There are multiple ways to open the Universal Capture (UC) interface to create an ad hoc capture. The New Capture or New Software Capture option in the Create button menu allows you to launch the local installation of Universal Capture on the computer you are using. Which option you see depends on your role and some institution settings. Students and Teaching Assistants will always see New Capture. Instructors will see New Software Capture if the New Device Capture also appears in the Create button menu.

The first section below outlines procedures for launching the local Universal Capture installation. The second section below provides instructions for using the UC interface, regardless of how you got there. All Universal Capture interfaces work similarly.

For a quick start guide and a video on using the Universal Capture recording interface, see Start a Recording with Universal Capture. Otherwise, see the procedures below.

Keep in mind that there may be limitations and configuration options you should be aware of. See the Additional things to know section of the Creating an Ad Hoc Capture article if needed.

Launch the Local Universal Capture Installation

If you are using the local computer to perform ad hoc recording, follow the instructions below to launch Universal Capture.

To launch a local Universal Capture installation for ad hoc capture

1. Log in to EchoVideo.
2. Click the Create button in the top navigation bar.

3. Select New Capture or New Software Capture, whichever is available to you.
   

   A new tab opens, allowing you to launch Universal Capture or install it if it is not already installed on the computer. See Installing the Universal Capture Desktop Application if necessary.

4. Click Launch Universal Capture.
   
5. If a pop-up box appears, click Open Echo360 Capture to confirm the application you are using. This may only be necessary the first time.
   

The Universal Capture window appears, and you may be prompted to log in to your account. See the next section for configuring and launching your ad hoc capture. You may also want to refer to Start a Recording with Universal Capture.

Start an Ad Hoc Capture Using Universal Capture

No matter how you get to a Universal Capture window, the UC interface is the same. The instructions below guide you through each step.

Using the Universal Capture interface for an ad hoc capture

1. When the Universal Capture window appears, notice that the default inputs are showing in each of the panels, along with an audio (VU) meter in the center.
2. Use the Input drop-down lists to select different inputs for each panel - selecting None if you don't want one or either of them (e.g., display only, video only, or audio only - for audio, select Mute only if you are capturing System Audio with a Display input).

3. Click the capture title in the top left corner or capture type below the Record button, identified in the figure below, to open the Capture Details page.

   The Capture Details page appears, containing fields and configuration options as described below the figure.

4. Enter a Title for the capture. This name will be the name of the recording. If you choose to publish the capture to a new class, the class name will be used as well.
5. Optionally, fill out the Description and Tags fields.

6. If applicable, enter a Capture Duration for the capture. The default is 60 minutes (1 hour). You can edit this to be more or less. Also, note that the date / time of the next scheduled capture appears below the Duration box.

   The Duration field is not available when using UC: Personal. UC: Personal does not have a set duration or countdown; it will record for as long as you let it. Click Stop when finished to end a UC: Personal recording and upload it to EchoVideo.

7. Select a recording Quality for the capture. The default quality selection depends on the device type (Pro, Pod, UC: Classroom, or UC: Personal) and the capture type (Live or VOD). For detailed information on quality options, see Universal Capture Recording Quality.

   Tip: A / D / V, A / V / V, and A / D / D recordings can be processor-intensive. Run tests to ensure your computer and input devices produce output that meets your standards.

8. Select a Publish To location to specify where you want the ad hoc capture published when it finishes. The drop-down list will include your Library and any currently active sections you are enrolled in.
9. If applicable, select a Class option. If you have selected an active course / section to publish to, you will then be able to choose to either create a new class or publish to a pre-existing class. If publishing to a new class, the class name will match the capture title.
10. Select the Live Stream checkbox to stream the capture live (in real-time) to students. You must publish to a course to perform a Live stream. The class in the course provides students with access to the stream.

11. Optionally, select Live Captioning. Live captioning provides real-time, automatically generated text during live content, allowing viewers to read spoken content as it happens, improving accessibility.

    Note: Live Captions are limited to a maximum duration of 4 hours.

12. When finished, click SAVE.

    You are returned to the main preview page. Use this opportunity to confirm or update your input selections as needed.

13. When you are ready to start capturing, click the red Record button in the center of the screen, as shown in the figure above.

Important: Users are not limited to specific quality options. If you are planning to stream the capture Live, we do not recommend selecting Highest Quality; live streaming performance is likely to suffer, particularly for users with lower or shared bandwidth.

You will see a short countdown. When it finishes, your recording will start.

The capture will continue for the duration you set until you click the Stop button or until the next scheduled capture for that room/device is scheduled to begin. If you attempt to set the duration of your ad hoc capture beyond the start time of the next scheduled capture, you will receive a warning notifying you of the conflict. You can generate the ad hoc capture for the truncated duration instead, or cancel and select a different room.