ServiceheiCAST

Video streaming and management of digital video content

heiCAST is a service for the comprehensive management of digital video content and video streaming at Heidelberg University. It is primarily used to provide audiovisual learning content on Moodle. The service is based on Opencast, an open-source software for (automatic) recording, managing and editing of video content.

heicast logo

heiCAST currently offers the following core features:

  • Video uploading and streaming
  • Video streaming for video camera images and presentation slides
  • Video player with a wide range of functions

Target group

  • University employees
  • Instructors
  • Students

Use

All target groups

  • Uploading (via Moodle) and streaming videos for study, teaching, research and administration.
  • Separate video streams for video image and presentation slides, ideal for recording presentations and lectures
  • Video player with a wide range of functions – automatic table of contents for presentation slides, subtitles, support for multiple audio tracks, and much more

University employees

  • Using the heiCAST web portal
  • Browser-based recording of videos with Opencast Studio

Access and requirements

For employees: Access via a direct link with your Uni ID
heiCAST can be directly accessed with the link https://heicast.uni-heidelberg.de. The login takes place with your Uni ID and grants you access to some extended functions:

  • Opencast Studio for recording your own videos in your browser
  • Directory of available videos and series (Media Module)
  • Employees can manually upload/create videos and assign visibility rights (public, private or authenticated*).

For instructors and students: Access to heiCAST via the Moodle platform
Instructors and students can share videos via Moodle. In the background, heiCAST processes and hosts the video and publishes it to Moodle for playback. The steps needed to do this can be done via Moodle. Separate access to heiCAST is not necessary. To learn more about how to share video content via Moodle, there is a video tutorial available for instructors in the (protected) Moodle Course "Anleitungen & Tipps Online Lehre“ (How-tos and Tips for Online Teaching) (DE).

Technical information

Supported formats:

.3gp, .avi, .dv, .dif, .flv, .f4v, .mov, .movie, .mp4, .m4v, .mpeg, .mpe, .mpg, .ogv, .qt, .rmvb, .rv, .swf, .swfl, .webm, .wmv, .asf

Frequently Asked Questions

Table filters

Table

How do I record videos for teaching?

There are many different tools for recording videos for teaching that can then be shared via Moodle (and therefore via heiCAST). These are some of the available options:

  • Opencast Studio (integrated in heiCAST, browser-based)
  • Camtasia (available at a reduced price through the URZ)
  • PowerPoint presentation exported as a video file
  • OBS Studio (cost-free Open Source software, Tool for advanced users)
The Moodle video player isn't loading. What do I do?

Try using another browser. We recommend the latest version of Mozilla Firefox.

Deactivate your Javascript blocker if you have one.

My video disappeared after uploading. Why did this happen?

Make sure that the video resolution can be divided by 2.

Example:

1280x996 = OK

1280x995 = Doesn't work

How-tos

heiCAST and Moodle: First Steps

How to use videos in Moodle with the help of heiCAST

All How-tos