FEATURE
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION ASIA
Streaming For Churches – So What’s Involved? By Robert Soo First and foremost, there needs to be a good and stable internet connection with adequate speed and bandwidth for the intended video quality. Always avoid using Wi-Fi when streaming and stick to a wired network connection. The streaming computer will require a fast processor, sufficient onboard memory, dedicated graphics hardware with a big and fast cache, and a streaming software such as Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) or VMix, etc.
Just over a year ago, live streaming worship services on the internet was so uncommon that when the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic got fast and furious and lockdowns with no impending end in sight were enforced, churches scrambled to reorganise and took up crash courses on streaming solutions to keep their congregation connected. I had my fair share of phone calls and emails from churches seeking advice and assistance on this. Fast forward a year and practically every church today live streams their weekly worship service via the internet. With most churches onboard, many are now seeking ways to enhance the audio and visuals to be more immersive and engaging to church members following the weekly services on their mobile devices, to emulate an experience of a sanctuary within the smaller confines of their homes. So, what does it take and what exactly is involved? As always, there will be the need for both tech and art components. Let’s start with the tech. Computer And Network Most would expect the first attention to be on the AV system, but the fact is without a proper network and computer system, it will not stream properly regardless of how good your AV is.
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Audio The most basic approach is to feed the stream directly from the FOH main mix. However, the downside is that a live sound mix’s overall balance and tone tend to be unsuitable for broadcast. It also lacks the “live” feel. A better approach would be to take a separate feed from a Mix or Aux bus instead where balance can be independently and better managed. However, it still has limited control on dedicated channel equalization, effects and other forms of signal processing. Ideally, a broadcast mix should be carried out on a second mixer (digital preferred), which would also require an isolated control room equipped with at least a pair of reference studio monitors and headphones. Personal devices like a laptop, mobile phone or TV set for monitoring the stream in real time would be very helpful. Video Devices for shooting video can range from a simple mobile phone, to a DSLR, PTZ camera, camcorder or a professional video camera, where more can be added to produce different viewing angles. With multiple sources, an I/O management device like a video mixer-switcher (or software-based solutions like NDI) is required. A worship service may also be pre-recorded and streamed later. Recording and playback systems, and possibly video editing software will also be required to support delayed streaming. Lastly, before a video can be streamed, a device known as a video capture card is required to convert video signals to digital data that can be uploaded on the internet. APRIL 2021
