Reliable broadcasting for Stake Conference - how to

[bcourtenaya]

Attached is a minor update that references OBS software and HDMI over Coax.

[randysteck]

Your white paper should not include the cost of the vidiu since that is now provided by FM - There is no cost to the Stake for it.... that might just be old from the paper.

I've never had an issue with stake conference webcasting, the old system, the new system. I just don't get all the fuss.

We were compelled to take additional steps on webcasts when it became clear that the experience remote viewers had for our conferences were far less than optimal. SD resolution is demonstrably horrible on a 10 foot screen. Dropouts on video or audio break the thread of the conference. We were seeing less attendance at conference and one of the reasons was the terrible remote quality.

We decided that minimum quality was 1080P video, no distractions from freezes, dropouts, stutter, "tin can" audio, etc., and effectively an experience that was as close to being in the stake center as possible. That led us to the system I've described elsewhere in detail many times.

At the end, this is all about quality, and in our case the highest quality at the lowest possible cost. We're very pleased with the system in place and it's become a non-issue with increased stake conference attendance at remote locations.

[dpavid]

Thanks for the white paper. We're in the same boat now. SP has asked us to broadcast stake conference to other meetinghouses as attendance has exceeded the capacity of the stake center. Our plan is to stream to YT live. We got that down. At the meetinghouses, has anyone tried to use a Roku, Firestick, etc. logged in to your YT channel to watch the private livestream? Just wondering if this option works and if so, is it just as reliable as a laptop as mentioned in the whitepaper. Less and smaller devices to do the same thing.

Next cameras. DSLR is out for us. Too much latency for live. What IP cameras are you using? Anyone using PTZ, NDI, or other cameras?

For audio, I assume everyone is grabbing audio from in house system by splitting audio from mic or pulling for audio rack. How are you sending it to your system? Wireless, long cable runs, etc.

Anyone going over the top and doing multi-camera, DSKs, pre and post stake conference footage?

Last, did your stake or FM group purchase all the gear or are you guys using your own equipment?

Thanks in advance!

[johnshaw]

Your white paper should not include the cost of the vidiu since that is now provided by FM - There is no cost to the Stake for it.... that might just be old from the paper.

I've never had an issue with stake conference webcasting, the old system, the new system. I just don't get all the fuss.

We were compelled to take additional steps on webcasts when it became clear that the experience remote viewers had for our conferences were far less than optimal. SD resolution is demonstrably horrible on a 10 foot screen. Dropouts on video or audio break the thread of the conference. We were seeing less attendance at conference and one of the reasons was the terrible remote quality.

We decided that minimum quality was 1080P video, no distractions from freezes, dropouts, stutter, "tin can" audio, etc., and effectively an experience that was as close to being in the stake center as possible. That led us to the system I've described elsewhere in detail many times.

At the end, this is all about quality, and in our case the highest quality at the lowest possible cost. We're very pleased with the system in place and it's become a non-issue with increased stake conference attendance at remote locations.

Randy, I'd love to see those numbers, if you have it broken out by meetinghouse and how many wards in each building, etc.. When we first moved from everyone coming to the stake center (or having to rent a location large enough) to webcasting, our stake saw 8-10% higher attendance, it was fairly equalized by meetinghouse, and wasn't different whether it was a building for 1 ward or a building with 3 wards, each situation fell in that same %.

But if you have the data that shows the increase in attendance from SD to 1080p I'd be happily surprised. I'm just not sure that people are any more excited sitting in the cultural hall looking at a screen at 1080p than they were at SD. But I would love to be pleasantly surprised.

[drepouille]

30-40 years ago, I enjoyed listening to General Conference in the chapel over a dial-in phone line. I probably paid more attention to the talks back then than I do now, watching in 4K in my living room. Maybe that's because I tend to nod off more quickly now...

[russellhltn]

But if you have the data that shows the increase in attendance from SD to 1080p I'd be happily surprised.

I note that he was talking about not just SD to 1080, but also making sure it's smooth. That part seems like it would have more impact.

[derrickfulkerson]

Hi, do you have any recommendations for HDMI Switches for switching between a camera feed and say a laptop (for PowerPoint)? We have had issues both in streaming and even with local in building setups. The Teradek will usually drop the stream once you try to "switch" sources for example.

I know that a Video Mixer would have a smooth enough transition as to avoid these issues but video mixers are expensive. I was looking at so-called "fast switches" and "seamless switches" but I am skeptical that they will get the job done.

I was looking at something like this, for example: https://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digital-M ... 07MTRGFPT/

[shawnellis]

Great article post explaining in detail how to set up live broadcasting. Wirecast is definitely one of the top live broadcasting software options out there. There are also some other good live streaming software options such as vMix and OBS. OBS is the best free streaming software I've found. You can find a good comparision of these streaming software options at https://www.lightcast.com/best-live-bro ... -software/

[Mikerowaved]

[Moderator note: Normally we don't allow self-promoting links, but Shawn's article comparing the 3 major players in software video webcasting was well written and could be useful to members of the forum.]

[jerrywinters]

Take a look at the new Blackmagic Design Atem Mini. $300 gives you 4 hdmi inputs and a host of great features such as lower thirds. It converts all input resolutions for you. Used it for our Conference in Feb 2020 and worked flawlessly.

Hi, do you have any recommendations for HDMI Switches for switching between a camera feed and say a laptop (for PowerPoint)? We have had issues both in streaming and even with local in building setups. The Teradek will usually drop the stream once you try to "switch" sources for example.

I know that a Video Mixer would have a smooth enough transition as to avoid these issues but video mixers are expensive. I was looking at so-called "fast switches" and "seamless switches" but I am skeptical that they will get the job done.

I was looking at something like this, for example: https://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digital-M ... 07MTRGFPT/