Webinar module

Intro

The Rambla webinar module is an AJAX based Drupal module, combining streaming video with slide presentations. The module can be used for live events (with live video and slide presentation) and on-demand webinars (with pre-recorded slide synchronization), supporting several streaming protocols (http, rtsp, rtmp) and players (QuickTime and Jeroen Wijering Media Player). The module is developed to work with Drupal version 5.

AJAX

When we started developing this module, we faced the problem of how to show an uninterrupted video stream, while at the same time sending requests to the web server to refresh slides that are presented live. AJAX provided the answer. Using XML and javascript, it allows to communicate with a web server without the need to refresh the whole page (this is called asynchronous communication, hence the name Ajax (asynchronous JavaScript and XML). More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJAX. Slide transitions are cached in memory on the server, allowing for a scalable and performant architecture.

Features

Setup

The webinar application is based on the popular Drupal Content Management System. Setting up the webinar is as simple as entering some details (such as a summary, the chosen video player, date and time of the live event, video resolution) in the Drupal system using the standard Drupal content creation functionality (in Drupal terminology, every piece of content is called "a node").

Video

Although the module has primarily been developed with the open standard format MP4 (and H.264 codec) in mind, it can be used for other file formats (such as FLV) as well. You can choose between live streams or on-demand video over rtsp, http (pseudo-streaming or (progressive) download) and rtmp. Supported players are Apple QuickTime (http and rtsp) and Jeroen Wijering Media Player (http and rtmp). You can provide a video resolution (movie will be stretched / shrunk to fit within this resolution).

Slideshow

Video/slide synchronisation forms the core of this module: while your movie plays, a presenter (who uses the presentation functionality of the module) can show slides in real-time (when live streaming) or link a slideshow with pre-recorded timings to the video (on demand mode).

Ask questions

During live streamings you can ask questions you would like to see answered during the broadcast. Questions will be sent by email to an address that can be specified in the webinar setup.

Chapters

Cut up your on demand video in chapters and provide a title for each chapter. Viewers can jump directly to the chapter they would like to see, and slides will follow accordingly.

Downloads and external links

You can add file attachments and external links to your webinar page.

Summary

Add a short description or summary, date of live event and name/company of the speaker in the video.

Simple theming

The module comes with a simple theming template and stylesheet, which can be adjusted to fit your needs.

Demo

A demo of the module can be viewed at http://demo.rcms.rambla.be/webinars Detailed instructions on how to use the module can be found at http://demo.rcms.rambla.be/webinars/help