Solutions. Cases

Broadcast University Courses using Epiphan DVI2USB

The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian coeducational public research university. It currently offers over 200 academic programs and ranks among the top ten in medical doctoral universities in Canada.

The University of Saskatchewan uses a scalable online learning system called Recollect to capture and broadcast courses. It captures video content in original definition format from multiple screens and allows regular updating online content. Studies have shown that students use this technology to reflect on their learning and close the space-time gap with traditional classes.

Christopher Brooks of the University explains: "When developing the system, we needed to have a possibility for capturing the lecturer's slides and include them into lectures. My technical team analyzed different frame grabber solutions available on the market. But most solutions we found were unsuitable for us due to the following reasons. The frame grabbers were always costly. Besides they didn't always have both Windows and Linux drivers. As we were planning to capture the output from both Windows and Linux machines, this characteristic was very essential for us."

After the team has discovered Epiphan, the university started to use the Epiphan DVI2USB frame grabber device. "In our largest deployment, Epiphan DVI2USB devices capture high resolution screen recordings from two monitors which are projected in our largest lecture theatre with about 400 sits. We use DVI2USB in combination with NTSC (analog TV) capture devices to broadcast courses to students for both distance and blended education."

The University has been very innovative with its Recollection solution. "We apply multiple artificial intelligence and data mining algorithms to the captured video so that we can do things like detect natural chapters in the lecture and make lectures searchable," Brooks explains. "Once captured, lecture videos are automatically resized for different devices and delivery platforms, then pushed out to students."

"The DVI2USB frame grabber has several benefits", Brooks notes. “Its attractive price enabled the university to pick up a number of the devices and spread them among our developers. It captures VGA signals in high quality. Besides, this external device provides flexibility for use with both Windows and Linux machines."

"Epiphan also has a full line of frame grabber and video capture devices with different abilities," Brooks adds. "This ensures that if we need to upgrade to a device with higher screen resolution frame rate, or a different connector type, we will be able to do so easily. No other manufacturer offers an equivalent line of devices that will enable us to improve our solution in quality yet maintain the same code base that we are working with now."

broadcast courses

This case study is also available in the following languages:

使用Epiphan VGA2USB广播大学课程
 使用Epiphan VGA2USB廣播大學課程
 Universitaire cursussen uitzenden met behulp van de Epiphan VGA2USB
Diffusion de conférences universitaire, grâce au système VGA2USB d'Epiphan
Übertragung von universitären Seminaren mit Epiphan VGA2USB
שידור קורסים אוניברסיטאיים באמצעות Epiphan VGA2USB
Trasmissione di Corsi Universitari per Mezzo dell'Uso di VGA2USB di Epiphan
Epiphan VGA2USBで大学のコースを放映
 Epiphan VGA2USB 를 사용한 대학 과정의 브로드캐스트 (Broadcast)
Broadcast de aulas universitárias com Epiphan VGA2USB
Трансляция учебных университетских курсов с использованием Epiphan VGA2USB
Difundir cursos universitarios mediante el VGA2USB de Epiphan

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