Service Update 2026-01-22
Brianna Parker
Administrator
This update will be applied after business hours on January 29th.
Panopto Core
Added the option to include Audio Descriptions in addition to captions for videos. As part of this addition, various settings and terminology have been updated:
- The System tabs Caption Requests and Caption Services have been renamed to Accessibility Requests and Accessibility Services, respectively. These menus now include options to add and manage audio descriptions.
- 6 new services providing audio descriptions have been added.
- Within a video's settings, a new tab called Audio Descriptions has been added. From this menu, users can request audio descriptions and view the progress of active requests.
- Caption Dollars has been updated to Caption Credits. Existing Caption Dollars can be used to request captions, translations, professional audio descriptions, and AI-generated audio descriptions.
- Reports downloaded from the Accessibility Requests menu will now include the video's Delivery ID and the Total Cost for the request.
- Admins can access a new site-wide setting called Audio Descriptions - Overwrite Behavior, which controls whether users can request audio descriptions when the video already has them. By default, users cannot overwrite existing files; they must delete the existing file before making a new request.
- Pricing for paid captions has slightly increased.
Information about these changes can be found in our updated articles: Learn About Panopto Accessibility Services, How to Manage Accessibility Services, and How to Request Accessibility Services.
Panopto Connect
Introduced a new, intuitive way for Portal administrators to customize the Connect platform footer by adding, editing, and organizing custom links directly within the UI.
- Add Links: Hover between existing footer items or after the last item to reveal a "+" (Add Link) button. Clicking this opens a modal where you can define a link title and URL. Links are automatically left-aligned and will intelligently wrap to additional lines if the footer becomes crowded, ensuring a clean look on all screen sizes.
- Edit & Delete: Hovering over an existing link now displays management tools to update its details or remove it entirely.
- Drag-and-Drop Ordering: Use "move" arrows to reorder links. The system intelligently prevents invalid moves (e.g., moving the first link before the copyright notice or the last link further right).
- Success and error pop-up notifications now confirm actions such as "Link added," "Link deleted," or "Unable to add link."
Product Improvements
Fixed an issue where sessions having a large number of cuts would take too long to process, and processing was sometimes blocked because a time limit was reached.
Fixed an issue where the “Copy” option was incorrectly displayed in the Viewer to all users, regardless of their permissions or login status, whenever the "Save As" feature was enabled.
Fixed an issue with the Remote Recorder user interface to eliminate redundant settings and reduce confusion when the “1080p for All Recorders” feature is enabled.
Updated the logic for Microsoft Teams meeting imports to correctly attribute recordings. The "Recorded By" field will now display the actual meeting organizer’s full name instead of "SharePoint App," providing better clarity on who initiated the session.
Fixed an issue within the Microsoft Teams Integration that prevented the "Copy Link" button in the Share modal from functioning as expected.
Access AI: Fixed an issue where Automatic Language Detection would default to a specific regional variant (such as English US) even if a different regional default was configured in the site settings.
Introduced a "Skip to Main Content" link to improve navigation for users who rely on keyboards, screen readers, switch controls, and other assistive technologies on the main Panopto App. This feature allows users to bypass repetitive global elements—such as logos, search bars, and primary navigation menus—to reach a page's core content instantly.
Implemented a high-visibility focus indicator for user avatars to ensure clear contrast on dark backgrounds.
Fixed Keyboard Accessibility for the Seek Slider on the embed player. Users can now fully control the media seek slider using a keyboard. This ensures that those who rely on assistive technology or keyboard-only navigation can skip forward or backward through audio and video content with precision.
Fixed the "Date Created" filter by separating the "Clear" button into a standalone interactive element, resolving a semantic error that previously hindered screen reader accuracy and keyboard navigation.
Fixed an accessibility issue where the Date Created filter button on the Home, My Folder, and Everything screens did not correctly communicate its state to screen readers.
Updated the Folder Picker widget to improve its semantic structure and ensure full compatibility with screen readers and assistive technologies.
Version 16.4