SPLASH 2020
Sun 15 - Sat 21 November 2020 Online Conference
SPLASH 2020 (series) /

Presenter Instructions for SAS 2020

Update: Authors should have received an e-mail from Conference Publishing containing video and subtitle upload instructions. This e-mail was sent around October 28, 2020. Some authors have reported that this e-mail was filtered in their junk folders. The video submission deadline is below.

Dear SAS Speaker(s),

This year’s SPLASH will be unlike any of the previous years. To make the conference accessible, the schedule will use 12-hour mirroring. This means that your talk will be seen at a reasonable time by people in every time zone. All talks will also be close-captioned so that they are accessible to all and can be heard via screen reading devices.

Each talk will be 20 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of extended discussion. The 20” will be streamed, while the extended discussion will only be available to conference attendees. All talks are to be pre-recorded.

What do you have to do?

  1. Prepare a video by the extended deadline November 6th 11:59pm AoE.

    • File format: A MOV or MP4 or M4V file
    • Resolution: 1920x1080 @ 24-30 FPS (preferred) or 1280x720 @ 24-30 FPS. 1280x720 videos will be resized to 1920x1080 for streaming. Some tutorials for recording videos using standard tools are included below.

  2. Prepare a subtitle file (closed caption file) by the extended deadline November 6th 11:59pm AoE. There are three common formats for subtitles. SPLASH is using the SRT format (extension .srt). One way to create captions is described below.

Upload instructions for videos and subtitle files will be provided shortly (see above). The SPLASH virtualization team is also working hard on a mirrored schedule, video upload website, and upgrades to the streaming platform. More on this soon.

The registration for the conference is now open https://2020.splashcon.org/attending/Registration. Please register at least one author for your paper by October 21.

Thank you again for your contribution to SPLASH and co-located events. We look forward to seeing you virtually in November.

The SPLASH 2020 Team

P.s.: If you are on Twitter or Facebook, join the conversation at https://twitter.com/splashcon and https://www.facebook.com/SPLASHCon/.

FAQs:

  1. Who should I contact with questions regarding videos and subtitles? You can write to the SPLASH video team at the e-mail address video@splashcon.org.

  2. Can I provide talks without (appropriate) subtitles? Subtitles help make your talks accessible to a wider audience, e.g. people who can’t hear well, people who have to mute the talks because they are caring for small children, people who have difficulty understanding a variety of accents, etc. By providing adequate subtitles you are making your research accessible to this expanded SPLASH community. Help us make a more inclusive SPLASH!

  3. How do I add subtitles to my videos? One way to create captions is described here https://sumonbis.github.io/BlogsAndTutorials/Tutorials/adding-closed-captions-in-video-talk.pdf

  4. Does my video need to be exactly 20 minutes? We will truncate videos longer than 20 minutes to 20 minutes, a virtual equivalent of the sessions chair cutting off the speaker.

  5. What aspect ratio is required? 1080p is a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, so if you’re setting up a slide show, it is very important that you configure your slides for 16:9. Likewise, if you’re doing a screen recording you should configure your screen and your recording software for 16:9. 16:9 is the standard aspect ratio for most screens since 2010 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_aspect_ratio#16:9).

  6. Can I produce a video directly from my presentation software? If you’re using PowerPoint or Keynote, yes, this may be the simplest way to make your video.

    a. How can I make videos using PowerPoint? If you plan to use PowerPoint anyway, making your video using PowerPoint’s built in functionality is probably the easiest option, giving you a lot of flexibility with editing etc. Please be sure that you select the “Full HD (1080p)” option and save as MPEG-4 Video. Instructions and instructional video from Microsoft are here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/turn-your-presentation-into-a-video-c140551f-cb37-4818-b5d4-3e30815c3e83

    b. How can I make videos using Keynote? Keynote also includes a feature for producing videos. Be sure to export to 1080p. https://support.apple.com/guide/keynote/record-presentations-tan81813d552/10.2/mac/1.0, https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2620951, and https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6075292 depending on your Keynote version.

  7. Can I produce a video by using screen capture? Yes, this may be an easy way to make your video. However, if you’re using PowerPoint or Keynote, you may find it easier to use the built in video production options in those applications (see above). There is a wide variety of screen recording software available. We list a few below.

    a. How can I make videos using Quicktime? If you are using a Mac, the standard Quicktime application allows you to easily capture a basic screen recording including audio. When you’ve finished you need to export the video, choosing the 1080p option. You can do minimal post-editing in Quicktime too (trimming etc). https://support.apple.com/guide/quicktime-player/record-your-screen-qtp97b08e666/mac

    b. How can I make videos using Xbox Game Bar? If you are using Windows 10, the Xbox Game Bar is an easy way to create a basic screen recording, including audio. When you’ve finished you need to export the video, choosing the 1080p option. https://support.apple.com/guide/quicktime-player/record-your-screen-qtp97b08e666/mac

    c. How can I make videos using OBS? OBS is a production-quality open source application for video streaming on Windows, MacOS and Linux. Although widely used for streaming it also has advanced screen capture support. https://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/obs-for-screen-recording-quick-start–cms-28549

    d. How can I make videos using Panopto? Panopto allows you to create screen recordings on Windows and MacOS, with features not available in the basic Quicktime and Xbox Game Bar screen recorders. https://support.panopto.com/s/article/How-to-Create-a-Video-Using-Panopto-Capture-for-Panopto-Pro

    e. How can I make videos using Camtasia? Camtasia is a richly featured commercial video capture tool available for Windows and MacOS. https://support.techsmith.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042500791-Record-the-Screen-and-Audio

    f. Are there other options for linux? Yes. https://itsfoss.com/best-linux-screen-recorders/

  8. How can I check whether my video is compliant?

    a Quicktime. Open your video in Quicktime and press command ‘I’ or use the Window->Show Movie Inspecter menu option. You will see the resolution listed after “Format:” and the frame rate listed after “FPS:”.

    b Windows File Explorer. Navigate to your file. Right-click and select Properties from the context menu. Go to Details and scroll down to Video. “Frame width” should be 1920 and “Frame height” should be 1080. “Frame rate” should be 30.

    c VLC Open your video and then use the Tools -> Media Information from the menu.

    d ffmpeg the following will print the resolution ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=width,height -of csv=s=x:p=0 [file.mp4] and this will print the frame rate: ffprobe -v error -select_streams v -of default=noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1 -show_entries stream=r_frame_rate [file.mp4]

  9. What will you do with my videos? Pre-recorded videos will be archived on YouTube.