New tech in for stake conference

[johnshaw]

Yeah, I love how Stakes and Wards are successful in so many areas based on personalities rather than requirements or policies.

[jrwagz]

rl_albright, I'm curious to know more about how you got the feed from Wirecast to the remote buildings. And did you use the Studio or Pro version of Wirecast?

I've been wanting to improve our broadcast system for awhile and it looks like you have figured out a lot of the things I'd like to do!

[rl_albright]

rl_albright, I'm curious to know more about how you got the feed from Wirecast to the remote buildings. And did you use the Studio or Pro version of Wirecast?

I've been wanting to improve our broadcast system for awhile and it looks like you have figured out a lot of the things I'd like to do!

JRwagz:

Well I am still in the process of the overhaul of the old Ham radio loft at the stake center, converting it over to a fully functional control center. I will post a few pictures to wet your palette. So how we are doing things is as follows:

He have a dedicated system that is running a 4.0Ghz quad core with 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 2GB video card that is running 3 monitors, and a Magewell XI006-PCIE capture card. That is the hardware side of the computer, whatever is fed to the 3rd monitor is what is fed out to the rest of the building. The 3rd monitor on the computer system is fed into a Video splitter, that splits the feed to 2 devices (one is the monitor, the other is a 2x1 VGA balun transmitter) that transmitter has an "output" VGA which then plugs into a ZV180 digital modulator box which is fed into the in-house TV channel system within the building. The balun then feeds out to 2 receivers, one in the cultural hall for a ceiling mounted projector (which is removable when not in use) and another into an automatic VGA switching device in the chapel. The automatic VGA switching device has as its primary source a VGA balun set that goes from the stake clerk's desk (behind the sacrament table) to the pulpit, this allows a speaker to utilize a projector when needed but not have to have their laptop right next to the pulpit.

For video inputs, the Magewell XI006 capture card allows 6 composite inputs at 30 FPS, the inputs that we are utilizing are as follows:
Input 1: Sony EVI-D70 (Main speaker)
Input 2: Sony EVI-D30 (ASL Interpreter)
Input 3: Chapel camera input at rear of chapel (not used regularly, but available if needed)
Input 4: Satellite English Video stream
Input 5: Satellite ASL Video stream
Input 6: Control room DVD Player
We capture the satellite video streams for those special stake conferences that are broadcast out of SLC where we open the meeting and then turn it over to SLC.

For audio, I am running a dedicated audio system with its own mixer straight into the AV control room loft. 6 XLR inputs will be permanently installed in the chapel (still working on this bit), with 2 inputs on either side of the organ subwoofer surround and 2 inputs located inside the pulpit cabinet. (I am going big on this with the number of inputs as 10 years from now, we may need more inputs, but for right now at any given stake conference only 3-4 are currently used: Pulpit, Wireless mic, 2x choir microphones). These XLR audio lines are then fed back directly to a Yamaha mixer located in the control room loft, which also ties the video processing computer into it as well, which then has its output fed into an A/B switch off of the satellite receiver. This cable then goes back to the in-house audio cabinet and into input 5 of the Ivie 884+ Matrix audio switcher for the building. (Input 5 is designated for the satellite feed, and utilizing the A/B switch allows for the leadership to turn on standard satellite audio and it will feed through the 70V overhead speakers as before, but with one flip of a switch in the control room, the feed is then coming from the mixer.

We are utilizing the Studio version of Wirecast 5.0 (as I was able to procure that through a previous job and received a personal license for it, which I then transferred to the stake). For simple one way communication out from the stake center to our outlying buildings I am utilizing the Meetinghouse Webcasting software, and in the remote buildings we have high councilor provided laptops which stream the broadcast from the laptop to the projector and audio is fed into the crab box into their sound system.

I have been asked about the feasibility of doing 2-way audio/video during larger meetings (stake conference/trainings, etc), and I am attempting to do this. (I say attempting as I have not finished installing all of the equipment yet, so have been unable to fully test this out. However it was worked fairly well within my own home in a test environment.) My plans for accomplishing this is through the PVC software. I would have wirecast fed into Vidyo, and then through the control room interface I could mute/unmute video feeds from the other buildings. (This would be done at the remote sides through a $100 webcam and a descent laptop in each of the remote buildings). This should allow us to hold larger stake conferences (as we are nearing or may be over capacity in our current building during stake conference) and will allow us to have speakers in the other buildings.

My first dry run of everything is currently set for the first week of August, as the stake president would like to hold a meeting with the 2-way audio/video (if possible) on September 7. So most of my spare time is currently spent at this stake center, running cables and setting this equipment up.

The reason I was able to get this approved is for multi-stake use. When a neighboring stake needs to do a broadcast of some kind, they could travel to our stake center and everything would be ready to go, rather than having them spend a lot of time and money renting equipment and setting it up within their own buildings.

And my FM group has been kept in the loop the ENTIRE time. (In case any of you whose eyes have glazed over.)

I have been pretty busy with this, but I am having a lot of fun working with it.

IMG_20140627_140244.jpg

wall plate at pulpit for VGA output, network connectivity and satellite AV output

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IMG_20140627_140313.jpg

wall plate at the stake clerk's desk with VGA input and network connectivity.

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IMG_20140609_101248.jpg

Older photo showing the beginnings of the AV control room loft. (taken on 6/09, but a lot has changed since this photo was taken.)

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[russellhltn]

My first dry run of everything is currently set for the first week of August, as the stake president would like to hold a meeting with the 2-way audio/video (if possible) on September 7. So most of my spare time is currently spent at this stake center, running cables and setting this equipment up.

The reason I was able to get this approved is for multi-stake use. When a neighboring stake needs to do a broadcast of some kind, they could travel to our stake center and everything would be ready to go, rather than having them spend a lot of time and money renting equipment and setting it up within their own buildings.

How are your leaders interpreting Handbook 2: 21.2.10? Or do you have connections to allow you to broadcast from rooms other than the chapel?

[rl_albright]

My first dry run of everything is currently set for the first week of August, as the stake president would like to hold a meeting with the 2-way audio/video (if possible) on September 7. So most of my spare time is currently spent at this stake center, running cables and setting this equipment up.

The reason I was able to get this approved is for multi-stake use. When a neighboring stake needs to do a broadcast of some kind, they could travel to our stake center and everything would be ready to go, rather than having them spend a lot of time and money renting equipment and setting it up within their own buildings.

How are your leaders interpreting Handbook 2: 21.2.10? Or do you have connections to allow you to broadcast from rooms other than the chapel?

Please refer to the exception to this policy 18.3.1, which is for stake conferences. This is what the system is primarily designed for. However last year a neighboring stake held a 33 stake welfare broadcast where they had to rent a lot of equipment to make this work, this system is designed for those meetings as well. This system does not interfere with standard church services and absolutely no broadcasting of normal church services or priesthood ordinances is being (or will be) done.

The only room that is being broadcast from is the chapel. That is where the cameras are located. Broadcasting into other rooms in the building is handled by the in house cable system.

The 2-way audio/video is for between buildings within their chapels only, and within the stake only.

Does this answer the question?

[russellhltn]

Please refer to the exception to this policy 18.3.1, which is for stake conferences.

Correct. But it sounded like you had other meetings in mind.

This is what the system is primarily designed for. However last year a neighboring stake held a 33 stake welfare broadcast where they had to rent a lot of equipment to make this work, this system is designed for those meetings as well.

A "welfare broadcast" doesn't sound like it fits the exception, but does sound like fits a unwritten "approved by a general authority" exception.

[lajackson]

A "welfare broadcast" doesn't sound like it fits the exception, but does sound like fits a unwritten "approved by a general authority" exception.

Neither would a multi-regional priesthood leadership meeting broadcast, or a broadcast of general auxiliary training for multiple regions. But we do them all the time. With permission.

[russellhltn]

Neither would a multi-regional priesthood leadership meeting broadcast, or a broadcast of general auxiliary training for multiple regions. But we do them all the time. With permission.

Personally, I think an important point here is that it's coming from someone higher than a stake president. At minimum, the area authorities are aware of it.

[rl_albright]

Neither would a multi-regional priesthood leadership meeting broadcast, or a broadcast of general auxiliary training for multiple regions. But we do them all the time. With permission.

Personally, I think an important point here is that it's coming from someone higher than a stake president. At minimum, the area authorities are aware of it.

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe there was an Area Authority present at this welfare broadcast. And it was more of a training than anything else (I was only present for the latter half of the broadcast, as I had other things to take care of.)

[lajackson]

"With permission" might also be read, "At the request of the presiding general authority or area seventy".