OW2online'20 Speaker Guide


OW2online'20 is OW2con'20 gone virtual.

Your contribution to OW2online'20 as a speaker is greatly appreciated.
Do not hesitate to spread the word around you, posting about your talk at OW2con on your favorite social networks, blogs, shared agendas and websites. And we recommend you use the promotion widgets provided on the Help To Promote page. Check it out!

Last minute tasks before the conference

Here are a few tasks (very simple, not time consuming) to be done before the conference:
- Register on https://l.ow2.org/live-ow2online We recommend that you choose a username that comply with the following pattern: first_name.last_name.
- Send us your username by replying to this email.
- Send us the slides of your presentation for publication on OW2 website.
- Check the time of your conference on the event program and save enough time (30' at least) off your schedule before and after your talk.
- Please promote OW2online and your talk on your social media using tags #ow2online and @ow2

Speaker information and instruction for the D-Day

Here is below a summary of what to do during the conference when your presentation broadcast will start:

- Please connect on the conference website at least 30 minutes before your talk.
- Say Hi in the "#say-hello" chat.
- Once your talk broadcast starts, please go to the presentation chat dedicated to it. You should be able to see it in the left panel in the "Presentation Chats" section.
- Say hello to participants in the dedicated chat immediatly after the presentation starts.
- It's probably better to answer questions at the end of your talk.
- Please, if possible, stay 30 minutes on the discussion after the end of the talk to make sure everyone had enough time to send their questions.
- The conference chat will remain available until Thursday June 18 at 02:00pm CEST.

OW2online'20 presentations must be pre-recorded

A crucial characteristic of OW2online'20 is that all presentations must be recorded before the event. This is our first virtual conference, we are still learning and we want to move step by step so as to minimise risks. We want to have all presentations properly filled for broadcast to ensure a smooth unfolding of the conference. 

We need your help to make it happen and we trust you will understand our hard requests:

  • Presentations must be delivered before May 20th to OW2's event-team.
  • They must be recorded with audio in mp4 format
  • The duration of the presentation must be under 15' (13' to 14' is best).
  • Upload your the file to https://l.ow2.org/videos-upload

Recording your presentation video

This section provides various information that should help you to create a nice video of your presentation.
Note that all indications below are only recommendations. Feel free to adapt them to what is actually realistic and doable regarding your situation and your knowledge.

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Reach out to us if you need further assistance

Recording hardware and environment

The most important thing is do to the recording in the quietest environment possible in order to minimize background noise.
We recommend to use an headset for sound recording. Your mic should be as close to your mouth as possible in order to only pick up the sound of your voice.

Also use a dual screen setup if possible. This will let you have your presentation on one screen and speakers notes/recording software on the other.

And finally here is a checklist to run before you start recording:

  • Turn off your phone
  • Close all software that you don't need: this will avoid unwanted notifications and also might prevents computer fan from spinning (limit CPU usage/heat)
  • Make sure that your computer is plugged in (this avoid "Power Save" modes that can reduce performance)
  • Don't forget to hit the record button!
  • Do a quick dry run to make sure video and sound are recorded properly

Video resolution, encoding, etc.

We recommend to follow YouTube video settings recommendations (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1722171?hl=en) and some additional specific settings.

Here is an overview of the most important settings:

  • Resolution: 1920x1080 (or at least a 16:9 ratio), it should match the resolution of the screen you are recording
  • Container: mp4
  • Audio codec: AAC-LC
  • Video codec: H.264
  • Frame rate: 30 FPS (Frame Per Second)
  • Video bitrate: 8 Mbps
  • Audio sample rate 48kHz

Software to use

You are already familiar with a recording software

If you have experience with a software (video recording, screencast, etc.), pick up this one.
Don't bother learning about OBS that is documented below. Purpose of the section below is to provide a reference for speaker who don't have any knowledge with video recording software.

If possible make sure that software settings match what is mentioned in the previous section.

You never used a video recording software and want to give it a try

If you don't have any experience with recording a video of your presentation, you will find here some guidance in order to do so.

We will use Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) to do the recording.
We assume that you have a dual screen setup and that your headset is plugged in.

Install OBS

First step is to download and install OBS.
You can download OBS from the official website: https://obsproject.com/
For the installation, just follow the instructions available from OBS website: https://obsproject.com/wiki/install-instructions
On first startup, OBS will ask you if you want to use a configuration wizard. Answer no.

Configure OBS


The first step is to configure OBS in order to capture the video from the appropriate screen:

  • In OBS main window, in "Sources" section, click on the "+" button
  • In the list select "Display Capture" / "Screen Capture"
  • Keep the default name and click on "OK" button
  • Now select the appropriate screen in the drop down list
  • Click on the "OK" button

Next step is to configure audio/video settings:

  • Click on "Settings" button
  • In the menu on the left select "Output"
  • At the top, select "Advanced" in the "Output Mode" drop down list
  • For "Encoder" make sure that "x264" is selected
  • Set "Rate Control" to "VBR"
  • Set "Bitrate" to "8000"
  • Still in "Output" category, switch to "Recording" tab
  • Select "mp4" for "Recording Format"
  • In the menu on the left select "Audio" (just below "Output")
  • Set "Sample Rate" to "48kHz"
  • In the menu on the left select "Video"
  • Make sure that both resolution are set according to your screen resolution (ideally 1920x1080)
  • Make sure that "Common FPS Values" is select and value set to "30"
  • Click on "OK" to close settings window
  • Restart OBS

Now OBS should be properly configured for recording.

Record a video

Before your start recording make sure that you follow the recommendations provided in Recording hardware and environment section.
Also make sure that in OBS window you can:

  • See the appropriate screen to record
  • That Mic/Aux VU meter correctly pickup your voice (it should be moving in the green range)

You need a simpler solution

Another alternative to record your presentation is to schedule an online meeting with the event team (e.g. Jitsi/Zoom).
During this meeting you will be able to run your presentation live and event team will make sure to record it.
Because quality of this solution heavily depends on internet connection bandwidth, it is recommended if possible to record your presentation on your own.

Send us your presentation video

Once you have successfully recorded your video, please use the following link to send us the file: https://l.ow2.org/videos-upload

Questions

  • Should you have questions regarding the next conference, please Contact the OW2 event team