The following guide is provided for those preparing to interview via Thalamus Video. It addresses camera, microphone, and screen share settings, as well as device, network, and browser settings that can be checked to prevent audio or video issues in-call, including freezing/flickering/flashing video, one-way or absent audio, or connection stability issues that may result in a participant being unable to join or remain in a video room.

I'm getting ready for interviews. How can I prepare to make sure things go smoothly?

1. Ensure your device and browser settings are set up correctly for Thalamus Video to access camera, microphone and (if applicable,) screenshare. These differ depending on the device - refer to the user guide articles below.
   1. For PC: Allow Thalamus Video platform to access your Camera, Microphone on PC
   2. For Mac: Allow Thalamus Video to Access your Camera, Microphone and Screenshare on Mac
2. Run a test interview as appropriate for your role. Refer to the User Guide for the steps for that.
   1. For applicants: Testing the Video platform prior to your interview day
   2. For program users: Testing the Virtual Interview Platform Prior to Your Interview Dates
3. Ensure that your device is running an operating system that can support Thalamus Video.
   1. For Windows devices: this will be Windows 10 or 11.
   2. For Mac devices: this will be MacOS 14 or 15.
      1. (9/23 Addendum: With the release of MacOS 15 as of September 16th, 2024, it is unclear how much longer our video service provider will continue supporting MacOS 13.)
   3. For mobile devices: we do not recommend the use of a web browser on a mobile device, as the browser site is not optimized for mobile - instead, we recommend downloading the latest version of the Thalamus Mobile Application.

For those running Thalamus Video on a browser:

1. Ensure you have access to a browser that can support Thalamus Video. We recommend the latest version of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. The latest release version of most other browsers are tentatively supported. We do not support Internet Explorer.
2. Check if your device or internet have a VPN or firewall installed, and if you are able to disable said VPN or firewall, as these can occasionally throttle or cut off your connection to Thalamus Video. If you are not able to disable your VPN or firewall (often because your device or internet is administered by your institution), we recommend either:
   1. Contacting the organization administering your device or network, providing our Network Configuration Settings Guide, and ensuring that there will be no restriction to your access to Thalamus Video, and/or
   2. Ensuring that you are able to connect to an alternative network if it becomes clear that there are connection difficulties.
3. Ensure that your hardware is sufficient to run Thalamus Video. Some older devices do not have the capability of rendering multiple video feeds at once, and this can cause flickering or flashing video in group sessions. The console in your developer tools can allow you to test this function.
   1. For Google Chrome: Click the triple-dot menu in the upper right-hand corner of your browser window. Go to “More Tools” > “Developer Tools” to open the Developer Tools drawer on the right hand side of your screen.
      From the bar at the very top of the drawer, select “Console”.
   2. For Microsoft Edge: Click the triple-dot menu in the upper right-hand corner of your browser window. Go to “More Tools” > “Developer Tools” to open the Developer Tools drawer on the right hand side of your screen.
      Click the Console icon to open the browser console.
   3. Scroll to the bottom of the console window - you’re looking for a right-facing arrow (“>”). Click immediately to the right of the arrow, and once the cursor appears, use the following console commands to ensure your hardware is sufficient.
      Please note: some browsers will block you from copying and pasting console commands without specifically enabling them - you may need to type these commands instead..
      1. navigator.hardwareConcurrency - returned value should be more than four
      2. crossOriginIsolated - returned value should be: "true."
   4. To close the console, click the “X” in the upper right-hand corner of the Console drawer.
4. Ensure you have your phone nearby. Sometimes despite our best preparations, unexpected things can happen. In a pinch, you can use the call-in feature to join your Thalamus Video room in audio-only mode via the number and code provided in your MySchedule view.