Webcast to multiple rooms in a building

barkeraj · #1

I'll soon be doing my first webcast. The building it is going to will have three units in it, and so will be very packed. We would like to have TV's setup in additional rooms (RS, Primary, etc) so we have more space for people.

The building does not have any Video ports (coax, composite) in any rooms.

My question is, what are my options for getting video into these additional rooms? The easiest solution is to have a laptop in each room receiving the broadcast as well, but that will heavily tax the internet connection and reduce the quality for all connections.

I would think that doing a screen sharing option would be good (having only one machine actually receiving the feed) but then what would be a good way to share to multiple machines that would stay on the internal network. I do have two mac laptops and machines, so could do the built in screen sharing. Just wondering if there are better options out there.

#2

BarkerAJ wrote:My question is, what are my options for getting video into these additional rooms? The easiest solution is to have a laptop in each room receiving the broadcast as well, but that will heavily tax the internet connection and reduce the quality for all connections.

Even if you have enough internet bandwidth, the laptops will not stay in sync. This may be okay if the rooms are individual and separated from each other, visually and aurally. At least until the intermediate hymn.

I wish I had an answer and not just more of the problem. We would like to do the same simply to show the broadcast in both the chapel and the cultural hall at the same time. We can use the chapel laptop to feed building sound for both, but cannot sync up the video. So the chapel stays just fine but the cultural hall video gets interesting.

harddrive · #3

This is interesting. There is one potential solution, but it is ugly. I assume that the laptop will have VGA out port. What you can purchase is VGA to composite converter. This will allow you to show the screen on a TV. You will also need a plug that will split the sound into two lines. Then you will need to get 2 Composite video and stereo balum. Then you will need to get a Cat5e cable to run from where the laptop is to the room you want to put the first TV in. Then I would say run it into the VCR in and there is the first TV. Then use the video out for the next room. You will have to use the coax cable from the VCR to the TV.

You continue to "daisy" chain this until you get all the rooms done, but if you have the bandwidth at the building, the multiple laptops would be good. One other thing that you can look at using, if possible, is personal video conferencing. It doesn't use as much bandwidth and it works just fine.

russellhltn · #4

harddrive wrote:Then I would say run it into the VCR in and there is the first TV. Then use the video out for the next room. You will have to use the coax cable from the VCR to the TV.

If it's a TV that's fine. But all the projectors I've seen can't accept a RF input. You'd have to use the video out for the projector and send the RF to the next room.

harddrive wrote:You continue to "daisy" chain this until you get all the rooms done, but if you have the bandwidth at the building, the multiple laptops would be good.

Only if the associated screens are out of sight of each other (such as separate rooms), as they will not likely be in sync. Especially toward the end of the broadcast.

barkeraj · #5

As of now it would be going to TV's as I don't know where I'd get more projectors and screens. I would likely need to get some VGA to composite adapters or something. They would be in different rooms, so out of sight of each other.

johnshaw · #6

I'm not sure the situation you are in, but if this will be an ongoing requirement, think about the long haul. Invest some money for an item that might take VGA input or a computer with an RCA output --> engage FMG to make some kind of permanent or semi-permanent (hide in a drop down ceiling until needed, etc...) cabling installs to the different rooms. You'll probably need some cable amplifiers that are powered as well. If your building has an attic it might not be that hard to get done in a short time frame. I just think trying to manage multiple web feeds would be harder than a single feed that is distributed through the building.

barkeraj · #7

This is a 6-7 yr old building in Utah County. We missed all the fancy AV upgrades by a year. Our High Councilor over FM has talked with the FM group and they have stated they aren't able (or allowed, or won't... not positive which) to drop AV stuff into those rooms. Not sure of the reasons, I was just told it wasn't happening so am looking to figure out something else.

Yes it will be an ongoing requirement as our stake is too big to fit in our stake center

I just think trying to manage multiple web feeds would be harder than a single feed that is distributed through the building.

I wholeheartedly agree. Not looking forward to it.

harddrive · #8

BarkerAJ wrote:As of now it would be going to TV's as I don't know where I'd get more projectors and screens. I would likely need to get some VGA to composite adapters or something. They would be in different rooms, so out of sight of each other.

The VGA to Composite Adapters that you gave here won't work. I have tried it. The signaling is different. You need to get what I showed you for it to work correctly. Don't waste time or money on this because it doesn't work.

johnshaw · #9

BarkerAJ wrote:This is a 6-7 yr old building in Utah County. We missed all the fancy AV upgrades by a year. Our High Councilor over FM has talked with the FM group and they have stated they aren't able (or allowed, or won't... not positive which) to drop AV stuff into those rooms. Not sure of the reasons, I was just told it wasn't happening so am looking to figure out something else.

Hearing this is a large disappointment, though it echos my own experiences.

barkeraj · #10

harddrive wrote:The VGA to Composite Adapters that you gave here won't work. I have tried it. The signaling is different. You need to get what I showed you for it to work correctly. Don't waste time or money on this because it doesn't work.

Can you be more specific? You said VGA to Composite Converter in your previous post so figured Adapter was along the same lines. Does it need to be more something along these lines?