Frequently Asked Questions

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About kPoint

• What platforms does kPoint support?
kPoint is supported on the following:
• Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, using IE 7+, Mozilla Firefox 8+, Google Chrome.
• Mac OS X using Firefox 8+, Safari 4+.
• GNU/Linux using FireFox 8+ for viewing kPoint kapsules. kPoint works best with Fedora and Ubuntu distributions.
• kPoint requires Adobe Flash Player Version 11+ on all supported platforms.
• What is the minimum configuration required of a computer to use kPoint?
We recommend the following:
• A computer with 2 GHz, 32 bit CPU with 1GB RAM
• A web camera for broadcasting your video (1 Mega pixel minimum, for e.g. Logitech Quickcam Sphere)
• Headset (microphone + headphone)
• How much internet bandwidth do I need to use kPoint?
kPoint recommends an internet connection with upto 1Mbps direct, dedicated bandwidth for uninterrupted classrooms. However kPoint can also be effectively used with 512 kbps internet connection with a limited functionality of audio, whiteboard, documents and desktop sharing.

Configuration Help

• How do test my connection to kPoint?
You can test your connection at the kPoint connection test page.
• How do I configure my audio?
Please visit the 'Peripherals help' page.
• Can I join a kPoint session without installing any software on my machine?
You will need Adobe Flash Player 11+ for a kPoint session. You can join and conduct a kPoint webinar without installing any additional software. However, if you want to present in kPoint session then you need to download the kPoint plugin. Please visit Help -> Browser Extension.
• I want to use kPoint. How do I configure my system for kPoint?
• Please attach and test a web camera (optional but nice to have), a microphone and a headphone with your system before proceeding.
• You can test your web camera using the software provided by the manufacturer of the camera.
• You can test your speakers by playing music. You can test your microphones by using the sound recording tool such as Windows sound recorder for Windows platforms.
• Please login to kPoint using your credentials. You will be now able to see available classes which you can join.
• On joining a class, you will be re-directed to a set of pages which will help you configure your browser by tuning your audio settings.
• Once you are complete with this, you are ready to use kPoint.
• After login to kPoint system, optionally you can use 'create kapsule' option where you will be guided through a set of pages which will help you configure your browser by tuning your audio and video settings.
• I am behind internet proxy. How do I connect?
Please ensure that you are able to access external internet sites. Once that is done, you can connect to the kPoint.
• What is the syntax for the password?
• Passwords can be alphanumeric strings. User may include special characters in it.
• Empty password is not allowed.
• Maximum length of a password is 24 characters.
• How do I change my profile?
To change your profile, please follow the steps given below.
• Login to kPoint.
• Click on your username displayed to the left of ‘Sign out’ button in top right corner.
• It will show you your account settings. Modify and save.
• How can I change my password?
To change your profile, please follow the steps given below.
• Login to kPoint.
• Click on your username displayed to the left of ‘Sign out’ button in top right corner.
• It will show you your account settings.
• Click on ‘Reset Password’ link on this page.
• Enter current and desired passwords to change your password. And then click on ‘Reset Password’ button.
• What is the maximum size of the document that you can upload?
Currently it is 150MB. Please note that documents which are uploaded from within the class have a smaller limit of 32 MB.

Live classrooms

• What is kapsule recording button (seen in the top right)?
The button shown here is the kapsule recording button.
• If you are the presenter and if your session is enabled for recording ( or if you are creating kapsule ), then you will see this button in your session user interface.
• If you don't use this button at all, then all important activities done in the session will be recorded and will be part of the published kapsule by default.
• If you click this button to resume kapsule recording, then all subsequent important activities done in the session will be recorded and will be part of the published kapsule by default.
• If you click this button to pause kapsule recording, then all subsequent important activities done in the class will be recorded, but will NOT be part of the published kapsule by default.
• What tools can an instructor use to deliver a live lecture on kPoint?
An instructor can interact via audio, video, chat and whiteboard besides also being able to share the pc desktop. Instructor can also give control to others to present. At the end of lecture, the instructor also has access to the captured session - kapsule.
• What are the supported formats for the documents and media?
• Supported document formats are .ppt, .doc, .rtf, .txt, .pdf, openoffice formats.
• The supported video formats are: .flv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .avi, .wmv.
• The supported audio formats are: .mp3, .wav, .rm, .au, .gsm.
• I have a document that is > 150 MB (which is maximum permitted size). Any suggestions on How should I go about using it?
• Break the single large document into two or more shorter documents.
• Upload these documents separately.
• Once I upload a document, can I delete it?
Yes. Go to My Contents -> My documents. This lists all documents (uploaded by you) with delete option.
• My bandwidth check is failing/showing poor results. What remedial checks do I have? What kind of precautions I should take?
It is better to talk to ISP or IT department and ensure that you get the adequate bandwidth. In order to have better experience in low bandwidth constrained environment, please do not use video. Slides may get changed slowly, please be patient.
• Will kPoint record my lecture?
kPoint will record your lecture only if you have selected "Record this class" option while creating your class. This option remains selected by default.
• Nobody else in the session can hear me. Why?
• If you are not the presenter, then the instructor might have muted you. He might have done this to avoid interruptions in the class. You can ask query using the shown button. If the current session is webinar mode, only presenter will be audible to others. If you need to address the classroom, please request mic from the presenter/host.
• If you are the presenter, then please check the following:
  • Check that your microphone is not muted. A muted microphone is indicated by following icon. Please click on it to unmute.
  • When you speak, your microphone icon should show flickering of a faint red circle as shown. Smaller is the circle; lower is the input volume level. Please adjust your microphone volume level appropriately.
  • If you are still not audible to other people, then please use tuning wizard to configure your peripheral devices by clicking on "Advanced settings" button.
• Refer to the audio help page for more help.
• I get a message saying: "Error sharing slides. Please leave this class and try joining again to resume slide sharing". Why?
This typically happens due to intermittent bandiwidth conditions. Please ensure that your internet connection is not overloaded or breaking down intermittently.
• What is the maximum duration of a kPoint session?
kPoint sessions - live classes or kapsule creation can be upto 4 hours long.
• Can I perform the Microphone test when class is going on?
Yes. You need to click on Advanced Settings -> kPoint Tuning Wizard.
However, once you do this, system will exit you out of the class and you need to rejoin. In case of a live class, if you are the only member in the class, then new class will start. On the other hand, if class already has few participants, then you will join back the same class.
• When I am running a class, my bandwidth requirement depends on the media being shared. Is there a rough formula to estimate the bandwidth requirements?
Most of our media are variable bit rate that makes this formula less precise. Here are the approximate estimates of the demand on the bandwidth: Duplex Audio (80kbps), Video: (200 kbps - low quality) / (400 kbps -high quality) ), Application Share (128 kbps ), Multi Media Share (200kbps).
For example, if I am running a class which includes Voice, my video, Sharing application. In this class, I am looking at participant’s video too. So in effective my network carries data for 2 video streams: myself and participant.
So, in this case, my bandwidth requirement will be 80+400+400+ 128 = 1 Mbps. In order to be on safe side, one should use 30% more bandwidth.
In above example, if I use low quality video (200 Kbps), than the bandwidth requirement will be: (80+200+200+128) kbps = 600 Kbps. In order to be on safe side, one should provision for 30% more bandwidth.
• In a kPoint class I am using video, multi media share & audio. What is the bandwidth requirement?
The bandwidth requirement will be 200 kbps for Video; 80 kbps for audio and 200kbps for multimedia share. So the total requirement will be 480 kbps. To be on safe side, one should have 500 kbps.
• After Sharing a document in a live class (or while creating a Kapsule), can I un-share it? For example, I shared a document in the class and realized that it should not have been there? What should I do?
No, it cannot be unshared. Just don't go through any pages of this document in the class.

Kapsules

• What is the definition of a ‘kapsule view’? For example, if someone watches 1 hour kapsule for 2 minutes, than does this add to the view count?
Yes, a view is counted as soon as the user starts watching the kapsule. The duration of viewing does not matter. In the given case, viewing kapsule for 2 minutes adds to the view count.
• I re-edited the kapsule, it started re-processing. Does it mean that kapsule statistics gets reset?
No, the kapsule statistics does not get reset. Only the 'Heatmap' gets reset. Rest of the statistics (in terms of top 10 viewers, number of views) remains unchanged.
• Can I download the recorded lecture kapsule for offline viewing?
Your kPoint domain settings should allow you to download a kapsule. Assuming that is already enabled, the kapsule author needs to enable kapsule for the download. The steps are:
• The kapsule author needs to make the kapsule available for download by following the steps given below.
• Open kapsule page.
• Go to kapsule settings popup.
• Click on "Permissions and picture".
• Select "Allow kapsule download" option.
• Save the settings.
• Once this is done for a kapsule, you can open the kapsule page and download it by clicking on the "Download kapsule" button located on the right side of the page.
• I have downloaded a kapsule. How do I play it now?
• The downloaded kapsule is a ZIP file.
• You will need to "unzip" it using standard Windows Extract function or other utilities like WinRAR.
• Once extracted, a folder named "kapsule-XYZ" will be created. Double-clicking on index.html inside the folder will start kapsule playback.
• I have downloaded a kapsule. Which are the platforms (Unix, Linux, Mac) I can play it on? Which all browsers I can use to play the kapsule? Do I need adobe Flash Player to play this?
• The downloaded kapsule will be playable on Windows, Unix and Mac. It will play on any browser which has Adobe Flash Player plugin installed.
• Essentially, if you can watch YouTube videos, you should be able to play downloaded kapsules.
• Do Kapsule links change if the owner is changed?
No Kapsule links remain the same. So, if a Kapsule link is shared with another user than user will be able to view the same kapsule, even though the kapsule owner might have changed.
• How can I restrict access to a specific kapsule?
Kapsule author can decide the visibility of the kapsule. He first needs to "publish" the kapsule by going to kapsule-setting popup dialog and by selecting "Publish kapsule" option. For a published kapsule, the kapsule author can set appropriate visibility by using "Who can view this kapsule" drop down box. Various options given by this drop down box are explained below.
• "Everybody" means all, including the users who are not signed up to this kPoint portal, can view this kapsule.
• "All users in my organization" means all users signed up to this kPoint portal domain, can view this kapsule once they log in.
• "Selected users in my organization" means only a few selected existing users can view this kapsule after they log in. The kapsule author can select individual users or existing groups defined by the administrator.
• "Only me" means, only the kapsule author can view this kapsule.
• I see "Kapsule is being processed" for the lecture I conducted. Why?
kPoint records all individual media streams (audio, video, documents, desktop sharing, etc.) during the lecture and later packages them to produce a kapsule. It also indexes it to enable powerful searching. This takes some processing time. Also kPoint processes all such finished lectures in a sequential manner. So if there are already some kapsules in the queue to get processed, kapsule for your lecture will get processed and generated after them. Hence you see "Kapsule is being processed" for some time after you finish your lecture. In the best case your kapsule will get processed in next 30 minutes after the lecture is over and you will receive a notification mail about it.
• I have added a tag to my kapsule. When will it become visible in list of "Trends"?
The inclusion of any tag in the list of "Trends" depends on the usage and popularity of that tag. If your tag becomes a popular and more used tag, it will appear there.
• Why does kapsule seek sometimes fail with error "Error communication with Server"?
This may happen with you if your internet connection is congested at that point of time. Please try to seek again.
• I have created a kapule which has desktop sharing. After downloading and viewing it from my machine, that kapsule allows me to seek only at one minute boundary. Why?
All kapsules hosted on kPoint server, where desktop sharing is used, use server infrastructure to enable the user to seek anywhere. Any downloaded kapsule does not have any connection with kPoint server. It provides a few limited capabilities. Seeking is one of them. It allows seeking only at specific points which are at a boundary of one minute.
• I want to add a kapsule to a playlist. However, the kapsule does not show up in the listing. Why?
Only published kapsules can be added to playlists. Please make sure your kapsule is published before adding it to a playlist.

Interactivity & Search

• I want to delete/modify a query in a kapsule. How should I go about it?
Any one of the following persons can delete the query:
• Person who has asked the query
• Kapsule author
• System administrator
To delete the query, open the kapsule, go to the query and delete it.
• How can I add ‘Tag’ to a Kapsule.
Only Author can add ‘Tag’ to a Kapsule. The steps to add a tag are as follows:
• Go to Tag windows on the bottom right side. You can type in the Tag-word.
• If the word already exists, it will automatically appear and you can select it.
• If the word does not exist than type in the Tag-word and click on ‘Add Tag’.
• What all is covered in Search?
Kapsule search includes, kapsule-name, kapsule description, owner’s name, text inside the uploaded documents (e.g. .pdf, .ppt), chat messages, bookmarks, queries, pop-quizzes, comments and tags associated with the Kapsule.
• What happens to the book mark, if I edit out a portion contained in book mark. For example, I placed a book mark at the start of Video and subsequently, I edit out that portion.
Bookmarks are shown only shown for the visible section. If a section is hidden bookmarks are not shown.
• I have inserted a book mark, I want to delete it. How do I go about it?
Only the author or the person who has added the bookmark or the system administrator can delete it. The steps to delete the book marks are:
• Login to the system.
• Open the kapsule.
• Go to the specific book mark and click on ‘delete’.
• Can I prevent others from inserting a book mark?
If you are kapsule owner, you can always disable bookmarks on kapsule so that no one can add bookmarks. It is not possible to disable bookmarks for a specific set of users. Steps to disable bookmarks for all users are:
• Open the kapsule.
• Go to settings page by click on the Settings icon.
• Click on Permissions and Settings.
• Disable the bookmarks by ‘de-selecting’ the options.
• While watching the kapsules, I click ‘?’ button. A query window opens up and I add a query. Who will answer this query?
Once a query is added, kPoint sends an e-mail to the author indicating that query is added. Author visits the kapsule and answers the query.

Animated powerpoint presentations

• Does kPoint support Powerpoint presentations with animations?
Yes, kPoint supports it to a limited extent. Please go through questions below for further details.
• What kind of animations in presentations does kPoint support?
kPoint provides the following animation support:
• All Entrance, Emphasis, Exit animations will appear as "Fade in", "Grow Shrink", "Fade out" respectively, with the following exceptions
  • Exceptions of Entrance animations: Flash Once, Credits
  • Exceptions of Emphasis animations: Shimmer, Blink
• Time-based animations, motion-based animations and trigger-based animations are not supported yet
• What fonts in presentations does kPoint support?
kPoint supports most of the standard fonts. In case the font used by the presentation is not supported by kPoint, it replaces that font by "Arial" font while processing the presentation uploaded to the kPoint server. Most of the times such replacement satisfies the need. But if you find a case where the presentation processed by kPoint looks garbled, please contact kPoint support by clicking on Help->Feedback.
• Will the animation sequence mirror that in my original presentation?
They will mostly do for standard animation sequences based on mouse click / keyboard events.
• Event based animations such as 'After animation' and 'Play after previous animation' option are not yet supported. You need to manually play such animations. This may give a different animation sequence than that in your original presentation.
• Animations copied from master slide to any specific slide are not yet handled completely