Automated lecture recording system with AVCHD camcorder and microserver

Abstract

Although recording and streaming lecture videos is becoming popular, large-scale lecture recording is still a difficult task for many universities. Auto lecture recording systems with robotic tripod or smart sensors are too expensive to be standard equipment in many classrooms. A simple solution of human-operated recording is also resource intensive from the perspective of hiring, training, and managing operators. A possible solution for the problem is the combination of recording with a stationary high-definition camcorder and post-processing of camerawork generation that traces regions of interest. However, automatic recording systems in high-definition are still uncommon and expensive.In this paper, we describe the automated lecture recording system developed in our lab based on years of experience in manual lecture recording in classrooms. In the system, we use an AVCHD camcorder and microserver for automated recording. The camcorder makes high-definition video capture boards unnecessary since it records videos as files on its filesystem; capturing now becomes an easy task of copying files. With this idea, we can make the system small and cost effective. Lectures are automatically recorded according to the schedule specified by iCalendar data, and recorded videos are automatically processed with a camerawork engine we have developed to generate NTSC resolution videos.