Rick Matthews, Department of Physics, Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University offers several options for streaming video, including lecture videos:
Note that VoiceThread offers more that just video streaming, including the ability of viewers to leave audio comments. Sakai is a file repository, not really a streaming server. "Streaming" means that the video can viewed without the need to download the video file to a local drive.
| Show and Share | Google Drive | YouTube | Sakai | Voicethread | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| True streaming vs. requiring download | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes. |
| File size limit for each video uploaded | 2Gb | 5 Tb | 128Gb | 0.100Gb | 0.025Gb |
| Maximum length of play | Depends on resolution, typically 1 – 2 hrs at 1080p | Many days | 11 hours (now auto play playlist) | Depends on compression. 1 hr? | ? |
| Maximum resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 | 3840×2160 (3D, 60fps. multi angles coming) | Limited only by file size. | 600x450 |
| Automatic creation of class groups | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Built-in recording and editing | Yes | No | Limited | No | Yes |
| Can easily restrict to wfu.edu accounts | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Can control access via Google Drive folder sharing | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Copyright fields within the system | No | No | Yes, but only YouTube and CC-Attribution | Yes | No |
| Available to all on campus, including students? | Yes, but students must go through faculty publisher | Yes | Yes. | Only faculty can create Sakai sites | Yes. |
| Comments by viewers | Yes, text. | No. | Yes, text. | No. | Audio, video, text |
| Can the video be downloaded to a local drive? | Coming soon | Yes, with | With the right browser add-in | Yes. Videos can only be downloaded | For a fee (limited number free) |
| permission | |||||
| Automatic word recognition and search | Yes | No | Automatic captions, no search | No | No |
| Speed of encoding | Slowest | Acceptable -- minutes to hours | Fastest | N/A | ? |
| Encoded format | 360p, 480p, 1080p | 360p, 720p, 1080p | Auto convert to 8 sizes/formats from cellphone 144p 2160p 4K UHD | N/A | 600x450 |
| Built-in recording and editing | No | No | Autoflags copyright infringements, 3 strikes to account termination | No | No |
| Embedded videos pass the Google mobile-friendly test | No | Yes | Yes | Not applicable: no streaming, no embeds | Yes |
Comments or corrections for this comparison? Please email Rick Matthews, matthews@wfu.edu.