Knowledge Base

Welcome to Viso

How to use this Help

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Introduction

Viso is a powerful tool to record video and audio in multiple independent locations. Record with up to four Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras in each room. Control session recording from any computer in your local network, so that the persons under study are not disturbed by the recordings. Annotate the behaviors of the observed persons. Play the recorded sessions back for debriefing. And invite others to view the sessions with you.

Viso Modules

Viso is modular, which means that you can make the setup entirely to your needs.

Base Module

The Viso Base Module allows you to record sessions in a number of locations with up to four cameras in each location. The number of locations is determined by your license. User management ensures that session viewing, recording, or management can only be done by those whose user role allows it.

See User Management for an overview of the rights of each user role.

Annotation Module

With the Annotation Module you can mark events that are of interest in your session and enter free text as remarks. When debriefing the session, you can easily jump to an episode using the scored markers and remarks.

The sessions can be exported to the annotation software The Observer XT, for further analysis.

Scheduler Module

With this module you can schedule sessions in advance. The Scheduler has several options to customize the view entirely to your needs.

Important Definitions

IMPORTANT The terminology in this Help may differ from what you see in Viso, since your colleague who manages the Setup account may have changed it in the program. Locations may, for example, be called Rooms and Sessions Recordings. Also markers, subjects and user roles may have different names. Contact your colleague if you have questions on the terminology.

Location

A location is an area with cameras, for example an observation room, or a usability test room.

Session

By default, a Session is one recording with all cameras in one location. With the default settings, you obtain two or more sessions if you record with all cameras in two or more locations. However, those with a Technician account can select the option to start recording in multiple locations simultaneously.

Multiple-Location Sessions

Ask your colleague with the Technician account whether selecting multiple locations for simultaneous recordings is possible in your Viso setup. If this is the case, there are two options:

• Separate sessions - Viso records a session for each selected location. If you selected four locations, you will get four sessions.
• Composite session - Viso records one session for all locations combined. You will get one session, independent of the number of selected locations.

Department

A group of users who work together, using the same locations for recording. They can invite each other to watch live tests or recorded sessions. Users of a department only have access to the locations that have been assigned to that department. Users of different departments do not see each other in the software and cannot interact.

Group

By defining groups you can easily assign identical rights to a number of users, for instance, the right to view a session live or the right to review it after it has been recorded.

Subject

If your Viso license includes the Annotation Module, you can annotate sessions. Subjects are the individuals that show the behavior you are interested in. Examples of subjects are: Test participant 1, Mother, Father, Child, Doctor, Patient. Since the subjects are likely to vary between sessions, you define roles rather than names or identities as Subjects. So Mother and Child rather than Mrs Sanchez and Joanna.

Marker

If your Viso license includes the Annotation Module, you can score markers in your sessions. Markers are used to annotate events of interest, for example the start of a counseling session, or a usability test. Markers have no duration; they mark a moment in time.

Codes List

Subjects and Markers are organized in Codes Lists.

Remarks

If your Viso license includes the Annotation Module, you can enter remarks in your sessions in case something unexpected happens that you did not define as a marker. For example if a visitor enters the room. Like markers, remarks have no duration.

User Management

Viso has five user roles that differ in rights to work with the program. This ensures that actions in Viso, like managing users and locations, session recording, and session viewing, can only be done by those whose user role allows it. Users that have rights to create sessions can invite others to view them.

Your colleague who manages the Viso set-up specifies the user role of each user. The Viso Setup Manual contains a full description of the rights per user role. The table below summarizes the rights of the different user roles.

Right	Setup	Technician	Administrator	Trainer	Trainee
Manage terminology	Yes
Manage session recording options	Yes	Yes
Upgrade Viso license	Yes
Manage users	Yes		Yes
Manage locations	Yes	Yes
Force-stop recording	Yes	Yes
Manage departments	Yes		Yes
Define groups	Yes		Yes	Yes
Create Codes List (with Annotation Module)	Yes		Yes	Yes
Record sessions	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Schedule sessions (with Scheduler Module)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
View and review sessions	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes **	Yes ***
Manage sessions	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Log in via Viso Web App	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Start and stop recording with Viso Web App	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Make an audit report	Yes		Yes

** Sessions that the Trainer has recorded, sessions of which he/she received session ownership, sessions for which he/she received annotator rights, and sessions for which he/she has been invited.

*** Sessions of which the Trainee received ownership, sessions for which he/she received annotator rights, and sessions for which he/she has been invited.

NOTE Trainees do not have the rights to schedule or record sessions and create codes lists. Therefore the tabs Locations, Scheduler, and Codes are not present for a Trainee.

What's New in Viso 11

Allocate Locations to Departments

Viso 11 introduces the concept of departments. Your colleague who maintains the Viso set-up can assign locations to departments. Each location can be assigned to one department. The users (Administrators, Trainers and Trainees) that belong to a department can be linked to that Viso department. For instance, your school may have purchased a Viso system to train students in the field of nursing and students that study skin therapy. By assigning each student to one of the two departments he/she has access to the locations and sessions that belong to that department but not to the locations and sessions of the other department.

Group Users

By defining groups you can easily assign identical rights to a number of users, for instance, the right to view a session live or the right to review it after it has been recorded. Groups can either be public or private.

Auto Delete Sessions

Your colleague who maintains the Viso set-up can set a time after which your sessions will be auto deleted. This is a GDPR/HIPAA requirement. You can secure sessions that you want to retain. These sessions will not be auto deleted.

Picture-by-Picture View in Viso Web App

In Viso 10.7 you can view the cameras in a location simultaneously, in a picture-by-picture view in the Viso Web App. In Viso 11 you can also view the videos of a session in a picture-by-picture view.

PTZ Control in the Viso Web App

If your Viso set-up includes PTZ cameras you can now not only control them in the regular Viso software but also in the Viso Web App, including zooming in and out.

Transfer Session Ownership

Session owners can manage sessions (delete and rename sessions, etc.). You can give another user (for instance, your colleague) the right to manage your session.

Change Session Annotator

By default, the annotator is the person who recorded the session. This person can assign the role of annotator to a colleague or a student or reclaim the role of annotator.

Upgrading Viso Easier

When your colleague who maintains the Viso set-up upgrades Viso from version 10.7, the Viso database is backed up automatically. The installation of Viso 11 consists of two steps, one step less than for older versions of the software.

Control Viso from The Observer XT or by Using a Programmable Button

Session recording in Viso 11 can be started and stopped from The Observer XT, a tool for manual annotation and data integration. You can also use a programmable button to control Viso.

Secure RabbitMQ Connection

Viso versions 11.0.8620 and higher allow the use of security certificates to secure RabbitMQ messages. RabbitMQ is a core item used in N-Linx, the network communication protocol. It controls the message traffic between Viso Services, Viso Recorder and Viso Viewer. For information on how to set up a secure connection, see Install Viso Services with a secure connection.

What's New in Viso 12

Software Based Licensing Fully Integrated in Viso

You can activate or deactivate your software license from the Viso application directly.

Highlight Videos

In the Annotation Module, you can now create highlight videos which summarise the most interesting point events of your sessions to be used, for example, in presentations or lectures. To these highlight videos, you may add your markers and remarks as subtitles.

The Right to Manage Recording Options Moved to Technicians

Those with a Technician account can now enable multiple location recording, including composite and separate sessions.

Allocate Groups to Departments

When creating groups, the department where the group belongs can also be provided.

Data Transparency Policy

When a new user logs in, a pop-up window will appear, informing the user about the Data Transparency Policy.

Prepare Session Recording

Locations and Sessions

By default, a session is a recording with all cameras in one location. To create sessions, your user role must allow session recording.

Main topics covered in session recording preparation:

• Pan, Tilt, and Zoom (PTZ) the cameras. This is only possible if the camera has Pan, Tilt, and Zoom control.
• Save PTZ presets.
• Change the video layout.
• Change audio source and volume in preview.
• Use Talk to people in location to talk to the persons in the location.
• Specify a default session name.
• Create and edit groups to view the session.

Pan, Tilt, and Zoom

Aim: Pan, Tilt and Zoom the camera to obtain a proper view of the subjects under study.

Prerequisites:

• Your user role allows session recording (Technician, Administrator, or Trainer).
• You have opened a location. See Select locations for recording.
• The camera can Pan, Tilt, and Zoom. Ask your colleague who manages the Viso set-up whether this is the case. See Select locations for recording.

Procedure:

1. Open the location. See Select locations for recording.
2. Hover with your mouse over the camera image. The toolbar appears at the bottom of the image.
3. Click the PTZ button to enable or disable PTZ control.
4. PTZ control appears in the middle of the image and your mouse pointer becomes a small point. Click the camera image and keep your left mouse button pressed to control the camera. The camera image moves in the direction of the point. The further away from the PTZ control you click, the faster the camera moves.
5. Zoom in and out with your mouse wheel.

See also Save PTZ presets.

NOTE See Record sessions in Keyboard shortcuts for how to manage the PTZ menu with your keyboard.

Save PTZ Presets

Aim: To save the new camera view so that you can return to it easily.

Prerequisites:

• Your user role allows session recording (Technician, Administrator, or Trainer).
• You have opened a location. See Select locations for recording.
• The camera can Pan, Tilt, and Zoom. Ask your colleague who manages the Viso set-up whether this is the case. See Select locations for recording.

Procedure:

1. Hover with your mouse over the camera image and click the PTZ button on the toolbar. This opens the PTZ preset menu.
2. To save a camera position, click one of the save buttons.

To Return to a PTZ Preset

Click one of the arrows to return to a PTZ preset.

NOTE The PTZ presets are stored per location. So if you or another user opens a location with Viso on another computer, the same presets are present. You can store four presets per location.

NOTE See Record sessions in Keyboard shortcuts for how to manage the PTZ menu with your keyboard.

Video Layout

Aim: To choose the position of your videos on your screen.

IMPORTANT The changes do not affect the recordings. The cameras and video resolutions are selected by your colleague who manages the Viso set-up. All available cameras will always be used for recording.

Prerequisites:

• Your user role allows session recording (Technician, Administrator, or Trainer). Alternatively, you are invited to view the session.
• You have opened a location. See Select locations for recording.

Procedure: First, open the location. See Select locations for recording.

To Change the Order of Videos

Drag and drop videos to change their position on your screen.

To Show One Video Full Size

Do one of the following:

• Double-click it.
• Press Ctrl+Shift+[video number]. If you do not know the video number, open the View Settings pane. The video number is superimposed on the video image.
• Hover over the camera image and click the Full size button on the toolbar that appears.

To display the previously shown videos again, do one of the following:

• Press Esc.
• Double-click the video.
• Press Ctrl+Shift+[any video number].
• Hover over the camera image and click the Restore button on the toolbar that appears.

To Show or Hide Videos and Change the Distribution of Videos on Your Screen

1. Click the settings wheel on the toolbar to open the View Settings pane. Here you can change the way the videos are displayed.
2. If the location has more than one camera, the video numbers are superimposed on the video images when you open the View Settings pane. Optionally click a video number in the View Settings pane to hide a video. This does not disable recording that video. Click the video number once more to show it again.
3. Optionally, change the layout of the videos on your screen. You have the following options:
   • The space where videos are displayed divided in equal parts.
   • One large video with the other ones displayed smaller at the right-hand side.
   • One large video with the other ones displayed smaller at the bottom.
4. By default all videos are zoomed to fill the available space completely. To disable this, deselect Zoom to fill.

NOTE By default Viso divides the space where videos are shown in equal parts. If you have one video, it uses the full available space. If you have two videos, the available space is divided in two halves next to each other. If you have three or four videos, the available space is divided in four equal parts.

NOTE The size of the displayed videos depends on whether you selected Zoom to fill and also on the video resolution set by your colleague who manages the Viso set-up. If the video resolution differs between videos, and you did not select Zoom to fill, they may not have equal size in the video layout.

NOTE Zoom to fill may cause the sides of the video to disappear. These sides are recorded, but with Zoom to fill they are not shown. If you want to see the sides, deselect Zoom to fill.

Change Audio Source and Volume in Preview

Aim: To select which audio source to hear in Viso and to adjust the volume.

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Source: Viso 12 Reference Manual