Simple Fully Automated worship webcast with Meetinghouse Webcast

[mads2041]

I swapped out the HDMI cables this Sunday and still had the same issue. Some members complained that the lag was several sentences behind. I have posted a screenshot of the settings.

[russellhltn]

I swapped out the HDMI cables this Sunday and still had the same issue. Some members complained that the lag was several sentences behind. I have posted a screenshot of the settings.

The DHCP IP setting has me scratching my head. That seems unusual for a church network.

Are you doing four streams? That might be an issue. That's going to put a significant load on the encoder as well as your upload speed.

[mads2041]

We only have one stream at a time. I think I set it up according to the instructions with the exception of the DCHP. When I had an ip address selected the network did not recognize the encoder. My main issue right now is the audio and video being out of sync and I can not figure out what is causing it to be out of sync.

[garnsb]

The sync issue is with the church player embedded in the webpage. Using developer tools you can get the address to the m3u8 file that describes the stream. Putting that into VLC will result in a stream that stays in sync the whole time, each time. The sync issue is sadly out of our hands...and reconnecting the HDMI will only kill the stream for everyone and is not a fix as the stream is in sync coming from the encoder. However, the church has posted (on the webcast site where events are scheduled) that there will be maintenance on the player this coming week. We can only hope that includes a fix to the sync issues!

I also use DHCP in my J-Tech encoders, but I've specified a static address for the encoders in TM. That way they always get the same address and I can also find the reservation easily if the encoder is off.

[garnsb]

Ok...after a ton of testing, I've solved the sync issues found when using the J-Tech Encoders! The sync issues mostly affected Chromium-based browsers, but it has been observed from time to time on Safari as well. Additionally, with the new static encode URL from the Church, we can all remove a bit of load from the Church's systems by reverting back to the stock firmware (No offense bretep! Your firmware rocked while we needed it!) as we no longer need the auto configuration. Without the auto configuration in bretep's modified firmware, the encoder will still boot quickly, and try about every minute to connect to the "Enabled" URL (as defined below). Once it connects, it streams beautifully! I used this configuration for two 1-hour tests and five Sacrament Meetings yesterday...and it never went out of sync! Here's the steps I recommend taking asap:

1. Download the latest firmware from J-Tech: https://jtechdigital.com/product/jtech-ench4-0220/ (Scroll down and click on "Firmware Upgrade")
   • Extract the zip file and you'll have an up.rar file.
   • If you'd like a custom splash screen when the encoder first begins to stream or when the HDMI is disconnected, follow their link for "Tech Digital JTECH-ENCH4 (JTD-220) H.264 Encoder - How to change the "No Signal" image": https://jtechdigital.com/?p=126976
   • Alternatively, if you'd like their V2.89 firmware with the blue church logo, you can download the up.rar file attached to this post. (I followed their instructions above.)
2. Login to the J-Tech Encoder and upload the firmware:
   1. On the left side, click on "System", then "Upgrade".
   2. Click "Choose file" and find the up.rar file you downloaded to your computer.
   3. Click "Upload", and wait until the status bar shows it has completed the upload.
3. Reboot the encoder:
   • On the left side, under the "System" section, click "Reboot" and then click the "Reboot" button.
4. Configure for the new static URL:
   1. On the left side, click "Encoder", then "Main stream"
   2. Set the following settings:
      • Encoding type: H.264
      • FPS: 30
      • GOP: 15 <-- this will make the encoder create 2 keyframes per second which helps with the audio/video sync
      • Bitrate(kbit): your desired bitrate -- 1536 (1.5Mbps) or 2048 (2Mbps) is sufficient for 1280x720 video
      • Encoded Size: 1280x720 -- if you're using the tiny RCA spycam suggested by bretep in earlier posts
      • H.264 Level: high profile
      • Bitrate control: vbr
      • Disable all URLs and "Multicast IP" except for "RTMP/RTMPS/RTSP PUSH URL".
      • Login to webcast.churchofjesuschrist.org and get the "Encoder URL" for your specific encoder. Paste it in the box for "RTMP/RTMPS/RTSP PUSH URL" and set it to "Enable"
   3. Click "Apply"
5. Configure Audio Settings:
   1. On the left side, click "Encoder", then click "Audio"
   2. Set the following settings:
      • Audio Input: HDMI
      • Sampling rate: 48000 <-- this will also be paramount to keep the video and audio in sync. The default from J-Tech is 44100.
      • Encoder: AAC
      • Audio Channel: If you are only supplying mono to the encoder, set this to match where you're inserting it into the HDMI (L or R) and the encoder will make it stereo. If you are using a mono splitter to feed both L & R into the HDMI, then select "L+R".
      • Bitrate: 96000 - 128000 should be sufficient
      • Digital Volume: 0 is probably sufficient for most cases, but if viewers are having to turn up the volume a lot to hear the webcast, then this number can be increased to help boost the volume in the stream. For example, in a non-Stake Center with a QSC amplifier, I use 30. In the Stake Center with an old Ivie, I use 10. (Good idea to set a value and test with a test event.)
      • G711A Over PTE: Enabled
   3. Click "Apply"
6. Reboot the encoder:
   • On the left side, click "System", then click "Reboot", then click the "Reboot" button.

[rmrichesjr]

...
[*]Configure Audio Settings:

1. On the left side, click "Encoder", then click "Audio"
2. Set the following settings:
   • Audio Input: HDMI
   • Sampling rate: 4800 <-- this will also be paramount to keep the video and audio in sync
     ...

Just to make sure there isn't a typo, should that be 4800 or 48000? on the sampling rate?

[russellhltn]

Additionally, with the new static encode URL from the Church, we can all remove a bit of load from the Church's systems by reverting back to the stock firmware

Is the static URL per encoder, or only per meeting (and only when doing reoccurring meetings)?

[garnsb]

...
[*]Configure Audio Settings:

1. On the left side, click "Encoder", then click "Audio"
2. Set the following settings:
   • Audio Input: HDMI
   • Sampling rate: 4800 <-- this will also be paramount to keep the video and audio in sync
     ...

Just to make sure there isn't a typo, should that be 4800 or 48000? on the sampling rate?

Yes, I corrected it in my post above. Sorry.

[garnsb]

Additionally, with the new static encode URL from the Church, we can all remove a bit of load from the Church's systems by reverting back to the stock firmware

Is the static URL per encoder, or only per meeting (and only when doing reoccurring meetings)?

The static URL is per encoder. On the "webcast.churchofjesuschrist.org" page, there is an "Encoder URLs" button in the top right. This let's you create a URL for each encoder you have in your Stake. That URL should then be set in the respective encoder. Then, when you schedule an event, you select the Encoder URL you wish the event to be tied to...whether a one-time or a reoccurring meeting. When that respective encoder turns on near the window of time when your event was scheduled, it will begin to encode to the URL, which should coincide with the event you scheduled.

The Church does point out, in the huge green notification box that is currently being displayed on the webcast page right after login, that events cannot overlap for the same Encoder URL. That would not work very well.