Tech Forum

Is there an official church-preferred solution for getting church broadcasts (such as the upcoming General Conference in October) into a church building that doesn't have a satellite dish? Due to certain issues our stake center witht he dish won't be available for Stake Conference sessions and we need to show it in a different building.

I see that RKATS mentions a Roku. Is that the preferred method?

I'm just wondering if there's something in particular we should discuss with the FM group.

You may be able to do it over the internet, if you can set up a private wireless network that will only be used for that (to make sure the signal doesn't bog down)...

Yes, I was thinking of internet, but I guess that wasn't in my message. I was wondering if there's a recommended method for doing this?

I know people have suggested disabling wireless and things like that when broadcasting over internet just to make sure the program signal gets priority.

By private wireless network, would we just disconnect the church box and plug in something directly to the internet? (I imagine that might violate a church policy?)

mevans wrote:By private wireless network, would we just disconnect the church box and plug in something directly to the internet? (I imagine that might violate a church policy?)

Let's just say I don't like connecting anything but routers to the "big bad internet". I'd suggest unplugging everything else from the firewall except your viewing device.

mevans wrote:I see that RKATS mentions a Roku. Is that the preferred method?

Many Roku's aren't directly compatible with older video projectors that don't have an HDMI input. For receiving, there's nothing wrong with a loaner notebook or even a clerk PC for that matter (as long as it is well supervised outside the clerk's office). Plug into the projector using a VGA cable and pipe the audio into the chapel's sound system using a crab box and microphone cable.

As far as shutting off all other devices besides the one you are using to receive, that's doable, if you feel the building is marginal on available bandwidth. Who is the ISP and what kind of Internet speeds are you seeing?

Fortunately, we do have a projector with HDMI, so that's not a problem.

The ISP is AT&T (unless it's changed since I last was aware). I don't know what the bandwidth is offhand. The STS is the one normally working with the internet in the buildings, not me. I'll see what I can find out, as the STS also works with us on broadcasts.

Personally, I use a Roku at home for General Conference and it works great, but I don't have 200 other people connected to my internet at the same time.

Mikerowaved wrote:Many Roku's aren't directly compatible with older video projectors that don't have an HDMI input.

Depends on the model. I have one with composite out. I will agree that there are no current models with composite out.

mevans wrote:Personally, I use a Roku at home for General Conference and it works great, but I don't have 200 other people connected to my internet at the same time.

We have used Roku, but we normally use a laptop. We plug it into the direct wired Internet connection at the pulpit. We connect the laptop to the projector and sound to the building system.

In one building, we have a newer HDMI capable projector, so we go HDMI from the laptop to the projector, then take the sound out of the projector to the building system.

Either way, we disconnect the WiFi during the broadcast, just as we would a stake conference broadcast, because our bandwidth is limited.

Mikerowaved wrote:

mevans wrote:I see that RKATS mentions a Roku. Is that the preferred method?

As far as shutting off all other devices besides the one you are using to receive, that's doable, if you feel the building is marginal on available bandwidth. Who is the ISP and what kind of Internet speeds are you seeing?

I finally found out our U-verse bandwidth: 6Mbps. I understand we usually get somewhere between 4 and 6 Mbps. So with this speed, would it be good to kill wireless to run general conference?

mevans wrote:I finally found out our U-verse bandwidth: 6Mbps. I understand we usually get somewhere between 4 and 6 Mbps. So with this speed, would it be good to kill wireless to run general conference?

Yes.

Stake conference = large gathering of people. All it takes is for a few to do something that takes up all the bandwidth and your video will burp.