EchoVideo: Embedding Media into Brightspace

The look and feel of the Player is changing! Upcoming changes are identified in this article by providing screenshots labeled "Old UI" and "New UI".

Prerequisites for using the EchoVideo Insert Stuff embedding feature: A Brightspace Administrator must have created and configured a Remote plugin for EchoVideo embedding on your Brightspace instance. For Students to embed media, the Student Library MAY need to be turned on for your institution. OR Students can embed media from any Collection where they have the Post permission.

If a Brightspace / D2L Admin has enabled it for your institution, you will see an EchoVideo option in the Insert Stuff selections available from the toolbar of a content window. The Insert Stuff button is identified in the below figure. The EchoVideo insert stuff option opens the EchoVideo Embed media dialog box.

The EchoVideo Embed media dialog box provides the ability to:

• Embed media from EchoVideo directly into your Brightspace course, as described on this page
• Upload a media file then embed it as a single process
• Create new media with Universal Capture then embed it a single process
• Post a link to the media (instead of embedding it) into Brightspace
• Create a playlist and embed it directly into Brightspace

The same Embed media dialog box provides access to all of these options. You can access the Embed media dialog box wherever Brightspace provides an Insert Stuff button for its content windows (e.g., Discussions, Assignments, Create content item, etc.).

LMS-Embedded media provide view data such as view counts and heatmap data, along with individual user viewing information, all of which is displayed in the Analytics tab of the media details page.

The steps below are for selecting media already resident in EchoVideo. The Embed Media dialog box lists all EchoVideo media you own as well as any audio, video, or interactive media in any Collection where you have the Post permission. If you need to upload or create the media first and need instructions, use the links above for more information.

The procedure below adds a new File into a module of a Brightspace course for the content panel shown. But as stated above, the instructions apply to any place you find an Insert Stuff button. These instructions are provided as a guide. Refer to your Brightspace documentation if you need further directions for their interface.

To embed existing EchoVideo media into a content window

1. Log in to Brightspace.
2. Open the Course in Brightspace where you want to post the media.
3. Open the item you want to use to hold the media you are embedding. It can be a File added to a Module in the course, a Discussion post, an Assignment, or any other content item.
4. In the Content window, click the Insert Stuff button, identified by the arrow in the below figure.
   
5. If necessary, scroll through the Insert Stuff list to find and select the EchoVideo plugin. It should be clearly named.
   

   A dialog box appears with a content selection screen, presenting the options available to you. Click the Launch Media Picker option to choose from your existing content and see the EchoVideo audio, video, or interactive media you own, as well as media in any Collection where you have the Post permission. If you need to upload media to embed, click the Upload Content option, and refer to the instructions in the link if necessary.

6. If necessary, use the Search text box and / or Filters options to find the media you want to embed into the window.
7. Select the media you want to embed and click Next.
   

   The dialog box changes to show the selected media as well as playback configuration options, all of which are described below the figure.
   If you want to post a link to the media instead of embedding it directly into the page, enable the Link toggle and if necessary see Posting a Link to EchoVideo Media in your LMS / VLE Course.
   If you want to embed multiple items together as a Playlist, see EchoVideo: Creating Playlists in your LMS / VLE Course.

   
8. From the Player Style drop-down list, select the style you want to be applied to the player.
   

   The Player Style drop-down only appears if your institution has created custom player styles to choose from. If you have selection options, pick the one for your department or organization (or the default) that you want applied to the playback of this media.
   Selecting a style may automatically select Size, Autoplay, and Automute options for you; these can still be changed.

9. From the Select size drop-down list, select the size for the media playback. It is 640x420 by default.
10. If appropriate, enable the option to Autoplay the video (it will play as soon as a user opens the page you are embedding it into).
11. If you enable Autoplay, Automute is automatically enabled, to accommodate browsers that no longer allow autoplay with sound. You CAN enable Automute separately without Autoplay.
12. If appropriate, set a Start At time. If set, the video will begin playing at that timestamp, although viewers will be able to rewind / fast-forward the player to view any segment of the embedded video.
    This option is NOT available for interactive media.
13. If desired, disable the Discussion option to prevent EchoVideo Q&A functionality for your embedded content.
14. When finished, click Embed. A preview of the inserted media appears inside the content area, as shown in the below figure.
    If the Administrator has NOT added the EchoVideo URL to the Trusted Sites list, you may instead see a notification to Allow links to this URL. If this happens, click Allow and be sure the Always trust this URL box is checked.

    Old UI
    New UI

15. If it is the media you want, click Insert.
16. The item you embedded the media into appears with the media showing in the main portion of the content window, as shown below. Complete the remaining fields or other configuration items for the thing you are creating, and click Save or Save and Close as appropriate.

    Old UI
    New UI

Once the item is added, other users in the course can open the page or module and view the embedded media. If you selected Autoplay or Start At configurations for the media, those are enacted for the user upon viewing.