Kaltura vs. StreamYard

Kaltura and Mediaspace are well suited for any business that has a need for an easy to use video conversion software. We use the SaaS solution, but Kaltura is also open-sourced which means if you have the server resources available, you could get Kaltura up-and-running for a minimal cost or customize it to your hearts content. We have gone with the SaaS solution to minimize the amount of administration required as well as give us the benefit of getting the most-up-to-date version of the software. There are ways to monetize videos by adding ads and other things, but unfortunately I don't have much experience with these since we are a University. Kaltura is excellent from our University's perspective because it gives our campus a way to share their videos in a very easy to use package that basically "just works." If you're a small company or institution that doesn't need a lot of control over the back-end of a video solution, then there may be other, better alternatives that are free such as YouTube.

We usually recommend it to those that want to start streaming their podcasts LIVE and don't have much bandwidth for learning new software. Its simplicity is perfect for beginners. That being said, if the person we are talking to wants to be able to download high-quality video and audio files after the stream is over -for post-production reasons- we usually refer them to different software.

Incentivized

• Kaltura Classroom is one of the best ways to teach online, including the capacity of instructors to record classes directly to the LMS
• Integrates very well with enterprise application via strong API system
• Cutting edge implementation of emerging technologies like 360 videos
• Robust and flexible transcoding profiles

Incentivized

• Easy access to stream to multiple locations at the same time
• Simple and intuitive user interface.
• Self-explanatory. Small learning curve to be able to master it.

Incentivized

• As it relates to the LMS integration, we would like to see improved workflow. But that may be just as much a Canvas issue as a Kaltura issue.
• I would like to see the ability to add inline, anchored comments to the video timeline.
• We are seeing issues with compatibility with certain browsers - especially Chrome. The faster Kaltura can move away from Flash the better.
• The capture appliance (CaptureSpace Lite) needs to be reconsidered. It's not intutive enough.

Incentivized

• I would like to be able to change default layout via admin in some instances because for example, it’s a cropped layout for 2+ speakers by default.
• I would like the opportunity to copy comments from the comments section (even if we need to paste it to private chat).
• I would like the opportunity to share the link to download video with guest speakers.

Incentivized

The choice to renew our subscription does not belong to us, though we are able to provide input. We are aware of competitive products who have matured in the past three years, and we are aware now of alternatives to conventional plugin usage (LTI).

You don't need to be an expert and you don't have anything to install.

Incentivized

The first line support agents seldom are able to diagnose or troubleshoot any problems that we have. These agents simply open support tickets in their system which are escalated to a foreign level 2 support agent which creates at least a day delay between reporting a problem and getting initial feedback. Any back-and-forth questions add at least another day delay.

Incentivized

Panopto is a much cheaper option (based on a pay per view model) but the user experience is not nearly as good. The video portal UI is difficult to navigate and the recording feature requires downloading separate desktop software that differs greatly from PC to MAC. Inline quizzing features are far behind Kaltura. It does have stronger analytics tools but they are the type that are better exported to .csv and processed by an advanced Excel user. Vimeo Pro is a very cheap and solid option for a small program or business that is just starting out, but it isn't highly searchable, it doesn't support a large body of users and does not offer any type of online features. It isn't really much more than a repository but it is a bit nicer than using freeware such as YouTube.

Incentivized

The StreamYard interface is more functional and easy to understand for participants, speakers, and team members. StreamYard also allows managing live streams in the app without the need to go to social media for checking comments, replying to them, etc. Simultaneously, StreamYard has many more options compared to other similar tools. For example, it allows sharing slides from different PowerPoints and screens, adding videos, visuals, and live comments with one click. Due to these options, we save time on managing live sessions and our broadcasts look much more professional and engaging.

Incentivized

• Managing video content with the KMC has greatly reduced the amount of hours previously needed to manage.
• User issues ie: uploading video, viewing video has been greatly reduced.
• Increased user engagement with using video in LMS courses. We currently have 6,929 videos on our system. Last month , 2/1/14, 17,623 videos were viewed at least 75% of the way through.

• It has increased the reach rate and the number of followers on social media pages, for example, on our Youtube page, the number of followers increased by 2 times the original amount.
• It has reduced the amount of time our communications team spends on editing videos.
• More team members are able to use StreamYard by themselves, which has allowed us to reduce the time our communications team spends on managing live sessions before.

Incentivized