Blurring and Adding Video Background to Thalamus Video

Thalamus Video provides applicants and program users with the ability to blur or add a virtual background while engaging in their interviews. This guide will provide you with the steps on how to update your background. 

Accessing Thalamus Video

1. From the menu bar, select the "Schedule" tab and then "My Schedule" to view the scheduled interview sessions.

2. Navigate to the correct interview session by selecting the interview session on the left navigation menu (under "Upcoming Events" or "Past Events") or by using the arrows at the top of the page

3. If you are scheduled for multiple interview sessions on the same day, you will see multiple rows within the page.  The following is accessible within each row:

   1. Itinerary session information including name, time, and date

   2. Applicant information that will include Applicant Name, Medical School, AAMC ID and Email

4. If a Thalamus virtual interview session has been scheduled, you will see the "Join Meeting" button.  Click "Join Meeting" to enter the virtual interview session. 
   
   
   

For the best Thalamus Video experience, we recommend using the most updated browser versions of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. While Safari is supported, Thalamus Video is powered by Zoom’s Web SDK, and some features are not fully supported in Safari, which may affect your experience.

Internet Explorer is not a supported browser for Thalamus Video.

Updating the Background Settings

1. A new tab will open in your browser taking you to the Join Meeting page where you will be able to select and save the camera, microphone, and virtual settings.

2. You will be able to select your camera, microphone and background settings to join your meeting. These settings will be saved locally on your device and browser to join subsequent meetings.

   • For Mac device users see Allow Thalamus Video to Access your Camera, Microphone and Screenshare on Mac
   • Important Note for Screen Sharing:
     • Share Tab: Both device sound and your microphone audio are shared with other participants. 
     • Share Window: Device sound is shared, however your microphone is automatically muted during the share.
       • If you share a window and enable device sound, your microphone will be muted for the duration of the share. This means other participants will only hear the shared device audio, not your microphone input. 
     • Sharing your device sound is available when using Chrome or Edge browser(s).

3. Go to the section titled "Video Effects."

4. From the options, users may select between three background effects, listed below. Upon making a selection, your video preview will update in real time to reflect the selected background effect:

   1. None: No background effect will be added

   2. Blur: Will blur background from any visible view

   3. Upload (Change) Image: Allows the user to option to upload an image of their choosing as a virtual background

5. If users have selected the “Upload Image" option, this will open a file folder window, where you are able to select an image from your computer to upload as a background.
   Note: The file size should be no more than 10MB and the supported file types are .jpeg, .jpg, .png and .gif
   

6. Once the image has been selected it should now show in the box to the right. The background image will also update in your video preview, visible to all participants in the meeting. 

7. If you have uploaded an incorrect image or would no longer like that image to appear as a background, change the image (or select "None")

8. Once settings have updated, and you may join your meeting. Note that the selection of your virtual background settings will be saved on both your local device and user account, meaning that if you join a meeting using the same account but a different device, the updated settings will be reflected.