam, but a capture/converter that is used when you want to connect a camcorder into the USB-port in your computer.

The add-in is always necessary to give a higher quality video image and also more functionality in the meeting room. And as you say the settings for the videopod should be set high or maximum. But I thing High gives a better and smoother image.

Regards,

Dan

**_rpathak_**

Re: Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

Hi Dan,

If you want to share video of large range such as video of people sitting in a room then I would recommend to use the VTC (Video Tele conference) pod. You can share a very high resolution (H264 encoded) video from polycam. It gives a very nice video experience. The VTC pod is newly introduced in C8 and you may have to talk to your connect administrator/support/contact person to enable this pod in your meetings.

Regarding camcorder sharing in existing video(webcam) pod, we have noted your valuable feedback and we will try to improve it.

Thanks,
Rakesh

**_Terry_at_RefinedData_com_**

Re: Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

Hi Dan,

The answer to your problem is called Talking Stick from Refined Data Solutions

This custom add-on pod will allow you to broadcast at much higher resolution than the built-in video pod and it allows you to use wide-screen devices as well. You can broadcast at higher resolutions and frame rates (720p @ 30fps is quite achievable) but of course attendees need to be able to handle the bandwidth requirements.

The tool can also handle multi-bit broadcasts so you can send a single feed in three different formats to meet the capabilities of a broad spectrum of connections.

In addition to live streaming the tool supports synchronized playback of recorded video in flv, mp4, mov and f4v formats from files located anywhere on the internet as well as from your Connect Content Library. You can also play YouTube content inside your meetings, directly from the YouTube site. I all cases, you control the playback volume, pause, play, scrub point etc.

We use a Black Magic Intensity card (works with Mac or PC and is under $200) to capture HDMI, Composite, S-Video or VGA input for use with Talking Stick. You can then add optional watermark and lower-third overlays to your feeds.

Talking Stick is the professional video solution inside of Connect that is exactly what you need for your camcorder. Try a free trial and ask for a demo - you'll be very happy with the results.

**_eeccoon_**

Re: Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

try Elgato Video Capture. This is what we use.

**_Blik_**

Re: Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

Hi there,

the Black Magic Intensity looiks very interesting, but we don't have USB 3.0 and/ or Thunderbolt on our PCs. We're using standard Win 7 Laptops that only have USB 2.0. The PC hardware cannot be changed unfortunately because of our company's PC blueprint settings :(

Do you know any solution similar to Black Magic Intensits that works with USB 2.0 and that is able to capture nowadays HD-Cam video?

Any help is highly appreciated, because for our settings we have to rely on working with videocams and making use of zoom and so on.

Best regards,
Blik

**_Blik_**

Re: Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

Hi again,

I have another question regarding the Black Magic, maybe you can answer this: If I was to buy the PCI and/ or the USB 3.0 version, how would Windows 7 register this device? Would it appear as "Webcam"? Can the PCI / USB 3.0 Box downscale an HD live stream (e.g. to standard NTSC/ PAL resolution) before I route this to Connect or do I always need a 3rd party connect videopod?

Any answer is highly appreciated, because I somehow could convince the powers-that-be to buy to buy new hardware, and unfortunately the Black Magic site is a little bit confusing.

Best regards,
Blik

**_jamesbooth_**

Re: Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

We have a BlackMagic intensity shuttle, USB3. 

It appears to Connect as a webcam on Windows 7.

BEWARE - it works with specific USB 3.0 chipsets (not all, and certainly not with our Dell laptops).

I would buy DVDriver software and use that to convert your existing USB 2 kit to work with your HD camera signal, into a windows webcam image for Connect. 

personally I think the USB3 standards are a bit poor right now IMHO, we bought the BM shuttle as portable trial setup, and whilst we now have a working setup we had to buy a new laptop to get to this stage, and spend several (full) days getting to all work together.

email me if you want more info / help

JAMES at ACTIVEC dot BIZ

Last edited by **_jamesbooth_** (2012-07-09 06:12:46)

**_dali_**

Re: Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

Thanks for the info James. I've been looking at that blackmagic box but haven't tried it yet. But I have some more questions:

1. Did you use a HD camcorder connected to Blackmagick Intensity Shuttle and if so, was there an improvement of the video quality in the Video pod in Adobe Connect, compared to using a common composite to USB2 capture card?

2. If you used a widescreen HD camcorder, how was the the video presented in Adobe Connect that supports 4:3? Was the video cropped or squeezed or is that a setting you can do in the software for the Blackmagic box?

3. Did you notice any delay of the video?

**_dali_**

Re: Best video capture device for Adobe Connect 8

Terry, you have good experience from Blackmagic Intensity card together with Talking Stick. How would you describe the quality if you use these to products together with a HD camcorder?