Lecture capture hardware are appliances installed in or near a classroom for the purpose of recording audio and video that can then be repurposed for delivery to students. An emerging technology in lecture capture hardware is “out of the box” support and integration with control systems such as those from Crestron, Extron, and AMX.
Monarch HD, Monarch HDX, Monarch LCS
Manufacturer: Matrox
Supported transfer: USB, SD Card, CIFS, FTP, SFTP, Kaltura
Comments: A reasonable solution for a large scale deployment, Matrox’s Monarch LCS device is small and so affordable as to be nearly disposable. The Monarch LCS has the ability to record or stream two isolated sources. Mix and match to your liking. Streaming options include both RTSP and RTMP. The ability to do two isolated recordings makes the Monarch LCS Open Capture compatible (a standard supported by Kaltura) and also integrates with a number of scheduling solutions, including Kaltura’s. Large institutions with a robust internal support unit will benefit most from this solution as you might find the Monarch LCS needs a lot of babysitting, which is where Matrox’s true killer app comes in handy: Radar, Matrox’s dashboard software, is available for free and installs on a Windows box, allowing you to monitor and administer your fleet in an at-a-glance interface.
Maevex 6020 Remote Recorder
Manufacturer: Matrox
Supported transfer: Panopto
Comments: Nearly unheard of as Matrox focuses on their Monarch line of products, the Maevex remains impressive in its specs, with the ability to handle two separate sources for either recording or streaming or a mix of both.
XH110G
Manufacturer: Shuttle
Supported transfer: Panopto
Comments: Shuttle, a manufacturer of custom PCs, was an early provider of dedicated lecture capture hardware for Panopto. While a lecture capture device is little more than a computer in a rackmounted frame, the Shuttle XH110G is much more akin to a small form factor PC.
Pearl Mini, Pearl-2, Pearl-2 Rackmount, Pearl-2 Rackmount Twin
Manufacturer: Epiphan
Supported transfer: USB, FTP, SFTP, RSync, CIFS, SCP, AWS, WebDav, Kaltura, Panopto
Comments: Epiphan offers a premium lecture capture solution. Their devices have a clean, intuitive interface and integrate easily into many ecosystems, including Kaltura, through it’s scheduling and Open Capture protocols. The Pearl devices carry a touchscreen for operating the device, but also doubles as a confidence monitor. But the touchscreen makes the Pearl pricier than its competitors.
PR-Hydra, PR-Aries, PR-Leo, PR-Gemini
Manufacturer: NCast
Supported transfer:
SMP-111, SMP-351, SMP-352
Manufacturer: Extron
Supported transfer: Kaltura, Panopto, Opencast, FTP, SFTP
Comments: Extron’s solutions are workhorses. While the SMP-111 is a barebones entry level option, the SMP-351 and SMP-352 are feature rich with integrated scheduling and streaming functionality. The SMP-351 can record only one source while the SMP-351 is Extron’s dual-source solution. Where the Extron solutions suffer is in Extron’s propensity for service contracts and license upgrades. Almost all enhanced features for these devices require a “LinkLicense”. You can purchase a LinkLicense for integration into Panopto or Kaltura, or to turn the SMP-351 into a dual-source solution.
CaptureCast
Manufacturer: NewTek (formerly Cattura)
Supported transfer: Kaltura, Panopto, YouTube, Vimeo, Opencast
Scribe Capture Appliance, Video Capture Appliance
Manufacturer: Seneca
Supported transfer: Panopto
Comments: Seneca’s biggest draw is it’s integration with Panopto. It is Panopto’s appliance of choice, with the Panopto certified Video Capture Appliance, essentially a rebranded version of the Scribe Capture Appliance.
Miris Box Mini, Miris Box Plus, Miris Box Pro
Manufacturer: UbiCast
Supported transfer: UbiCast
Comments: Recording appliances from UbiCast designed to integrate with their cloud storage and delivery solution.
Miris Netcapture
Manufacturer: UbiCast
Supported transfer: UbiCast
Comments: A recording solution from UbiCast in collaboration with Sony where sources in a classroom are recorded remotely to the UbiCast MediaServer rather than to a local appliance in the classroom.
Echo360 SafeCapture HD, Echo360 Pro, Echo360 Pod
Manufacturer: Echo360
Supported transfer: Echo360
Comments: One of the oldest players in the lecture capture business, Echo360 still operates under walled garden mentality. You’re not going to just buy their appliances and upload wherever. If you want to use Echo360 hardware, you have to buy into their cloud storage and delivery service, as well.
MA-XL1
Manufacturer: Maxell
Supported transfer: USB, FTP
Comments: A new player to the game, Maxell’s device is still trying to get a feel for the market and what features are most important to the EDU market.
RCS-430
Manufacturer: YuJa
Supported transfer:
Comments: An up-and-coming video platform, YuJa also offers a hardware capture device to accompany its cloud streaming solution.
Mediasite ML941, Mediasite ML931, Mediasite RL940, Mediasite RL930, Mediasite RL220, Mediasite RL Mini
Manufacturer: Sonic Foundry
Supported transfer: USB, Mediasite
Comments: As with Echo360, Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite solution isn’t a stand-alone hardware appliance, it’s a walled garden streaming and storage service that includes hardware recorders. In a modular and platform agnostic world, this approach is quickly dwindling but Mediasite equipment still has a strong foothold in the market.
Last updated: August 1, 2023
