Get the expert’s view on streaming

[SINCE THE FIRST national lockdown in 2020, live streaming of some form has been high on the agenda for most churches. With so many options to choose from, an easy-to-understand guide became essential.

Such a guide was published by church streaming specialists DM Music. It carries a wealth of information to help churches in choosing the right live streaming solution for them. Here we offer a digest of that guide.

Internet connection

The first thing everyone is going to need is a fast, reliable broadband connection, ideally with an upload speed of 6-10Mbps or more. The easiest way to check that is to use Google’s speed test feature. Some platforms support streaming in standard definition – an option for upload speeds below 6Mbps.

Streaming platform

You might want to do a bit of research into which is best for you; however, for the majority YouTube and Facebook Live are the two main contenders. They’re free to use and, if you don’t mind the odd advert, could be just what you are looking for. Most churches will typically link from their website to either their Facebook page or YouTube channel for viewing. Both of these options also allow for social interaction and engagement.

An alternative approach is to use Zoom for meeting online as a church congregation. Many will have used Zoom for other meetings during lockdown periods. However, using it for Sunday services can be a lot more challenging.

Cameras

Next, you’ll want to think about what type and how many cameras you want in your system. The choices you make here will have an impact on the interfacing hardware required before any images reach your live stream.

Fixed cameras are perfect where the same shot is required every time. If what you’re trying to capture isn’t fixed, or you need to zoom in or out during a service or event, then a PTZ camera could be what you are looking for. You will need someone to operate a PTZ camera or, at the bare minimum, switch between preset shots.

Multiple cameras can allow for a much more professional looking live stream. Switching between cameras could be done via hardware such as a video mixer, switch/scaler or in software.

If there is already an AV system in the church you might want to think about using existing cameras if they are suitable, or making sure any new cameras can be used for local viewing in the church if required.

Audio

Audio is crucial to any live stream and its importance cannot be overstated. If you have an existing PA system then a feed taken from that may be enough to get you up and running. Combine that with the video signal and you’re almost ready to go. Many streaming encoders and video mixers have an analogue audio input, so you can also combine audio and video that way. If you don’t have a PA system then you may want to look at investing in a wired or wireless microphone to capture audio from the service or event.

In order to create a sound that makes it feel more like actually being in church, one or more ambient microphones will be needed. That sound should not go back through the church speaker system, as it is likely to cause feedback.

Encode

Finally, you’ll want to decide how you will get your video and audio content to your chosen streaming platform: will it be via hardware or software?

A stand-alone ‘hardware‘ box solution can provide an extremely straightforward, robust option, which can start/ stop an encoded stream at the push of a button – or even be programmed to start the stream on power up. It doesn’t therefore

require a PC for operation.

Using a computer to encode can be relatively easy through ‘software‘. It can also be low cost – if you have a reasonably powerful computer available and use free software like OBS. However, you may need to purchase additional hardware to capture video from an AV system, camera or other computer onto your streaming computer.

DM Music also recommend that, if a church is considering taking the plunge into live streaming, they should read their Before You Start Streaming Quick Expert Guide. The company believes it is essential to the way the subject is approached. q