SOFO Sonic Foundry Inc (CE)

Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the trusted global leader for video creation and management solutions, today announces the newest release of Mediasite Video Platform, designed with the most engaging and collaborative video solutions to support active and micro learning in any classroom.  

“Gen Z students expect their courses to be steeped in technology, and it’s important their instructors make the content as engaging and collaborative as possible. That’s what we’re working towards at Sonic Foundry,” said Elizabeth Collins, Senior Vice President, Sonic Foundry. “We’re making sure our Mediasite solutions not only have interactivity and collaboration tools built in but also that they integrate with the right technologies to create a truly immersive, personalized learning experience.” 

New interactivity features and enhanced playback for immersive learning 

The ability for students to submit video assignments directly from a course in the learning management system (LMS) rounds out the robust selection of engagement features within Mediasite. These features help instructors measure progress and give real-time feedback on students’ understanding. The videos automatically aggregate into a dynamic Mediasite channel – the latest way to curate, watch and share videos – within the LMS where instructors can view and grade all course assignments in one streamlined and secure playlist without changing the way they teach. Assignment submission is available in Moodle on any device and will be available in Canvas, Sakai, Blackboard and D2L’s Brightspace soon.  

Other deep engagement features within Mediasite channels include annotations, commenting, polling, ask-a-question, live chat and social-sharing, as well as quizzing, the results of which are also now viewable directly within the LMS. Mediasite channels support continuous playback of video and automatically aggregate related content. These interactive features can be used to promote the use of active and micro learning.  

Collaborative online course capture 

Live streaming capabilities, integration with Skype for Business and support for the widely-used SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) video conferencing standard are the latest features in Mediasite Join, the solution that automatically records and manages everything said and shown during online classes and meetings that occur over video conferences. Join is available on-premises as an appliance or in Mediasite Video Cloud and integrates with existing conferencing systems like Zoom, Polycom, Vidyo, Cisco and Pexip to capture audio, video and any content shared during calls. Live streaming calls with Join is currently available on-premises.  Skype for Business and SIP calls in Join are currently available with a cloud deployment.  

Speech-to-text integration for more searchable, accessible videos 

New integration between Mediasite and IBM Watson for speech-to-text gives campus faculty and staff deeper insights than ever before into their video usage. The integration gives Mediasite full content search for everything said and shown in many languages, automatically indexing it without the need to manually add tags. Watson also removes interjections and vocal pauses, creating cleaner transcripts.  

Centralized video capture and monitoring

• Manage large video deployments in real time. Mediasite Monitor is a new application that helps users manage large video deployments, keeping track of and controlling one to hundreds of Mediasite Recorders at once. Plus, it monitors the Recorders in real time, compared to the high latency experienced with legacy tools. Users can make adjustments, preview video and listen to audio in real time via the WebRTC protocol.   
• Flexible capture with AV Over IP Technology. Mediasite Recorders now integrate with NewTek’s NDI, allowing for more flexible video transmission to a centrally-connected location. With Mediasite directly supporting NDI, there is less need for dedicated IP-based transmitting and receiving devices, which in turn creates a more integrated and cost-effective solution.  

“Today’s learning environments are more collaborative than ever before.  With students watching lectures online and communicating with instructors and peers around the world, the education process is no longer confined to the classroom,” said Ira M. Weinstein, Managing Partner at Recon Research.  “Video technologies, like Mediasite, are addressing the demand for immersive learning experiences by capturing, sharing, and managing course material shared both inside and outside the lecture hall.” 

Sonic Foundry will be showcasing these solutions Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 at EDUCAUSE 2018 booth #1301. Learn more at www.sonicfoundry.com/education-trial. 

Trusted by more than 1,700 colleges and universities, Mediasite Video Platform and Mediasite Video Cloud quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of live and on-demand videos for campus events, lecture capture and flipped learning.  

About Sonic Foundry®, Inc. 

Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ:SOFO) is the global leader for video capture, management and streaming solutions. Trusted by more than 4,900 educational institutions, corporations, health organizations and government entities in over 65 countries, its Mediasite Video Platform quickly and cost-effectively automates the capture, management, delivery and search of live and on-demand streaming videos. Learn more at www.sonicfoundry.com and @mediasite. 

© 2018 Sonic Foundry, Inc. Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.

Media Contact: Nicole Wise, Director of Communications
Sonic Foundry
920.226.0269
nicolew@sonicfoundry.com