Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

Discussions around receiving, originating, and holding Church broadcasts and conferences in meetinghouses including schedules, setup, equipment, and support.
danpass
Senior Member
Posts: 514
Joined: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:38 pm
Location: Oregon City, OR
Contact:

Re: Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

#31

Post by danpass »

russellhltn wrote:
mawhiteley wrote:No, there is a single rj45 jack in the a/v closet. The uplink port on the switch is wired into this jack.
Color me confused. How is the uplink port different than a normal port on the switch?
Network hubs often had uplink ports as well as older switches.
russellhltn
Community Administrator
Posts: 34417
Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:53 pm
Location: U.S.

Re: Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

#32

Post by russellhltn »

danpass wrote:Network hubs often had uplink ports as well as older switches.
Ok, I think that photo shows a switchable port that can go between "normal" and "crossover".

In some switches, the uplink can be a special port's designed to talk switch-to-switch, using different protocols and stuff (not just a crossover). I was trying to figure out why that port would be connected to the front of the AV rack. Especially since it still needs to connect to something "upstream" to connect to the internet.) If it's just a selectable cross-over, then I can understand it.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
harddrive
Senior Member
Posts: 501
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 7:52 pm

Re: Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

#33

Post by harddrive »

Well there could be packet loss, because of a bad cable or port on the switch. You said it worked fine other places, so you have narrowed it down to the stake center.

In my line of work, I have seen splash screens come up and the. It does because of a host of things. DHCP is a connectionless protocol and will generally work, but connecting to a web interface is connection based. So if the packers are malformed or being transmitted then there is a network issue.

I had a WAP that was telling me that it had an ethernet issue, so I changed the port on the switch, which btw us a Netgear 16 port switch with POE and when I changed the port, i haven't has an issue with it.

So replace the switch with a known good one and try again.
bcourtenaya
New Member
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2013 6:13 pm

Re: Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

#34

Post by bcourtenaya »

A better solution than the Teredek is Wirecast software. It is far more capable and easier to monitor and control what is going on. Take a look at the white paper I just posted (9 Nov 2018) https://tech.lds.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=146&t=32747
-- Bruce Anderson
randysteck
Member
Posts: 52
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2015 3:45 am

Re: Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

#35

Post by randysteck »

There are a group of us that have recommended against using the Vidiu boxes in any case. We have found PC-based mixing/encoding systems much more reliable. Running Wirecast, vMix, or OBS (free) allows not only video and audio mixing and synchronization, but allows an intelligent streaming source also. This then opens up the possibility of using a variety of different cameras (clean HDMI, encoded IP cameras, etc.) and can stream easily to either the church system or an external webcast provider without fiddling with control interfaces. It also allows audio mixing and much better control over output levels.

Yes, it costs something, but it's much less prone to failure and avoids the really uncomfortable situation where hundreds of people are stranded waiting for the webcast to come back. Since we went this way 3-4 years ago we have increased reliability and quality to the remote locations and attendance at conference has increased.
bcourtenaya
New Member
Posts: 15
Joined: Sun Jan 27, 2013 6:13 pm

Re: Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

#36

Post by bcourtenaya »

Reliability is the name of the game. The Vidiu box is something I have only used as a backup streaming device. Computer-based is far more capable. I don't understand why Wirecast was removed from the distribution center web store. I have heard of numerous stakes having issues with the Vidiu boxes.
-- Bruce Anderson
mawhiteley
New Member
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:46 pm

Re: Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

#37

Post by mawhiteley »

I've been reminded to post an update to our Vidiu woes. Sorry I haven't.

I'm still against using the boxes, and would recommend an alternative whenever possible. Otherwise, I have found *some* success by sticking to these guidelines:

1) DO NOT let the firmware update beyond 2.7 2.4.7!! At least for the router in our old stake center, there's a fundamental problem where access to the vidiu user configuration through the web interface is completely broken.

2) Manually configure the router's DHCP server to reserve IP addresses for each vidiu tied to its MAC.

Under these conditions, we were able to stream a low-resolution video broadcast without dropping throughout the ~2 hr stake conference.

Hope this helps.
Last edited by russellhltn on Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: User supplied correction
mawhiteley
New Member
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:46 pm

Re: Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

#38

Post by mawhiteley »

bcourtenaya wrote:Take a look at the white paper I just posted (9 Nov 2018) https://tech.lds.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=146&t=32747
Big thanks!! This write up is much appreciated.

Though disappointing you had to produce it on your own time as a service. While we have *paid*, so called professionals, working for the church, who can't provide a reliable streaming service, nor alternative solutions like yours. :roll:
mawhiteley
New Member
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:46 pm

Re: Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

#39

Post by mawhiteley »

mawhiteley wrote:1) DO NOT let the firmware update beyond 2.7!!
Since there doesn't appear to be a post edit button on this form, here is a correction: firmware 2.4.7.
russellhltn
Community Administrator
Posts: 34417
Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:53 pm
Location: U.S.

Re: Ready to smash the Teradek Vidiu; alternatives?

#40

Post by russellhltn »

mawhiteley wrote:Since there doesn't appear to be a post edit button on this form, here is a correction: firmware 2.4.7.
Edit it only good for a few hours. But, so as not to mislead anyone, I went back and changed it.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
Post Reply

Return to “Broadcasts and Conferences”