Adobe Connect 8 - Configuration
Hardware and software requirements
'Windows'
- 1.4GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 or faster processor (or equivalent) for Microsoft® Windows® XP or Windows 7; 2GHz Intel Pentium 4 or faster processor (or equivalent) for Windows Vista®
- Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2; Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise; or Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate (32-bit edition, or 64-bit edition with 32-bit browser)
- 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended) for Windows XP or Windows 7; 1GB of RAM (2GB recommended) for Windows Vista
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8; Mozilla Firefox 2.x or 3.x; or Google Chrome
- Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 for all users (hosts, presenters, participants, and administrators)
Mac OS
- 500MHz PowerPC® G3 or faster or 1.83GHz Intel Core™ Duo or faster processor
- Mac OS X v10.4–10.6 (Intel); Mac OS X v10.4 (PowerPC)
- 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
- Mozilla Firefox 2.x or 3x; Safari 2.x; or Google Chrome
- Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for all users (hosts, presenters, participants, and administrators)
Note:The minimum requirement is Flash version 10.1
The most critical software a user needs to participate in a Connect meeting room is Adobe Flash Player 10.1 or higher. Download it here.
All classroom and staff computers have Flash installed as part of the build. However,a number of computers have a prior version of Adobe Flash which does not support Adobe Connect. To find out which version you are running click here
Run the system diagnostic test
Click here:to run a scan on your computer which ensures compatability with Adobe Connect.
Full System Diagnostic Test
This diagnostic test will ensure your computer and network connections are properly configured to provide you with the best possible Connect Pro meeting experience. The diagnostic test checks for the following:
- Supported version of Flash Player
- Clear connection to Adobe Connect Pro
- Bandwidth availability
- Latest Acrobat Connect Add-in
Headsets: What & where to buy?
By far the easiest types of headsets to use with Adobe Connect are those which are USB compatible. Simply plug them into a computer and run the audio set-up wizard. Please see 'Setting up and Testing your audio' below.
Within Sydney Institute, the college bookshops now stock a cheap Verbatim USB VoIP headset Model # 41921 for $39.95 inc GST.
If you are located near Ultimo the MSY computer store sells USB headsets for around $30, the Logitech USB Headset H330 is a good option.
Harris Technology , Dick smith and Officeworks also stock a range of USB headsets.
If you want higher build quality and more comfort for those 1 hr plus online sessions then Logitech sell a wide range of good quality headsets typically priced from around $55 and above. These can be purcahsed from a wide range of computer hardware retailers such as Harris Technology or Dick Smith.
Setting up and testing your audio
Headsets
First up you will need a microphone headset. Typically this is the source of problems for first time users so it's a good idea to test the set-up prior to the scheduled meeting.
There are 2 types of microphone headsets
Analogue headsets
image by sridgway
Typically analogue headsets have 2 leads, one for the microphone and one for the headphones which are plugged into the computers sound card. They are referred to as analogue as the computers sound card converts the signals to digital information. The leads follow a loose colour coding convention which is unfortunately often not adhered to, pink for the mic and green for the headphones. They will also have printed symbols which denote the mic and headphones. One of the common problems with audio is that they are plugged into the wrong sockets on the computer.
They commonly have an in-line volume control and microphone mute switch which is also be good place to check if you have no audio signal. The microphones fold out and need to be close to your mouth, 15 cm max to work effectively.
Analogue headsets range anywhere from $7 up to $50 depending on the quality of the headphones mostly, and are the most common type of headset used.
We have used the Verbatim variety here successfully, they sell for around $14 however there are many brands and varieties on the market.
USB Headsets
image by sridgway
USB headsets are fully digital in that the headset itself converts the microphone signals to digital information and hence the sound card in the computer is not utilised. The data is transferred via the USB port. One of the great features of USB headsets is that they are "plug and play" and don't require any drivers to be installed and will generally be ready to use once the Operating System has detected and configured the headset.
The advantage of USB headsets is that you bypass the common issues surrounding sound cards and drivers, all you need to do is plug the lead into a free USB port and ensure the microphone level is set appropriately in the sounds and audio devices panel. Common issues tend to only revolve around whether the 'mute' button is on and whether the 'audio set up' wizard has been run.
Testing your setup
Connect you headset and ensure it is working prior to entering the room.
One way to test your microphone is functioning independent to Connect is to use the built in recorder in Windows
Select Start>Programs>Accessories>Entertainment>Sound Recorder
Click the red audio record button and speak into the microphone, Click stop and play back the audio, if you hear nothing your set-up needs configuration.
Watch the movie below on how to configure an analogue microphone.
How to log into and configure the meeting room
As a host, teacher or meeting presenter:
- Navigate to the ROOM URL
- Click into the ENTER WITH YOUR LOGIN AND PASSWORD area
- Use your normal DET username in the format: firstname.lastname@detnsw.
- Your normal DET password will suffice.
- Click on the ENTER ROOM button.
As a student or guest:
- Navigate to the ROOM URL
- Simply enter your first name into the ENTER AS A GUEST field.
Configuring and optimising your meeting room settings
Run the Audio Setup wizard by clicking on:
Meeting> Audio Setup Wizard
Follow the steps outlined in the wizard to the very end.
The first time you run the wizard on a computer you will be asked to install an additional component to the flash player to improve it audio capabilities for echo cancellation and noise suppression. Click the install button and then confirm the install by clicking yes on the popup.
The Audio Setup wizard can run without this additional plugin however, for the highest quality audio possible with your configuration, Adobe recommends that you install the Adobe Connect Meeting Add-in and run the wizard.
NOTE: If you have changed computer or microphone or have used another audio application it's a good idea to run the audio wizard prior to a meeting to ensure everything is still working and optimised.
Advanced settings
If after running the audio wizard the room attendees are reporting poor audio quality or report you are tool low in volume, despite the audio panel adjustments you can turn off some of the automatic functions.
This can be done in the final stage of the Audio Setup Wizard.
Click the Advanced Settings .... button
Automatic gain Control
The automatic gain function dynamically adjusts your microphone levels based on how loud you speak. Occasionally this is too aggressive and results in too much gain being applied. To turn it off uncheck the AGC check box and manually adjust your microphone level with the slider.
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NOTE: Best not to adjust any of the Advanced setting unless you experience problems.
Using Audio
In the main menu bar, click the microphone button .
As you speak, sound waves appear in the button icon, indicating audio level.
Mic off Mic on
(Optional) To the right of the microphone button, click the menu button , and choose Adjust Mic Volume if you are too loud or quiet.
Or choose Mute My Mic to temporarily stop broadcasting (for a cough or other interruption).
Enabling attendees to speak
By default, only hosts and presenters can broadcast audio. However, hosts can enable participants to broadcast by doing any of the following:
- To enable audio for all participants, choose Audio > Enable Audio for Participants.
- To enable audio for specific participants, select one or more in the Attendees pod. Then choose any of the following from the pop-up menu: Enable Audio, Make Host, or Make Presenter.
When an attendee is broadcasting audio, the microphone icon is displayed next to their name in the Attendees pod.
Using a webcam or camera
Hosts, presenters, and participants with enhanced rights can simultaneously share video from webcams connected to their computers.
Adjust video quality
If you are a host, presenter, or participant with video rights, you can adjust the quality of your webcam video. Unless you have a specific reason it's best not to utilise the video camera as it consumes significant bandwith and may degarde the overall experience of the session. As a facilitator you may introduce the session using the camera and then pause it for the duration of the session
1.In the upper right of the Video pod, click the menu icon , and choose Preferences.
2.Adjust the Video Quality setting to optimize the tradeoff between image quality and bandwidth usage. For example, if shared screens update slowly, choose a lower Video Quality setting.
This setting interacts with the meeting room bandwidth set by the host.
Share webcam video
1.Click the Start My Webcam button in the main menu bar or Video pod. 
In the Video pod, a preview image appears so you can adjust camera position. If you want to use a different connected camera, select it from the Video pod menu .
To cancel video sharing, click outside the preview image in the Video pod.
2.Click Start Sharing to broadcast your video to all participants.
3.To pause or stop video, hover the mouse over Video pod, and click the Pause or Stop icons (circled in blue)..
When video is paused, the last image broadcast from your camera remains static in the Video pod until you click Play to resume broadcasting. When video is stopped, the broadcast image disappears entirely.
To pause the camera click the camera icon, this will take a snap shot from the camera and use this as a still picture. It's a good way of keeping an image of the presenter in the minds of participants. The camera can be restarted by clicking the icon again.
Resource Development Kits
The Resource Development Kit laptops have everything you need to participate in an Adobe Connect meeting, including a USB headset and web camera. Contact your college library to make a booking.
