Virtual Classroom Watch

Adobe Connect

Range: 2-1,500 active Effective: Jan 1, 2003 Vendor: Adobe Official source Pricing page
Standard: $190/host/year Base capacity 100 participants Premium: $290/host/year Base capacity 100 participants Enterprise: $390/host/year Base capacity 300 participants Capacity upgrades: From $2,200/year 500, 1,000, or 1,500 participants per host

Features Covered

Video Conferencing Screen Sharing Breakout Rooms Recording and Transcription Chat and Messaging

Timeline

MilestoneDateNotes
Launch as Macromedia BreezeJan 1, 2003Web conferencing and eLearning platform
Adobe acquisitionDec 3, 2005Adobe acquires Macromedia, rebrands to Adobe Connect
Adobe Connect 12 hosted rolloutJul 12, 2022Hosted rollout of the WebRTC-based architecture began
Adobe Connect 12 on-premisesSep 15, 2022On-premises release became available

Provisions (7)

Video Conferencing

Implements: Video Conferencing active Effective: Jan 1, 2003
Adobe Connect's persistent room concept means layouts, content, and polls are saved between sessions.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Persistent roomsReusable meeting rooms with saved layouts
Video podsConfigurable video display pods within rooms
Participant limitUp to 1,500 participants
Sources: Adobe Connect Features

Screen Sharing

Implements: Screen Sharing active Effective: Jan 1, 2003
Adobe Connect's pod-based layout allows screen sharing alongside polls, notes, and video simultaneously.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Screen sharingFull desktop or application sharing
Document sharingUpload and present documents within pods
Pod layoutsArrange share pods alongside other content types
Sources: Adobe Connect Sharing

Breakout Rooms

Implements: Breakout Rooms active Effective: Jan 1, 2008
Adobe Connect breakout rooms each have independent pod layouts, enabling different activities per group.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Room countUp to 20 breakout rooms
AssignmentManual assignment by host
Content per roomEach breakout room has its own pod layout
Sources: Adobe Connect Breakout Rooms

Recording and Transcription

Implements: Recording active Effective: Jan 1, 2003
Adobe Connect recordings capture the full pod layout experience, not just video and audio.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Server-side recordingRecordings stored on Adobe Connect server
Offline conversionExport recordings to MP4
ChapteringAdd bookmarks and chapters to recordings
Sources: Adobe Connect Recording

Polling and Q&A

Implements: Polling active Effective: Jan 1, 2003
Adobe Connect's poll pods persist across sessions, allowing instructors to reuse pre-configured assessments.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Poll podsPersistent polls embedded in room layouts
Multiple pollsMultiple simultaneous poll pods
Q&A podDedicated Q&A pod with moderation
Sources: Adobe Connect Polls

Chat and Messaging

Implements: Chat Messaging active Effective: Jan 1, 2003
Adobe Connect supports multiple simultaneous chat pods, enabling parallel discussion threads within a single room.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Chat podsMultiple chat pods with different scopes
ModerationHost can enable/disable participant chat
PersistenceChat history saved within the room
Sources: Adobe Connect Chat

Virtual Backgrounds

Implements: Virtual Backgrounds active Effective: Oct 1, 2022
Adobe Connect added background blur in version 12 with its move to WebRTC, though options are more limited than competitors.

Requirements

RequirementDetails
Background blurBackground blur support in current Connect releases
Virtual backgroundsPreset and administrator-provided custom backgrounds across current base tiers
Sources: Adobe Connect 12

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