Max file size when importing a .wmv file

Welcome to E-Learning Heroes, Niki!

First, that is one large movie. I can see how that may cause some issues, but I don't think (and I could be wrong) this is a result of that. Are you working with the video files locally? Before attempting to insert the video, please try to make sure that the video file is on your local hard drive. If the file's on any external source, such as a network drive or USB drive, you may encounter some strange behavior. 

Do you know which codecs were installed? 

As for breaking it up, you may not be able to do this in Camtasia (I've honestly never used it, so I'm not sure), but one option would be to use Storyline's built-in screen recorder to record the video in sections. I'm sure this will take quite a bit of time if the video is an hour and a half, but maybe this will work for you.

Let me know how it goes!

Christine

Thank you for your reply, Christine.

Yes, we are working locally.

I believe there were two suggested codecs to install based on another forum post.

I cannot record the video. These videos were done in our training room by a Business Analyst in a 1.5 hour training course. But she used GoToMeeting to record in so that others could join the training.

Niki

Hi Niki,

So the videos won't play if they're opened in standalone, or even if they're dragged and played in a browser?

I know the video is far too large to upload here on the forums, so I wouldn't be able to test it. Have you had any luck with the SWF or AVI conversions?

Thanks!

Christine

They play just fine when opened in Windows Media Player. We are trying to upload them into our LMS but the zip file has to be SCORM compliant so I need to get the videos into either Camtasia, Storyline, or Captivate.

We are at 15% conversion with the .swf and that started at 11am. I have to check the other computer to see how far along it is but it gave us an estimate of 4 hours to covert from .wmv to .avi.

Niki

Hi Niki,

Alright, then, what you could do is play them in Windows Media Player and record them in Storyline to split them up - actually, you may not even have to do that if you record in Storyline. Are you not wanting to try this due to interactions? I just assume this would be faster than waiting for the other files to convert. Again, just a suggestion, though!

Christine

Oh I see, so the recording window would surround the windows media player and I would just let it record that way. Okay, that's a good idea. Let me go into the recording room and give that a try. I won't have access to email but I'll give it a shot.

Thanks!

Niki

Awesome, let me know how it turns out!

It's working but will take a lot of work. The .avi converted but didn't convert well (blurry). It was 274MB. However, it did import, unlike the .wmv file.  Waiting to find out about the .swf.

So that leads me to my original question again about max file size of imported files and formats. The .wmv file was 210MB and wouldn't import. However the .avi is 274MB and imported fine (took about 15 mins).  Is there a known issue with trying to import .wmv files that were generated from gotomeeting? Is there a max file size limitation w/in Storyline?

Thanks!

Niki

Hi Niki,

Thanks for getting back to me. I'm happy to hear there was at least some progress. 

First, for the quality of the AVI, there's something you can try to improve this, if you'd like. Click on "Publish" and select the publish for "CD" option. On this window, you'll see an option for "Quality". Try adjusting the settings here. Now, it may not match the original quality of the video, but it may improve it. It's a strange place to go to adjust this, I know, but I've seen this help in the past for converted videos. I'm hoping this will help in your case, as well.

For your question about file size limits - there isn't an official limit, no. However, larger files are obviously going to impact the courses you create in different ways. I'm thinking, honestly, that it was an issue with the original format. Personally, I haven't used GTM recordings for a course before, so I can't confirm this. Having said that, I have seen quite a few issues with that particular format (WMV). This may be why the import worked with the AVI file and I'm guessing it will for with the SWF as well. 

Let me know if there's any updates!

Thanks very much Niki,

Christine

Thanks Christine. If I publish for CD, can I still put the file into the LMS? This is the ultimate goal - adding it to the LMS. However, we can't put .wmv files in our LMS that aren't SCORM compliant. So that's why I was trying to import the .wmv into Storyline, Captivate, or Camtasia (our .swf didn't generate last night - computer crashed). Right now I have the Storyline recording window on top of the .wmv and I'm just letting it play in our recording room for the next hour and a half just to get the video into the LMS.

Our IT dept. had the same feeling with the original source file. And I found out that one of our depts. is getting ready to record another session today in gotomeeting. I'm just wondering if it's how they are recording, if it has something to do with our connection ino our training room, etc.

Niki

Hi Niki!

Sorry, I should've clarified something: you won't actually publish for CD, just adjust the quality settings here. Publishing for LMS afterwords should be fine. This option will just help with the quality of the content. As I said, I know it's an odd place to adjust it, but I have seen it work in the past.

Christine

Ahhhhh okay. Giving it a try now. Will let you know.

Just an aside - if we record video using Storyline, will those three custom settings under the CD option also improve other videos that weren't imported? When we published to the LMS there's a bit of a quality distortion from what I see in Storyline Preview mode to the final output in the LMS. Just wondering if these settings would improve any video quality.

Niki

Hi Niki,

Recording them in Storyline shouldn't effect the quality, because it's capturing exactly what's playing on the screen. If the quality drops once it's uploaded to the LMS, it may be due to the type of content the LMS supports. 

With the file size, it may be difficult to test this. What you could do is test your course in SCORM Cloud to help determine if the issue is Articulate related or if it's on your LMS's side. Though, keep in mind, I'm not sure if you'll run into issues with a full 1.5 hour video in the course. If the quality doesn't drop in SCORM Cloud, it may be due to the supported file types or MIME types with the LMS. Have a look at this link. If it does drop in SCORM Cloud, we'd be happy to take a closer look.

Christine

Christine,

We downloaded the latest codecs on the training room computer where we record the .wmv files from GoToMeeting. I had my boss conduct a small test video to see if it was a size issue. I still get the codecs error. All computers (mine, boss, training room) have been updated with the latest codecs.

The only other discrepancy we can think of is that all our machines are 64bit. However, the training room is 32bit. Could that have an impact on why even a small .wmv will not import into Storyline? We don't want to change out the computer or any hardware until we can get a confirmation on this.

Thanks!

Niki

Hi Niki,

Quite honestly, no. I don't think the 64-bit operating system would cause this error. 

I'm still not quite sure which codecs you've installed. There's quite a few out there. Can you take a look at the ones below and let me know if these are the ones your IT department installed?

K-Lite Codec Pack Full (accept all default installation options)

Media Player Codec Pack (deselect toolbar options during installation)

Thanks!

If I can put my 2 cents in here - try the following:

Download mpegstreamclip - it's free and for video - then re-encode your video as an .FLV and you should be good to go.

as an .FLV you should have no CODEC problems and all the other garbage you're running into.

Im new to Storyline/Articulate - but IMHO, use video programs for video. I know companies are trying to give all in one solutions, but you wouldn't use a hammer to turn in a screw - just use the proper tools and you'll save more time and money than you ever thought possible.

most likely even save some hair and stress related health issues as well

Just wanted to let you all know what the issue was. I wanted to see how the video from GoToMeeting was being saved. I sat with my boss who did a quick test on her machine where she saved the file as .wmv. I had a conversation previously with another co-worker earlier on Friday who mentioned that when he saves gotomeeting files as .wmv he selects the 'convert to .wmv' option and it takes about 45 mins for his videos to convert. The fact that my boss was able to save the files immediately prompted me to see if she had that 'convert' check box selected. Sure enough - it wasn't selected on her machine, nor the training room machine. One setting was the culprit. I'm able to import just fine now. These long videos (1.5 hrs) import into storyline in about 10 mins.

Thank you for all your suggestions and patience.

Niki

Niki,

I'm so happy to hear you were able to get this working! I know it took a lot of time and work, but I'm pleased that you'll be able to work with these videos now. Thanks so much for the update, I appreciate it. I'm sure if anyone else runs into this issue in the future, they'll appreciate it too.

I hope you have an awesome day!

Christine

Christine,

Is there a recommended size (screen resolution) when importing .wmvs? Now that we have them working, we've tried a couple of things. When recording from gotomeeting, I've had the trainer bump up the screen size to 165%, full screen. I've also had them reduce the window size but keep the 165% magnification. Here's a screen shot to show you the latter.

Here's what the wmv looks like when I import it into Storyline. It's small and blurry. I can crop it when I edit the video, but if I try to stretch the corners, it blurs too much. Any suggetions? Would love for it to fill the slide and still be legible.

Niki

Good morning Niki,

Storyline works best with a 4:3 ratio. However, I personally suggest recording the original video around the same size as the Story size (if you want it to show up larger and easier to read). If the recorded video is larger, Storyline will try to compress it and fit it into the window so that it displays properly within the slide. In my opinion you may want to try to stay clear of making recordings that are too large - users view content on so many different resolutions, larger resolution videos may be very hard to see for users on smaller resolution machines. So, the best way to get the best quality out of your recordings is to record near the size you intend to use in the slide. If the video is too large to fit into the slide, it's going to scale down and cause the issues you're seeing now (the inserted version doesn't fill the slide and the video blurs if you try to adjust the size). 

Thanks Christine. When we record these training sessions, it is in front of a group of BAs. We have a large Aquos touchscreen board. Can you explain the 4:3 ratio?

Thanks!

Niki

Hi Niki,

4:3 ratio is the default in Storyline, which is 720 X 540. I think one of the threads posted by some other community members may explain this a little better than I can. Take a look at this informative thread on the topic. 

Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks Niki