For many churches, live video streaming has gone from a vague concept to a pressing reality almost overnight. What was once a passing interest has become required knowledge, but how do you know which information to trust?
From the beginning, Sweetwater has proudly helped churches and worship ministries make the most of modern media technology in order to best reach their entire congregations. In the past, that meant offering quality optical media burners and duplicators — first as audio-only CDs and then as DVDs. With the passing of physical media as a content distribution system, online platforms are today’s media players. In light of recent developments, creating a livestream of your worship services is now as essential as learning the set list and preparing the sermon.
What Is Livestreaming (and Why Should You Care)?
At its simplest, livestreaming is a method of broadcasting video and audio over the Internet. This medium allows viewers to tune in to your services from devices ranging from their computer or tablet to their phone. The freedom livestreaming provides is the ability to broadcast your events with impact and immediacy, as it allows you to reach members now, with no need to record, edit, print, or distribute materials. And members can listen to your content on the go from anywhere in the world if they have internet access.
There are additional bonuses to livestreaming. For starters, few livestreaming services only provide real-time streaming. Virtually all of them also allow you to store and distribute your material well after broadcasting, completely eliminating the need for recording or printing physical media. There is a host of modestly priced commercial livestreaming services and free options such as YouTube Live and Facebook, as well.
What Do You Need to Start Livestreaming?
Depending on how elaborate you want to get with your setup, livestreaming can be as simple as hooking up a single camera to your computer; or it can be an elaborate process requiring a considerable amount of specialty equipment. Sweetwater recommends a middle ground, which typically consists of two or three cameras, a video mixer, a reliable computer, and a livestreaming service that fits your needs. There are also audio considerations that we’ll cover, as well.
Getting quality video
Depending on the size of your space, the distance you need to cover, and how sophisticated you want to get with your system, the actual cameras you choose will vary considerably. While a single camera can capture a service, viewership interest and engagement are greatly enhanced by the use of two or more cameras, each with a different angle or perspective. As with real estate, location is critical to capturing a successful video image. If the primary video camera is located at the back of the room, then it will probably need to be zoomed in considerably to deliver a tight image of the worship team and the speaking pastor. While most cameras can provide this zoom range, the issue is image stability, as any small vibration is multiplied by the lens extension. A sturdy tripod is vital to creating a stable image, and the flooring underneath the tripod should be solid as well to eliminate any transferred movement.
The second camera can be located near the platform to capture another view of the proceedings, while a third may be trained on the congregation for reaction shots. A professional or semiprofessional (prosumer) camera will provide HD resolution, but you’ll want to make sure whatever encoding and connections they use are supported by your mixer. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) outputs are common and may include mini-HDMI ports on smaller cameras; but HDMI is meant for short runs, typically 25′ or less. For longer runs, you can convert the signal using HDBaseT, or similar protocol, to accommodate lengths of 100′ or more. Another option, in more complex environments, is to upgrade the HDMI signal to HD-SDI (Serial Digital Interface) or NDI (Network Device Interface) using Ethernet, coax, or fiber-optic cabling.
Prioritize the audio feed
Nothing makes good video more intolerable than poor audio; and when it comes to getting the message out, being able to hear the words clearly is absolutely critical. The right microphones positioned correctly can make all the difference in the world. There are two basic directions you can go with audio: taking an auxiliary feed from the mixing board or using an all-in-one video mixer.
1) Using an auxiliary send
If you’re taking a feed from the console, think about what signals are going to the house mix. Usually, the quieter sources such as vocals and keys are heavy in the mix, while naturally louder sources such as drums and electric guitars are lighter to balance the sound in the room. If you simply stream the main mix from the board, you are creating a mix minus the room. For those present in the sanctuary, it will sound excellent; but for those watching online, the mix will be out of balance, with strong vocals, no audience response, and little rhythm support. Instead of sending the main mix to the stream, start by setting up two condenser mics to capture the congregation and route them only to the stream output derived from a dedicated post-fade auxiliary output. Then, build a mix for the stream by listening on headphones to the aux output, and dial in a balanced setting with clear but not overpowering vocals, significant rhythm, and just enough audience signal to make it feel alive. If possible, add a compressor to the main broadcast mix to keep levels in check.
2) Using an all-in-one video mixer
While a simple video switcher designed to sharply cut from one source to another is a possibility, you’ll find yourself better served with a full video mixer. Video mixers, like their audio counterparts, allow you to blend and fade between sources and to deliver a smooth image to the viewer. The Roland video mixers Sweetwater carries are among the more flexible options on the market. Some include scaling inputs to make it easier to integrate standard-definition sources, and they all accommodate both live projection and streaming. Best of all, they can combine video cameras, video sources, and multichannel audio into a single unit.
Video mixers such as the Roland models we carry also typically include USB connections specifically intended for streaming and recording. In a church setting — where it can be a challenge to find a volunteer who’s technically savvy enough for audio or video — an all-in-one mixer that can also handle streaming to your computer is the safest choice you can make.
What to look for in a video mixer
- Number and type of video camera inputs
- USB and additional video inputs for slide shows (lyrics) and other sources
- USB for recording and streaming
- Audio I/O for mixing and sound reinforcement
- Additional video processing such as transitions and effects
Streaming platforms
Once you have the hardware side covered, it’s just a matter of finding the right streaming service. There are plenty of great options out there, and some of the more popular names in livestreaming — including Dacast, IBM Cloud Video, Live stream, and Wowza — are all considered standards. Finding the right streaming to fit your budget and needs requires some insight, but it’s not as difficult as it was a few years back before the industry matured. Free services, such as YouTube Live or Facebook, won’t offer you as much control of your content as will a commercial service, but they can be a good place to start. Pay-platform pricing ranges from $20 to $100 per month for entry-level service, with the average being around $50 per month. The increased performance and reliability of paid service providers are well worth the expense in terms of the uptime and improved signal quality they deliver.
Now that streaming has gone mainstream, it is important for your church to prepare for this new reality with the knowledge that you are doing the right thing the right way. Sweetwater Sales Engineers are ready to help you get your church services online quickly, efficiently, and with an eye toward creating eternal impact. Give us a call today at (800) 222-4700 .
IMPORTANT! You may need to check your church’s license agreements to ensure you are compliant with them for livestreaming music content. Learn more at https://us.ccli.com.