What exactly is Microsoft Stream?

You may have heard Stream described as an organisational YouTube. Stream is a web-based service which allows people in an organisation to upload, view and share video content.

Can people external to the institution view Stream content?

There is no public access to the Strathclyde Stream implementation.

Who can upload videos to Stream?

All staff can upload videos.

Who can view videos in Stream?

All staff and all students can view videos.

Do staff and students have to be logged in to Office 365 to access Stream?

Yes, if you are not already logged in to Office 365 you will be prompted to do so.

Is there a Microsoft Stream App?

Yes and staff can upload videos via the app. Students can only view videos.

Is there any way of restricting access to your videos to a specific group or are they all automatically visible to everyone in the university?

At the moment video content in Stream can only be set to “Allow everyone in your company to view this video”. This means all staff and students. If that option is not checked, only the video owner(s) can view it.

Can more than one member of staff upload to the same channel?

Yes - if you make your channel “companywide”, then any staff member can upload videos to it. For example, if you create a channel for a class, multiple tutors can upload content to it.

Do channel names have to be unique?

Companywide channel names have to be unique to the organisation.

Which video formats can I upload to Stream?

Stream currently supports a number of file formats but .mp4 is the preferred format for accessibility.

Do videos have to be edited before you come to Stream or can you do that in there?

Stream is not designed to be a video editing tool. It has a basic editing option for trimming the start or end of a video but for anything more you will need something like the Windows video editor.

Where do we get more information on our obligations regarding captions and transcription?

There is guidance on the use of transcription and captioning here:

https://support.myplace.strath.ac.uk/display/MS/Academic+Continuity+Guidance

Can we select several languages for video captions? Some videos in Modern Languages go back and forth between English and another language.

Some additional languages are supported for captions, currently these are: English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.

What do we need to do in terms of captioning for videos already on eStream?

If you have videos on eStream but they don’t have captions, then you can download them from eStream, and then upload them into Stream. You can then get Stream to auto-generate captions. If you have already got captions for your eStream video then you can leave it there if you prefer.

What if I already have an edited caption file?

You can upload existing caption files in .VTT format to Stream, and use those instead of auto-generated ones. Please refer to the MyPlace support pages for guidance on that.

Can videos be linked to MyPlace as with eStream videos?

Videos can be embedded in MyPlace, preferably within a Page resource (you can also embed video into Book, Lesson and Label). There is no embed button for Stream so please refer to the MyPlace support pages for guidance on embedding Stream video.

Is it possible to bulk migrate the eStream videos I have already prepared to Stream?

Yes you can drag multiple videos into Stream, although they will need to be manually individually tagged with metadata and assigned to channels.

Can students look for videos in MS Stream or do they have to view them via MyPlace?

Yes, students can look for class videos by going directly to Stream, either via the web page or the App. If you have a class channel, students can “follow” the channel as a convenient way to find the relevant videos.

Can I download a video from Stream?

Yes but only if you are the video owner.

Can I download a transcript from Stream?

Yes but only if you are the video owner.

Can my students download videos from Stream?

No students can’t download videos.

Is there a way to download “clean” captions (without timecodes etc)

No. Stream generates a .VTT file and this would need to be edited manually or using an online utility.

As transcription is not required for synchronous video - can video be uploaded without transcript?

Yes. You can deselect the option to auto-generate captions.

Can you add additional people after you have already published the video?

Yes. You can assign other people as owners for a video which has already been published.

How long does it to create automatic captions in Stream?

Microsoft advise that it takes 1-2x the duration of the video to generate captions.

What is format the transcript file, .srt, .vtt, .docx?

The file is generated in .VTT format

Can viewers switch off the transcript?

Yes captions (CC) can be switched on or off from a button on the toolbar in the video player.

Can captions be placed under the video rather than on top?

No, Stream captions are placed on the video.

Do I need to check my transcript for accuracy?

Yes, accuracy of transcription can vary depending on pace of speech, accent, and subject matter. Transcripts must always be checked carefully.

Is it possible to get statistics on how many people have watched the video, and how much they watch?

You can see how many people have viewed your video from the Views icon under the video title or in the details screen. Only administrators can see who has viewed the video.

Do we receive an email when transcript is ready to edit?

No, though Stream sends an email when the video has finished processing and is ready to view.

Will students need internet access to watch the videos or will they be able to view them “offline”

Students will need to be online to view videos, whether in MyPlace or Stream itself.