What is a conference session?

A conference session is a virtual format to communicate and interact with other participants of the event. Here you can participate in the conference with video and sound.

A conference is therefore suitable for interactive exchange in smaller groups. In contrast, a livestream session does not require video/audio, but allows tens of thousands of participants.

How do I create a conference in STREAMBOXY?

The creation and configuration of the conference is done in Backstage. Detailed information about this as well as general information about Conference can be found here. 

Conference in the STREAMBOXY Stage

The following describes the Conference in the Stage.

Open room for conference

If you want to start the conference for yourself, go to the session settings in the Stage in the corresponding breakout room on the left navigation bar and click on "Open room". 

Before you join the conference, you can configure the microphone, loudspeaker and camera settings in advance in the field that opens. 

Click on the button "Join conference" to join the conference. 

Only the speaker(s) will then be in the conference.

Start for attendees

If you want to start the conference for all other participants, click on "Start for attendees". The participants can then enter the conference.

Summon participants

You can summon participants by clicking on "Summon participants". The participants will then receive a request to enter the respective room and you will receive a notification confirming your invitation.

 

The participants then receive a prompt to enter the respective room.

Stop session

If you have started the conference for participants, you can end the session again by clicking on "Stop session".

 

 A panel then opens where you have to confirm the closing of the session. 

Reset session or deactivate session permanently 

After you have stopped and confirmed the session, you can either reset the session ("Reset Session") or permanently deactivate it (permanently delete). Note that you only have to confirm the reset. If you click on "Permanently deactivate session", it will be deactivated directly. You then have to open the session again.

Your functions as a speaker

In Conference, you have many possibilities to act as a speaker. 

On the one hand, you can manage your own interaction options (microphone, camera, screen sharing, reporting), and on the other hand, you can make settings for other conference topics. 

The latter are described in detail below: 

Click on the three dots next to the name of the participant to open the following window where you can activate various functions and carry out actions. 

User

Pin

If you click on "Pin", the corresponding participant will be pinned for your own view. This means it is visible to you as a large picture. All other video tiles are lined up below it. Your own video is always visible at the bottom right. If several participants are pinned, the videos are divided in the large picture. 

If a conference theme is pinned, a pin is visible next to its name. 

If you want to detach the participant again, you can click on "Unpin" in the settings. 

Put in Spotlight

If you place another conference participant (or yourself) in the spotlight, the corresponding video tile is displayed as a large image, as with "Pin", but this applies to all participants. The function "Put in Spotlight" is only performed by the speaker. 

If a participant is in the spotlight, a light bulb symbol is displayed next to the name for all participants. 

For the person who is in the spotlight, the console will show that they are in the spotlight themselves. 

To remove a person from the spotlight again, click on "Remove Spotlight". 

To put your own video in the spotlight for other participants, click on the three dots in your console and click on "Put in Spotlight" under these other settings.

Request audio

As a speaker, you can request participants to release the audio during the conference.

If you click on the button "Request audio", a pop-up notification appears on the screen of the corresponding participant, who can then accept or reject the permission of the audio. 

If the participant accepts the permission, he/she can use the audio independently (switch it on or off).

 

Release request for participant (audio)

You can revoke the participant's audio permission by clicking on "Revoke Audio Permission" under "Sharing Permissions". You can find more information on this later in this article under "Sharing permissions".

Request audio and video

As a speaker, you can request participants to release the audio and video during the conference.

If you click on the button "Request audio and video", a pop-up notification appears on the screen of the corresponding participant, who can then accept or reject the permission of the audio and video. 

If the participant accepts the permission, he/she can use the audio and video independently (switch it on or off).

 

Share request for participant (audio and video)

You can revoke the participant's audio and video permission by clicking on "Revoke Audio/Video Permission" under "Sharing Permissions". You can find more information on this later in this article under "Sharing permissions".

Request screen share

As a speaker, you can request participants to release the screen share during the conference.

If you click on the button "Request screen share", a pop-up notification appears on the screen of the corresponding participant, who can then accept or reject the permission of the screen share. 

If the participant accepts the permission, he/she can share his/her screen independently.

Share request for participant (screen share)

You can revoke the participant's audio release authorisation by clicking on "Revoke Screenshare Permission" under "Sharing Permissions". You can find more information on this later in this article under "Sharing permissions".

Video

Fit video into frame 

You can decide for each participant whether they want to fit their video into a frame or fill the video frame with their video.

Please note that this function is only possible if the participant is authorised to share their video and has their camera switched on at the same time. 

To do this, click on "Fit in frame" or "Fill frame".

Video fit in frame: 

Video filled in frame: 

Sharing permissions

Depending on the configuration by the organiser in Backstage, participants may not be authorised to activate the microphone and video or to share the screen when they enter the conference. 

During the course of the conference, you as the speaker can grant sharing authorisations for individual participants. 

If sharing permissions have already been approved in the backstage, they are generally possible in the stage and cannot be influenced by you as the speaker. Please find more information here.

The speaker can choose between four sharing permissions: 

• Grant/revoke audio sharing authorisation.
• Grant/revoke audio/video sharing authorisation
• Grant/revoke screen sharing authorisation
• Grant/revoke all sharing permissions

Grant and revoke

You can either grant and revoke the three sharing permissions (audio, audio/video, screen) individually or do it all at once by clicking on "Grant/revoke all sharing permission". 

For example, if you have granted the audio and screen sharing permissions, you can then revoke them by clicking again.

You can see which release authorisations have been granted or revoked for which participant by the symbols next to the respective name. 

• Symbol crossed out: Authorisation revoked
• Symbol not crossed out: Release granted

Own Conference functions

Switching the camera on and off

You can switch your camera on or off during a conference by clicking on the icon with the camera and thus be visible or not visible to other participants.

Description of symbols:

• Icon with camera crossed out = video off - other participants can't see you
• Icon with camera not crossed out = video on - other participants can see you

By clicking on the arrow next to the camera symbol, you can decide which camera is to be switched on. Mostly the integrated camera is used, but an external camera can also be connected.

In addition, you can decide here whether you want to activate or stop a blur for your camera background.

Mute / Unmute

You can mute yourself during a conference by clicking on the icon with the microphone at the bottom of the bar. Muting means that the participants in the conference cannot hear you.

You as the speaker can also mute all participants during a conference. In both of these cases, the participants must actively unmute you.

Description of symbols:

• Icon with microphone crossed out = mute activated - other participants cannot hear you.
• Icon with microphone not crossed out = mute deactivated (unmute) - other participants can hear you

By clicking on the arrow next to the microphone symbol, you can select microphones and loudspeakers.

Share screen

You can share your screen during a conference, i.e. your screen is visible to the other participants in the conference.

By clicking on the icon of the screen "Start Screen Sharing" in the function bar, a preselection window opens.

On this you can select what exactly you want to make visible to the other participants.

Either the entire screen, an application window or a Chrome tab can be shared. During sharing, your mouse cursor will be visible on the shared window for the other participants. To do this, you need to click on one of the three tabs on the pre-selection window and then on the corresponding window/tab, etc.

Description of the three sharing options:

- Entire Screen: 

• The other participants in the conference can see your entire screen. You can switch back and forth between windows and tabs without exiting the "Share" function.

- Application Window:

• Only a specific open window can be shared with the other participants. If you switch between windows, only the shared window will still be visible to the other participants.

- Chrome Tab

• Only a specific Chrome Tab can be shared with the other participants. If you switch between tabs or windows, only the shared tab is visible to the other participants.

While you are sharing your screen (no matter which of the three sharing options), there is hint on the lower part of your screen (depending on your browser), so you can see what content you are sharing.

To cancel the sharing function, you can press "Stop sharing" in the selection window which is visible for you while sharing. Your screen will then no longer be visible to other participants. You can also make the selection window disappear by "Hide".

During a conference, there are additional functions that you can set as a speaker.

There are two icons on the lower right side of the screen.

Raise hand

During a conference, each participant in the conference can raise his or her hand by clicking on the hand symbol "Raise Hand".

As soon as a participant has raised his or her hand, a hand is displayed next to the name of the corresponding participant and the functions activated for this participant, which you can then react to in the conference.

While you have raised your hand, the hand symbol is highlighted.

You can lower your hand again yourself by clicking on the hand symbol again ("Lower hand"). Only you can do this yourself.

List of participants

A function that is only available for instructors - unless otherwise configured in Backstage - is viewing the list of participants.

To open this list, the speaker clicks on the symbol with the words "Show Participant List".

This opens a panel on the right-hand side in which all participants are displayed. Next to each name, the presenter is shown which release authorisation (audio, video, screen release; see above) has been granted to the respective participant and whether the participant has raised his/her hand.

Please note that the videos of the participants in this conference are currently deactivated.

By clicking on the three dots to the right of the name, the corresponding participant can also be "pinned", "put in spotlight" or granted release permissions this way. Information on these options can be found earlier in this article. 

If you are still alone in the conference as an administrator or speaker, this is shown on the screen ("Waiting for others to join...").

To hide the participant list again, click on the "Hide participant list" icon in your console again.

Further functions

If you click on the three dots on the far right of your console, the following box opens.

Mute All

To mute all conference participants at the same time, click on "Mute All". 

The microphones of all participants are then switched off. You as the presenter cannot switch on the microphones of the participants yourself; this is done by the participants themselves - provided you have given them permission to do so.

Put in Spotlight

To put your own video in the spotlight for other participants, click on "Put in Spotlight" in the other settings.

Network Quality Indicator

Green full bars indicate a good enough network quality to perform a conference call.

Red empty bars indicate bad network quality. 

If you move your mouse over the quality display, additional information on the network receive quality and the network send quality is displayed.

A distinction is made between good, poor and bad.