Recording Panopto recordings with OBS (or some other SW)

[aurgathor]

I'm taking some classes where the class sessions are recorded and published as Panopto videos. Direct downloading of the recordings is disabled, only play is allowed.

Because my heavily limited internet, I'm trying to download relevant videos at school, and then watch them later w/o internet connection. I've tried many of the usual youtube downloaders and nothing worked. However, OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) works to some degree, but one issue with OBS is that it only records the first few minutes.... it shows that's it recording even at the very end, but there are no files after the first few minutes.

Does anyone have any idea what's going on? I looked through the settings to see if there is something that might be limiting the length of the recording, but I couldn't find anything.

Alternatively, is there any other piece of (preferably free or low cost) SW than can record what's being displayed in a browser's window?

[aedipuss]

wouldn't know unless you can provide access to the videos that you need downloading.

[Cornucopia]

As a Panopto administrator at my University, I can tell you with confidence that it is DESIGNED to do that.

When they say a policy of "no download", they mean it, and they have the encryption skills in their player to detect screenrecording and blank it after a short while.

However, these policies where you are may not be hard and fast rigid rules, rather they may (often are) just default safety policies. Check with your University's IT or AV department and ask their Panopto admins if it is possible to modify the policy on the few particular clips you want to have access to. If it is ok with them & the faculty involved, and the administration doesn't have a prohibition due to Intell. Propty. concerns, they may allow them to be downloaded. Or possibly downloaded only for mobile users.

If, otoh, they have strong reasons for NOT doing that. You are SOL with downloading, and will need to find another way/location to do live viewing.

Scott

[Cornucopia]

@aedipuss, he would very likely NOT be able to give access, as most times those links require one to not only have a login specific to that institution, but one that is specific to that COURSE, in that specific SEMESTER.

Yes, it is that detailed, tied into the institution's authentication server AND their LMS.

Scott

[aurgathor]

they have the encryption skills in their player to detect screenrecording and blank it after a short while.

Aw crap....

But how exactly can they detect screenrecording?

Well, I guess I might just have to do it differently then -- I happen to have an HDMI splitter and an HDMI capture card, and I highly doubt that they can detect those. Unfortunately, they might be too late to save my ass in that class...

[ChezBompaLawijt]

they have the encryption skills in their player to detect screenrecording and blank it after a short while.

Aw crap....

But how exactly can they detect screenrecording?

Well, I guess I might just have to do it differently then -- I happen to have an HDMI splitter and an HDMI capture card, and I highly doubt that they can detect those. Unfortunately, they might be too late to save my ass in that class...

Can you put the url of that panopto website? i might have found something but not sure since i dont know the url anyway you might take a look at these links >> https://elearn.southampton.ac.uk/panopto/create/audioscreen/ link 2 >> https://support.panopto.com/s/article/automated-recorder-installation-1 and if it's nothing and there is no other solution you can always install Windows on VMware or Virtualbox and record that way or try with a capture card

[KarMa]

Use x264 with an ultra fast preset, and maybe a lowish bitrate of ~3000. See if that works. Also only record to either .MKV or .TS files, not .MP4 as those get corrupted easy. For source, use display capture.

[ChezBompaLawijt]

Use x264 with an ultra fast preset, and maybe a lowish bitrate of ~3000. See if that works. Also only record to either .MKV or .TS files, not .MP4 as those get corrupted easy. For source, use display capture.

That's a good idea indeed and that might actualy work goodluck

[Cornucopia]

Unless they made it fully public (which I doubt, otherwise you wouldn't be asking all this),

You can only access their files on their proprietary, encrypted website. Unless you have a login for that college/university/corporation/institution AND you have been granted explicit access to those files/folders/courses, you won't even be able to see the files.

To see the files, you MUST use their proprietary, encrypted player, which has been designed to recognize when screencap is being used, even with the various rendering methods. This is similar to how cyberlink powerdvd can also block screen recordings of dvd/bluray playback.

If you play to another machine/device that does capture, the only way to do that would be to bypass the hdmi stream encryption, which besides being at best very shaky legally, does explicitly break the agreement you made when you sign into the panopto site, so you're screwed there too. Not a good starting point.

They take this security thing very seriously.

Scott

[KarMa]

Unless they made it fully public (which I doubt, otherwise you wouldn't be asking all this),

You can only access their files on their proprietary, encrypted website. Unless you have a login for that college/university/corporation/institution AND you have been granted explicit access to those files/folders/courses, you won't even be able to see the files.

To see the files, you MUST use their proprietary, encrypted player, which has been designed to recognize when screencap is being used, even with the various rendering methods. This is similar to how cyberlink powerdvd can also block screen recordings of dvd/bluray playback.

Does this software stop OBS from recording anything? As OP seems to be saying that OBS is simply choking and failing a few minutes after starting. Which makes me think OP's x264 settings are too stressful. Happens to me when having encoding settings that are too aggressive.

[ponens]

Perhaps read these two posts on reddit for some ideas; here and here.

For example, the following panopto video seems to use an ordinary amazon web services (cloudfront) server;

https://uicapture.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=1faaa69f-7be4-4e43-a079-aaee016327ee

Nothing special there. Perhaps other panopto videos use the mission impossible type protection that others have mentioned?

[aurgathor]

Nothing special there. Perhaps other panopto videos use the mission impossible type protection that others have mentioned?

For one thing, the videos I wanted to DL and save can only be accessed with a school ID and a password -- no public access. As for the protection scheme -- Cornucopia is most likely right, though I'll try one more time the SW based capture.

[aurgathor]

If you play to another machine/device that does capture, the only way to do that would be to bypass the hdmi stream encryption, which besides being at best very shaky legally, does explicitly break the agreement you made when you sign into the panopto site, so you're screwed there too. Not a good starting point.

They take this security thing very seriously.

There is no agreement whatsoever when I watch videos on the school's panopto site.

BTW, I already dropped the class ( partly because I was unable to watch the videos at home ); however, I can still access them through their saved direct links even though I'm not in the class any more.

And for future reference, I still want to work out the HDMI based capture since I may need this capability in the future.

[ponens]

For one thing, the videos I wanted to DL and save can only be accessed with a school ID and a password -- no public access.

BTW, I already dropped the class ( partly because I was unable to watch the videos at home ); however, I can still access them through their saved direct links even though I'm not in the class any more.

The parts in bold in the above quotes are entirely the point of the previously quoted posts on reddit. And the direct links are readily downloadable, because there is no drm.

[Cornucopia]

Do you realize with that admission, you opened yourself up to getting censured by your institution for violating their acceptable use policy if they ever saw this?
(Or worse, kicked out)

Not a smart move. Smh.

Scott

[aurgathor]

While I didn't read all the fine print of the acceptable use policy (will take a look at later) I highly doubt that there is anything explicit about saving Panopto videos, especially when I was still enrolled.

[aurgathor]

For one thing, the videos I wanted to DL and save can only be accessed with a school ID and a password -- no public access.

BTW, I already dropped the class ( partly because I was unable to watch the videos at home ); however, I can still access them through their saved direct links even though I'm not in the class any more.

The parts in bold in the above quotes are entirely the point of the previously quoted posts on reddit. And the direct links are readily downloadable, because there is no drm.

1. Even with a direct link, one would still need a student ID / password to to gain access to them
2. Believe me, I've tried several regular video downloaders (they don't work at all) several screen capture type downloaders (they work for a few minutes),. so there is no easy way to download Panopto videos, unless the admin makes them downloadable

I'm still working on it, but right now I'm just busy with, guess what, homework....

[Cornucopia]

You would not see that agreement every time, just @ beginning of semester or at admittance/enrollment.

Most AUPs have clauses against nsfw/porn, incitement/hate stuff, libel/slander/stalking/doxing stuff, exposing their systems to security risks/hacking, plagiarism stuff...but they almost always also have clauses related to intellectual property, such as drm'd or licensed IP - media, documents & apps. Of which, this specifically applies.

You're gonna do what you want to do, but I'm just reminding you they take that stuff very seriously, and many (almost all) have monitoring tools to police their systems and the access to them.

Scott