Though the overall process of uploading videos into transcripts in Opus 2 and synching the video to the transcript text should be simple and straightforward, several factors may affect the user’s experience with video uploads. This document seeks to explore the different issues commonly encountered by Opus 2 users and their possible causes and solutions.
It is important to note, however, that each scenario can be different and it is recommended that users contact their System Administrators and/or the Opus 2 Support team if the above solutions do not help or if further guidance is needed in implementing the suggested fixes.
Understanding the process by which videos are applied to transcripts in Opus 2 is likewise a key step in troubleshooting issues:
Video Upload – this is the initial step that commences within the Video Upload dialog, and involves the selection of files/dragging and dropping into the dialog; generating checksum; clicking on the “Upload” button and waiting for upload to reach 100%.
Video Conversion – Once videos are uploaded, they are sent to the Video Conversion queue to be converted for viewing in Opus 2. Click on the Video Conversion Manager button to monitor the progress of conversion.
- Awaiting Processing – this means the videos are in the queue to be converted after current jobs have completed.
- In Progress – the video(s) has entered the actual conversion process.
- Completed Conversion – the video is ready for viewing in the transcript.
PLEASE NOTE: the number of videos in the Video Conversion queue has no bearing on the speed of conversion or on the progress of videos that are still in the Video Upload dialog. Upload and conversion are two entirely separate parts of Opus 2 video processing.
Video Upload Issue | Common Causes | Possible Solutions |
Video upload job in Video Upload dialog is stalled/not progressing or progressing very slowly. | Local network connection is weak or has been interrupted. Video is being uploaded NOT from the local drive, but from a shared drive or network drive. | Check local network connection to ensure strong signal. If working off a Wi-Fi network, switching to a wired setup is highly recommended. If slowness/latency is persistent, despite a strong network signal, please notify Opus 2 Support. Confirm that files are being uploaded from the local drive, not a network/ shared drive. If the files are on a network/shared drive, move them to the local drive prior to upload. |
Uploaded video is not synched to the transcript text. | Uploaded transcript file is not an MDB file. Transcript is in MDB format, but has formatting issues, i.e., may not contain timecodes or timecodes are incorrectly set. | If the transcript is not in MDB format (or if unsure), use the Replace Transcript option to replace the current copy with an MDB file. This will not affect any existing work product in the transcript. If the uploaded transcript was confirmed to be an MDB, open the MDB outside of Opus 2 and check if the timecodes are present and correctly set. If not, a replacement copy should be requested from the court reporter. |
Video is only synched up to a certain point in the transcript, then loses the synch, OR video synch is off by a few lines. | Video may not have been uploaded in the correct numerical order, i.e., Deponent name_2of2.mpg may have been uploaded before Deponent name_1of2.mpg. If video has multiple parts, certain parts may have been omitted during upload, i.e., Deponentname_2of4 may be have been missed while selecting files for the video uploader for a 4-part video. Actual video file is defective or incomplete, with certain parts of the deposition missing or cut off in the recording. MDB timecodes may be missing or incorrectly set for some pages or portions of the transcript. | Delete the existing video and re-upload the video files, ensuring correct numerical order by clicking on the Sort button only ONCE in the Video Upload dialog. If the file names do not indicate the order, play videos to determine order and then rename each file accordingly prior to upload. Delete the existing video and re-upload the video files, ensuring that ALL parts are included during select file/drag & drop and sorted in correct order. Confirm by playing the video outside of Opus 2 that the recording is complete; skip to the parts that lose synch in Opus 2 to see if there are issues in the same points in the video file. If issues are confirmed, request for replacement files from the court reporter. Open the MDB outside of Opus 2 and check if the timecodes are present and correctly set in the pages that lose synch. If not, a replacement copy should be requested from the court reporter. |
Video is playing out of order. | Video may not have been uploaded in the correct numerical order, i.e., Deponent name_2of2.mpg may have been uploaded before Deponent name_1of2.mpg. Or, if video has multiple parts, certain parts may have been omitted during upload, i.e., Deponentname_2of4 may be have been missed while selecting files for the video uploader for a 4-part video. | Delete the existing video and re-upload the video files, ensuring inclusion of ALL video parts during file select/drag & drop, and correct numerical order by clicking on the Sort button only ONCE in the Video Upload dialog. If the file names do not indicate the order, play videos to determine order and then rename each file accordingly prior to upload. |
Video display/audio is of bad quality, i.e., distorted, pixelated. | If video files have multiple parts, the recording properties might not be identical for each file. This can occur when a media swap is made during a break in the deposition. | Check the video by playing it outside of Opus 2 to confirm whether the resolution issue with the video itself or with Opus 2. Check video file properties by right clicking on the files in the local drive and selecting Properties. Assistance from the court reporting firm may be needed to obtain replacement files with uniform properties or better quality. If the video plays with better quality outside of Opus 2, please notify the Support team for further investigation. |
MPG file(s) won’t load into Opus 2, or completes conversion phase very quickly but results in a blank/empty media player window. | Depending on how the files were created, the MPG configuration is incompatible with the tools in Opus 2 that convert to MP4. | Delete the blank video from Opus 2, then convert the MPG files to MP4 outside of Opus 2 using the VLC Media Player application (use Media > Convert, then Save), then resubmit the converted MP4 videos to Opus 2 for upload. |
Best Practices for Uploading Video Files
Users should upload only one set of video files to Opus 2 at any one time. Opus 2 will only ever convert two video file sets in parallel; any other video files will be queued up for the conversion process and Opus 2 will process them on a first come, first serve basis.
When uploading a SET of video files, it is crucial to use the SORT button only ONCE to ensure they upload in the correct order. (If you click twice, you are very likely going to submit the deponent set of video files in reverse chronological order.)
It is also important to check that all video files in the set are selected or dragged into the Upload Dialog. For instance, if there is DeponentName_1of3, DeponentName_2of3 and DeponentName_3of3, these must load in ascending numerical order and all three files must be in the Upload Manager dialog. If any parts are missing or out of order, the video will not sync correctly.
It is important to note that all Deponent video files in a set, must include a reference to their order of play within their respective filenames. For instance, if we had three video files called DeponentName_1of3, DeponentName and DeponentName_3of3, then we must take steps to rename DeponentName to DeponentName_2of3 before submitting the set of video files for upload to Opus 2. Without taking this prior step, Opus 2 would never be able to upload the videos in the correct chronological order.
When video is present and a transcript is being replaced with an updated version, the most current replacement version must be an MDB file, or the video will lose its synch.
Local network connectivity plays an important role in the speed of video uploads. If the user’s network speed is slow, then the upload into Opus 2 will also progress at a very slow rate.
Ensure that the video files are being uploaded from the user’s local drive. If the files are being loaded from a network drive/shared drive, this may considerably slow down the upload speed.