Video Delay in Observer

Depending on the Observer options you choose, you may experience a video delay in Observer. This tutorial explains how to choose the correct options for your testing environment.

Observer Session Options Explained

The Connect to Recorder dialog (Connection > Connect) allows you to select Observer session options. The option you choose here will determine if you have a video delay.

The available options are:

Include Audio (Uncheck Mute Audio box)

• A slight delay is present in the Observer display.
• Observers see the screen and/or camera video and hear the audio.
• Video and audio streams are combined into a single Windows Media Stream and sent through the network. This process can take time and will always introduce some amount of delay.

Mute Audio (Check Mute Audio box)

• Observers see the screen and PiP video, but do not hear the audio.
• Requires less bandwidth and compression.
• Streams at virtually real-time speeds.
• Use if your testing environment demands no delays.

Audio is always included in the WMV file saved by Observer, whether or not you can hear it while observing a session.

 Here are a few questions to help you determine whether or not you should mute the audio:

• Is your Observer computer in the same room as the participant?
• Can the observer hear the participant without using the computer?
• Do observers need to see the participant video in real-time?
• Have you noticed a video delay?

 If you can answer Yes to the any of these questions, you will want to mute the audio.