Access the Control Room
Once a webcast has been created, to access the Control room click on the button found in the dashboard next to the webcast's general information.
Only Organizers, Producers and Speakers have access to the Control Room.
The Control Room
Connections
The organizer, producer or speaker can choose from several ways to connect.
1. Camera and microphone:
- To change camera/microphone connections you need to disconnect then reconnect to the call and choose the correct device.
NOTE: You must allow access to the camera and microphone as requested by the browser.
2. Phone call: there are two choices
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- I call icastGo: You will be provided with a number followed by the code to enter the room.
- I want icastGo to call me (phone bridge): Insert the number and extension or conference code given to you by the phone conference that you would like icastGo to connect to.
**The number provided in the clip below is an example and not intended for use.**
3. From a videoconferencing system, there are two choices
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- I call icastGo from my video conference unit: You will be provided with an SIP or an H323 address
- I want icastGo to call me (video conference bridge): Insert the number and extension or conference code given to you by the video conference system that you would like icastGo to connect to.
**The SIP and H323 addresses provided in the clip below are examples and not intended for use.**
4. No audio/video
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- Connecting with no audio or video will let you join the meeting and watch the speakers, or manage the webcast in real time without any microphone or camera.
👉🏻 IMPORTANT: once connected from the browser, the mute mode is activated by default
This is to avoid any unwanted sound in case of a re-connection (reload of the page) during the live broadcast.
Ergonomics
The control room consists of 6 blocks.
The layout is slightly different depending on the type of access.
Example: Depending on the configuration, the speakers will have the option of changing slides. However, they do not have the ability to control the status of the webcast.
1. Managing the speakers
Here we find the list of connected speakers.
Connected speakers
Connected speakers who are using an audio and/or video system have multiple controls.
Mute mode
For each speaker the mute mode can be activated/deactivated by clicking on the corresponding speaker's icon.
👉🏻 ATTENTION: The mute mode has two separate levels:
- At the virtual meeting room level: As an organizer or producer, speakers can activate/deactivate the microphone for themselves and other speakers.
- At the level of the device or application used: each speaker manages his or her own mute mode.
Example of a delicate situation: If a speaker connected by means of a telephone line is mute both in the room and on his telephone, when the speaker needs to speak, the mute mode should be deactivated, both at room level and on his or her telephone.
The organizer will not be able to deactivate the mute mode on the device, as this action must be performed by the speaker.
Spotlight (On stage)
When a speaker connects using a device capable of transmitting a video and/or audio signal the Spotlight icon is displayed.
: Activated (only this participant is visible)
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: Deactivated
Activating the Spotlight has two effects:
- Only the relevant speaker will be visible on the screen for the participants.
- All other speakers will be in mute mode (it is however possible to disable the mute mode for one or more speakers).
Other options
- Disconnect the speaker: Ends the call with the speaker
- Edit the speaker: To make changes to the speakers name
2. Virtual Meeting Room
👉🏻IMPORTANT: Once connected via the browser, the mute setting is activated by default. This is to avoid any unwanted sound in the case of a re-connection (reloading the page) during the live broadcast.
To manage it use the microphone icon.
- Speakers may meet prior to the webcast
- During the webcast, everything that is visible and/or audible in the virtual meeting room is potentially visible to the participants (hence the importance of the Mute and Spotlight modes).
- A lecturer connected from a browser can stop sending his camera image by clicking on
3. Current slide
This displays the current slide. It is possible for some speakers as well as for an organizer to move the slides forward/backward using the arrows.
👉🏻IMPORTANT: The current slide displayed in the control room has a lead time of approximately 20 seconds over the slide the participants see.
This is to match the time difference between the virtual meeting room and the video stream read by the participants. More information in the article: Why is there a delay between the speakers and the participants?
4. Contents
Managing slides, participants' questions, and participant voting.
Questions from participants
It is possible to open participants' questions in a separate window.
The link to this window can be copied and opened in another device that is not connected to icastGo
(e.g. a tablet that is placed in front of a speaker).
These options can be found in the dropdown menu accessible from the tab title.
5. Statistics
- Online: Number of viewers currently online
- Total: Total number of viewers who viewed the webcast
- Peak: Maximum number of simultaneous viewers since the start of the webcast
6. Chat
Discussion among the users in the control room, only. Viewers do not have access.
7. Status check
| Available action button | Description of the action | What participants see |
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If you connect to the control room more than 15 minutes before the scheduled start of your webcast, it is necessary to start the configuration of the environment manually. (This is done automatically 15 minutes before the scheduled start of your event.) |
Pre-webcast page | |
| Preparation of the environment, approximately two minutes | Pre-webcast page | |
| The webcast is ready to begin. | Broadcast page - begin video loop | |
| 15-second countdown to webcast start time |
Broadcast page - begin video loop | |
| Webcast in progress | Broadcast page - Live streaming images from the virtual meeting room | |
| Stopped webcast | Broadcast page - end video loop for 15 seconds then post-webcast page |