FAQ/Q&A about BigBlueButton

deutsche Version

Which browser do I use optimally for video conferences with BBB?

Preferably, please use Mozilla Firefox; we have not received any requests for difficulties with this, and the product is also regularly used in the data center by employees for conferences via BBB, so that the greatest experience is available.
At present (as of 31.03.20) we have reported difficulties in using the Safari browser under MacOS. One workaround is the installation of Firefox for Mac; we are not yet aware of any other ways to fix the problem.

I would like to record my meeting/event

Recording of conferences on the BBB server is not provided and is technically disabled.
For lectures, the recording of the lecture in a classroom is available as usual (lecturer and slides in OpenCast). For the development of dynamic lecture materials (on screen, for example: PowerPoint slides with insertions and annotations in the video, parallel to audio explanations by the lecturer), the computing center offers licenses from Camtasia for screen recording. Please send us an e-mail for the allocation of a license to support@rz.tu-clausthal.de

How many rooms can I create and share with others?

Ten rooms can be created per user.

The quality of the image transmission is not good enough, e.g. when using a document camera

The BBB conference system is designed to enable video conferences (= webcam showing a participant) in adequate quality. Screen sharing, i.e. the transmission of screen contents/windows of programs, is also part of the platform. Webcam images are moving images of medium quality, while screen sharing mainly involves high-quality motionless images. The use of a document camera represents a hybrid ( = actually static contents, which are however played in via a camera), with which quality losses cannot be excluded.

I want to upload a presentation, but there is an error

The uploaded PDF files must not exceed 200 pages, the file size is limited to 30 MB and the conversion of the document on the server must not take longer than five minutes. If necessary, please split your files to be uploaded and publish them one by one.

It is difficult and confusing to react to feedback from the participants in a lecture

During an event, the lecturer should give a lecture and an assistant should monitor the chat as well as supervise the technical settings and prepare surveys, for example. In principle, it can be worth asking questions about speed and comprehensibility in the meantime.

I have a larger event, how many participants can BBB handle?

The BBB server is primarily intended for the coordination of working groups and for courses in small groups with the active participation of students. Seminar presentations are also imaginable in this context. To what extent an event including interaction with the audience in groups of more than twenty people is technically stable is not yet reliably known. The computer center has not configured an upper limit. However, it is to be expected that low-performance PCs of individual participants will be overstrained if too many video images are transmitted. This is shown by picture and sound disturbances among the affected participants. Restrictions may need to be made (e.g. not all participants should activate their webcam at the same time, reduce the quality of the transmission, etc.)

The voice quality fluctuates greatly, sometimes individual participants cannot be understood at all

In video conferences, the general rule is that the simultaneous speech of several participants becomes unintelligible to all. For conferences with several participants, all microphones should therefore normally be set to „MUTE“ and the conference should be led by a moderator who lets you speak when notified. Background noise and feedback from inadequate microphones can have a significant disturbing effect.

How do I use BBB in my lectures or how do I invite students to my BBB room?

An integration in Stud.IP is already available, an integration in Moodle is in the process of organizational discussion and technical testing.

BBB does not work properly in Rocket.chat/when I open a BBB conference via the chat server

Depending on the browser you are using or the Rocket.chat client, difficulties may occur. Preferably please use the systems chat.tu-clausthal.de and the BBB server webconf.tu-clausthal.de independently of each other: The integration of the BBB server in the rooms of the chat server is not fully compatible with all browsers.

I cannot share my microphone or camera in the browser as described in the manual

The webcam and microphone must be enabled both in the Windows Control Panel and in the browser to enable audio and video transmissions from your own computer. Therefore, please also check in the system settings whether these devices can be enabled.

When using BBB with your smartphone, it will warm up significantly and the battery will discharge very quickly

Mobile devices like smartphones need a lot of energy/get warm when used in video chat. Please ensure that charging facilities are available/provide the appropriate power supply unit. If necessary, please remove an additional cover and place the device e.g. with the long side facing away from you on a book so that it does not lie flat on the table: Firstly, it allows you to see and be seen better, and secondly, the smartphone or tablet can better transfer the heat generated to the ambient air and is better cooled.

How can I switch BBB to English?

BBB works completely in English if your own browser is installed in the English language version or the „preferred language“ in the settings is „English“.

I have an unlisted error, which is not listed here

For errors of any kind: Please check whether a logout from the BBB server and, if necessary, a restart of your computer can help with sound or transmission problems. Especially when several conference rooms are used in quick succession or the microphone/loudspeaker combination is changed in the meantime, unexpected situations can occasionally occur. The easiest way to fix them is to reboot, with all audio devices that will be used later already connected.