Panopto VCMS Transition
Panopto VCMS Transition
Panopto selected as Virginia Tech’s new video content management system
Announcement
Panopto transition complete and next steps
Virginia Tech’s video platform transition from Kaltura to Panopto is complete. Video owners will find their active videos in their Panopto “My Folder > Kaltura migrations” folder. Videos created on or before June 30, 2022, are in archive status and can be found in their owner’s “Archive” folder (look for the file box icon). See Archiving FAQs to learn how to convert an archived video to active status. Restoring archived videos may take up to 72 hours.
Every effort was made to move all video content previously stored in Kaltura. A small number of older, unplayed videos and incompatible or corrupted files were not migrated. If an important video is missing, submit the Locate Missing Kaltura Videos form.
As with all transitions to new tools, some workflows will change now that the move to Panopto is complete. Users should reference the questions below and the Using Panopto at Virginia Tech article as they begin using Panopto for courses and administrative projects.
Answers to anticipated questions
With more than 500,000 individual videos moved and a range of use-cases, TLOS has identified some key user concerns and has developed answers to some anticipated questions users may have as they learn to use Panopto.
Faculty and staff can log in to Panopto using their Virginia Tech username and passphrase at virginiatech.hosted.panopto.com. Note that only a user’s “owned” videos will be visible in their “Kaltura migrations” or “Archive” (look for the file box icon) folders. Canvas users can also access their videos by selecting the Panopto Video icon in the Canvas global navigation menu.
Student users will access Panopto through Canvas by selecting the Panopto Video icon in the Canvas global navigation menu.
While every effort was made to relink all videos embedded in Canvas courses, some key issues have been identified that require action. Here are steps faculty members should take.
- Sign in to Panopto using your Virginia Tech username and passphrase at virginiatech.hosted.panopto.com. This step establishes your Panopto account with the appropriate permissions to access all of Panopto’s features in your Canvas courses.
- Turn on “Panopto Course Folder” in your course.
- Review any embedded/linked course videos.
- If videos are missing, first look in your archive (look for the file box icon) and restore them. (Videos that were created on or before June 30, 2022, were moved to the archive as part of the storage management process.) Restoring archived videos may take up to 72 hours.
- If missing videos are not in the archive, they may be owned by a colleague. If you know the video owner, you can contact them to share the video in Panopto. Otherwise, submit the Locate Missing Kaltura Videos form.
- If desired, re-create the “course gallery” using a course folder (note: videos owned by other people cannot be moved/copied to your course folder until they add you as a Creator).
- Re-link any playlists and make sure to share the videos in the playlist as well.
- Confirm all the videos play as expected.
- Verify the course’s Zoom tool scheduled recording settings.
- Faculty & Staff: For Zoom course recordings to be copied to Panopto, users must have signed in to Panopto using their Virginia Tech username and passphrase at virginiatech.hosted.panopto.com to obtain the appropriate permissions to set up the Zoom-Panopto integration in Canvas.
- Graduate Students: Because you cannot log into virginiatech.hosted.panopto.com directly, for each course site where you want to use this feature, select “Panopto Course Folder” in the course navigation menu to open the Panopto course folder. Select the three dots on the course folder, then select Settings to go to the Overview tab. Select the Settings tab. Locate “Meeting Import” and select the first option, “Import all meetings, regardless of the meeting host’s setting.”
For help with the above steps, see Using Panopto at Virginia Tech or submit a 4Help incident.
Video assets that belong to colleges, departments, or offices, such as those used on web pages or social media, and those used in multiple course sections taught by different faculty members, can be organized in shared Panopto folders. Videos placed in a shared folder adopt the folder’s permission settings, making it easier to manage who can view and access the files.
Only videos owned by users were moved to their Panopto “My Folder” during the migration. If a missing video was shared as a co-editor, co-publisher, or co-viewer, the users will need to contact the video owner to regain access to the video. If the missing video was not shared or was shared by a user who no longer works at Virginia Tech, submit the Locate Missing Kaltura Videos form.
Videos created on or before June 30, 2022, have been moved to their owner’s archive folder. These videos can be found through search but will need to be moved to an active status to play. Restoring archived videos may take up to 72 hours.
Only videos owned by users were moved to their Panopto “My Folder” during the migration. Videos with users designated as a co-editor, co-publisher, or co-viewer were migrated to their owner’s account. Users will need to contact the video owner to regain access to these videos. If the video was shared by a user who no longer works at Virginia Tech, submit the Locate Missing Kaltura Videos form.
Since the YouTube videos were linked versus being stored in the Virginia Tech Kaltura system, they were not included in the migration to Panopto. Users can relink to these videos by embedding the YouTube video into a Panopto session or embedding the YouTube video directly into Canvas.
If the missing video was created and stored in Kaltura or a Canvas My Media space by May 18, 2026, or was shared by a user who no longer works at Virginia Tech, submit the Locate Missing Kaltura Videos form.
Kaltura videos embedded or linked in Canvas courses have been replaced by the migrated Panopto video. Please note that in places such as Canvas Pages, where videos are relinked, instructors may notice that the page reflects edits have been made by the “Panopto Linking Tool.”
A similar process to relink videos embedded in the Ensemble web content management system has been completed.
Users who manage other digital content that embeds or links to Kaltura videos will need to update links to new Panopto versions of those videos on websites, digital documents, or other content management systems. That work should be happening now.
The previously shared plan to delete unwatched videos created from June 30, 2019, or older beginning in July 2027 is under review. More details will be shared as decisions are made.
Panopto is committed to providing an accessible learning experience.
All videos in Panopto receive automated captions with an average of 95% accuracy. Users can edit the automated captions.
In addition to captions, users can also add audio descriptions to their videos that provide narration of visual elements.
The Panopto platform supports alt text for images and interactive elements.
No, Panopto is not approved for storing high-risk data. Panopto is approved for low- and medium-risk data storage.
Note: A small number of users may have high-risk videos among their migrated files, since Kaltura was acquired before the current risk classification review process was adopted. These videos containing high-risk data must be removed. It is the video owner’s responsibility to determine the risk classification of their files and how they can be securely stored. Users should consult the Risk Classification Standard, the IT Security Office (ITSO), their designated data steward/principal investigator, or IT team members for clarification on the risk classification of their files and how to securely store high-risk videos.
To meet the evolving needs of faculty, staff, and students, Virginia Tech has selected Panopto as the university’s new video content management system (VCMS). Panopto, which will replace Kaltura in 2026, will provide interactive video, lecture capture, streaming media, mobile compatibility, video storage, and integration with other Virginia Tech tools like Canvas and Zoom. Enhanced features include audio descriptions, a video analytics dashboard, and customizable system settings.
The decision to discontinue the Kaltura contract and move to Panopto was made after a 6-month evaluation of currently available video content management systems. The evaluation project, co-sponsored by Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS) and the Division of Information Technology, gathered input from faculty, staff, distributed IT professionals, and senior leaders, including current Panopto users in the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. Selecting Panopto allows Virginia Tech to have a unified video content management system across all colleges and administrative units.
TLOS is partnering with the Division of IT’s Learning Systems team to transition from Kaltura to Panopto. TLOS will provide end-user support, training, and documentation for Panopto, while IT will manage the system configuration, provide technical support, and oversee content migration and data retention policies.
Updated: 8/5/2026
Timeline for Implementation
Panopto will be available in early 2026 for use in training and to facilitate the transition from Kaltura. All video content stored in Kaltura will be migrated to Panopto, and videos embedded in Canvas course sites will be relinked. Kaltura, the existing VCMS, will remain available through the end of the spring semester in May 2026.
The following timeline will be updated as the implementation progresses:
October 31, 2025 — Contract signed.
December 19, 2025 — Announcement of Panopto to the university community.
November 2025 through January 2026 — Platform configuration, including single sign-on (SSO), user permissions, system settings, and third-party integrations.
January 2026 — Content migration begins.1
February 9, 2026 — Faculty and staff access begins using SSO.2
Users will not see their migrated Kaltura videos until the initial migration process is complete. TLOS will notify the university community when migrated content becomes available.
- Early Spring Semester 2026 — Panopto training workshops start.
May 17, 2026 — Kaltura transitions to read-only.
May 17 to June 30, 2026 — All users are encouraged to review their video content in Panopto to ensure their videos created through December 31, 2025, have migrated successfully.3
May 18, 2026 — Migration of videos created from January 1 through May 17, 2026, begins.
Summer Sessions 2026 — All Canvas courses will use Panopto.
June 30, 2026 — Last day to access Kaltura videos.
July 1, 2026 — Transition to Panopto completed.
Updated: 2/18/2026
Key Panopto Features
Video embedding in Canvas courses
Interactive quizzes in Canvas courses
Convenient video storage
Lecture capture from personal devices and in technology-equipped classrooms
Interactive video editing
Live video streaming
Adaptive video playback quality for users with a weak internet connection
Compatible with popularly used operating systems and mobile devices
Automated captions in 20+ global languages and professional/human-based captions are available
Automated translation of video transcripts
360-degree video support for virtual reality (VR) headsets
Playlist curation
Enhanced capabilities to organize content
AI-powered keyword search
Data analytics dashboard
Improved internal controls and customizable system settings
Training & Support
If you want to start learning right away, Panopto offers video tutorials and online documentation.
Beginning in early spring semester 2026, TLOS will provide training workshops, self-guided support, and individual consultations.
Questions, Concerns, or Conversation?
If you have questions about using Panopto or concerns about how the new tool will affect you or your stored videos, submit an incident using 4Help.
If you would like to explore innovative uses of video in your classroom, schedule a consultation.
Revisions
The start of content migration was delayed due to contract negotiations.
Adjusted the date from late January 2026 to February 9, 2026, to ensure that knowledgebase articles are in place and the support team is prepared to assist users.
In order to stay within contractual storage limits in Panopto, a small number of unplayed videos from 2022 or earlier, that have not been published to a Canvas course or a video.vt.edu channel or collection, will be retained outside of Panopto until June 30, 2027. These videos will not appear in your Panopto videos list, but they can be added to your Panopto account by a TLOS employee upon request.
Added the right side bar with links to campus notices and added the announcement that Panopto is now available to Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and students. Moved the original announcement to the accordion titled ‘Background.’