This article walks you through uploading a session video recorded using an external device. Once uploaded, the video will behave exactly like a video recorded directly in SimCapture—including playback, evaluation, and review.

Before You Begin

SimCapture uses Amazon Transcoding Services to process uploaded videos. Most commonly used media formats are supported, including:

• 3GP
• AAC
• AVI
• FLV
• MP4
• MPEG-2

This is not an exhaustive list. If your video fails to upload or is not supported, contact SimCapture Support for assistance. See related guidance in existing SimCapture upload documentation.

How to Upload a Session Video

1. Log in to your SimCapture organization.
2. Select Sessions from the global navigation bar.
3. Select Import .
4. Upload your video by either:
   • Dragging and dropping the file into the upload area, or
   • Selecting Choose File and browsing to the video location

What Happens During Upload

• Your video is sent to the SimCapture transcoding service.
• A progress bar shows the current upload status.
• Upload speed depends on:
  • Video length
  • Your internet connection speed

While the video is uploading, you can save time by completing session details:

• Select a Scenario
• Enter a Title
• Choose an Organization and Location
• Add Notes
• Adjust the Session Date and Time to match when the video was recorded

After Upload: Finalizing the Session

• When all videos display a green check mark, the Save button becomes available.
• Select Save to complete the upload and open the Session Viewer.

Transcoding may take additional time after upload, especially for longer videos. You can safely navigate away or log out—SimCapture will continue processing the video in the background.

If transcoding takes longer than 15 minutes, you will receive an email notification when the session is ready for viewing.

Common Upload Issues

My video format isn’t supported

SimCapture supports many commonly used video formats, but some proprietary or uncommon codecs may not upload successfully.

What to do:

• Confirm the file uses a widely supported format such as MP4, AVI, or MPEG-2
• If the format or codec is unsupported, re-encode the video using recommended settings before uploading.

The upload is very slow or appears stalled

Upload time depends on file size, video resolution, and network speed. Large or high-quality videos may take longer to upload to the transcoding service.

What to know:

• A progress bar shows upload status
• Slower connections or very large files may significantly increase upload time
• If progress pauses temporarily, allow the upload to continue without refreshing the page

Tip: Re-encoding videos to recommended bitrates and resolutions can reduce upload time.

The video uploaded, but the session isn’t ready to view

After upload, videos must be transcoded before they are available in the Session Viewer. Transcoding time increases with video length.

What to expect:

• Short videos are typically ready quickly
• Long or high-resolution videos may take more time
• You do not need to remain logged in while transcoding completes

I navigated away or logged out before the session was ready

This is normal behavior and does not interrupt processing.

Good to know:

• Uploading and transcoding continue in the background
• If transcoding takes longer than 15 minutes, SimCapture sends an email notification when the session is ready

The video plays back poorly or fails to play

Playback issues are often caused by nonstandard encoding settings rather than unsupported file types.

What to consider:

• Extremely high bitrates or unusual frame rates may affect playback.
• Re-encoding videos using SimCapture’s recommended settings can greatly improve reliability.

The upload failed completely

If the upload stops or fails without completing, the issue may be related to the file, browser, or network environment.

Next steps:

• Verify the video format and file size
• Re-encode the video if necessary
• Retry the upload
• If the issue persists, contact SimCapture Support with the file type and approximate video length