Panopto VCMS Transition
Panopto VCMS Transition
Panopto selected as Virginia Tech’s new video content management system
Announcement
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.
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 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.
December 2025 — Content migration begins.
Late January 2026 — Faculty and staff access begins using SSO.
Early Spring Semester 2026 — Panopto training workshops start.
May 17, 2026 — Kaltura transitions to read-only.
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.
Last updated: 12/17/2025
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
General Questions
Your videos stored in Kaltura at video.vt.edu or in your Canvas My Media space will continue to use Kaltura through the end of the spring semester 2026. Your existing videos will be migrated to Panopto in the background before June 30, 2026. Links to Kaltura videos in Canvas sites will be replaced with links to new Panopto versions of the videos. In most cases, no action will be needed on your part. In the following cases you will need to review your videos:
Videos that had custom thumbnail images will need to be reset.
Video quizzes will need to be rebuilt using Panopto.
For tagged videos, tags are limited to 32 characters, and only the first 10 tags will be migrated.
Playlists may need to be rebuilt.
While every effort will be made to relink all migrated videos, some videos may need to be manually relinked.
Beginning in spring 2026, if you are preparing 2026 summer courses, you will use Panopto for video content in your Canvas course sites.
Watch for communications from TLOS in spring 2026 asking you to confirm that any linked videos that will be used after June 30, 2026, are playing correctly in Canvas.
If you manage digital content that links to Kaltura videos, you will need to update links to new Panopto versions of those videos on websites, digital documents, or other content management systems. Watch for communications from TLOS in spring 2026 that will let you know when all your videos have been migrated to Panopto.
All of your videos stored in Kaltura, either at video.vt.edu or in your Canvas My Media space, will be migrated to Panopto.
A very small percentage of files may be corrupted or in an unsupported format and will not be migrated. Every effort will be made to migrate all video content stored in Kaltura.
In late January 2026, you can activate your Panopto account. TLOS will communicate the availability of Panopto to the campus community.
Faculty preparing 2026 summer courses will use Panopto to share videos in Canvas course sites.
On May 17, 2026, Kaltura will transition to read-only, and all users will need to begin using Panopto.
Panopto is committed to providing an accessible learning experience.
All videos in Panopto receive automated captions. You can edit the automated captions or request professional/human-based captions.
Videos for instruction are eligible for 99% accurate professional captions at no cost to you. Videos that do not qualify for the centralized captioning service can still be professionally captioned at the rates listed in 4Help.
In addition to captions, you can also add audio descriptions to your videos that provide narration of visual elements.
The Panopto platform supports alt text for images and interactive elements.
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.