Multiple viewing locations for Web Broadcast in Remote Build
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 12:12 am
This is a long post, with a simple question: For Stake Conference, the Stake President wants to have video in both the Chapel and the RS rooms of the remote buildings.
How do we get the video from the computer in the chapel to the RS Room?
Background
The Remote buildings are not wired with Coax. And, the only network drops are in the chapel, and the 3 Clerk offices. (The FM group has proven singularly reluctant to put a network drop in the RS or any other room. Nor do they have any interest in adding Coax anywhere). The distance from the podium to the RS room is over 275'. Audio from the chapel does work in the RS room, so this is a search for a video solution.
We have 1 feed coming into the building. And there is not enough bandwidth to have multiple feeds for multiple PC's. So, we have 1 feed going to one computer in the chapel.
Alternatives We Considered
* Wireless signals in the building do not propagate very well. If we were to try to use Wireless, we would need to have an access point somewhere about half-way down the hallway. And to get that access point to work we would have to string a 150' (not 275') cable down the hall to connect the access point. And, Wireless doesn't really help us, since it is not the Ethernet signal we are trying to propagate. It is the video signal
* 275' is too long a run for VGA. We are currently a VGA splitter from the PC. One leg goes to the chapel projector. The other leg runs into a converter that converts VGA to a signal that will ride on an Ethernet CAT5 cable. (I tried running the signal through normal networking equipment, and the signal does not travel. At the other end of the cable is the recipient converter box, and from there, VGA to the TV. They work like champs.
* I considered sending HDMI rather than VGA. HDMI has a much more limited distance, but the same company that makes the VGA extenders also makes HDMI extenders. The problem is that we have no easy way to get HDMI out of the clerk PC's. We could have purchased HDMI Video cards for the PC's but thought that looked too much like video gaming equipment...
* The only way I could see to have multiple PC's receiving the broadcast was to have a server set up in each building that would receive the stream. The Server would cache the stream to its hard drive. Then, using some software, it would serve the cached stream to multiple PC's. We still need signal in the RS room -- which means an access point somewhere near the RS room; or use Powerline Networking boxes. This alternative requires a server; PC's at each display location; Powerline networking to support all of the locations; software, and some reasonably non-trivial setup, configuration, and management. Probably not worth the effort for the twice-yearly broadcast.
Does anyone one have any other suggestions of what we might do? It is a non-trivial trip hazard to have 275' of cable running down the main hall of the church, even if covered with Gaffer tape.
How do we get the video from the computer in the chapel to the RS Room?
Background
The Remote buildings are not wired with Coax. And, the only network drops are in the chapel, and the 3 Clerk offices. (The FM group has proven singularly reluctant to put a network drop in the RS or any other room. Nor do they have any interest in adding Coax anywhere). The distance from the podium to the RS room is over 275'. Audio from the chapel does work in the RS room, so this is a search for a video solution.
We have 1 feed coming into the building. And there is not enough bandwidth to have multiple feeds for multiple PC's. So, we have 1 feed going to one computer in the chapel.
Alternatives We Considered
* Wireless signals in the building do not propagate very well. If we were to try to use Wireless, we would need to have an access point somewhere about half-way down the hallway. And to get that access point to work we would have to string a 150' (not 275') cable down the hall to connect the access point. And, Wireless doesn't really help us, since it is not the Ethernet signal we are trying to propagate. It is the video signal
* 275' is too long a run for VGA. We are currently a VGA splitter from the PC. One leg goes to the chapel projector. The other leg runs into a converter that converts VGA to a signal that will ride on an Ethernet CAT5 cable. (I tried running the signal through normal networking equipment, and the signal does not travel. At the other end of the cable is the recipient converter box, and from there, VGA to the TV. They work like champs.
* I considered sending HDMI rather than VGA. HDMI has a much more limited distance, but the same company that makes the VGA extenders also makes HDMI extenders. The problem is that we have no easy way to get HDMI out of the clerk PC's. We could have purchased HDMI Video cards for the PC's but thought that looked too much like video gaming equipment...
* The only way I could see to have multiple PC's receiving the broadcast was to have a server set up in each building that would receive the stream. The Server would cache the stream to its hard drive. Then, using some software, it would serve the cached stream to multiple PC's. We still need signal in the RS room -- which means an access point somewhere near the RS room; or use Powerline Networking boxes. This alternative requires a server; PC's at each display location; Powerline networking to support all of the locations; software, and some reasonably non-trivial setup, configuration, and management. Probably not worth the effort for the twice-yearly broadcast.
Does anyone one have any other suggestions of what we might do? It is a non-trivial trip hazard to have 275' of cable running down the main hall of the church, even if covered with Gaffer tape.