Webcast end of life question.

Discussions around receiving, originating, and holding Church broadcasts and conferences in meetinghouses including schedules, setup, equipment, and support.
Wattsuk
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Re: Webcast end of life question.

#31

Post by Wattsuk »

I may have to do some digging through those threads to see how attendance has been captured.

Zoom webinar and church webcast do this very well. We can capture the names and submit the exact attendance.
We could estimate the attendance from the YouTube viewer numbers but it's not the same.

I know a Google form or similar can be used as a 'gateway' to the YouTube video link but it's hardly an elegant solution.

Hmmmmm
russellhltn
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Re: Webcast end of life question.

#32

Post by russellhltn »

RR_GraphixGuy wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 8:35 am The other two wards that meet in our building have since discontinued webcasting altogether (no need, apparently), but we have been successfully going on YouTube for several months now.
Great point. I'd hope that by July 2022, all pandemic restrictions would be dropped. The only regular webcasting that would continue will be those in support of General Handbook 29.7 which "are not meant for the convenience of those who could reasonably attend in person."

While many wards do have such needs, others do not. Of those that do continue to stream, I'm sure there will be a movement to simplicity and sustainability. More elaborate setups such as multiple cameras will be questionable as the audience is reduced to a handful of members.

As for stake conference, webcasting was originally intended to support remote meetinghouses and maybe a few shut-ins. Only those with inadequate facilities to host the entire stake in their buildings in one sitting would be pushing Zoom's 500 connection webinar limit.
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brad_p
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Re: Webcast end of life question.

#33

Post by brad_p »

BEWilson wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 12:14 pm It would be great if the Church Webcast Department could post some simple instructions for options. We have old analog systems in our Stake Center and it isn't so easy to capture audio and video from the mounted camera into a computer to send out to Zoom. I am not an AV expert by any means and could use the guidance.
For those who have an existing hardware AV setup in place, and they want minimal changes, I'd recommend YouTube + OBS.

YouTube is a near direct replacement for the church's broadcasting system. You just have to learn how to schedule a broadcast, turn off comments, likes, and DVR, then get the RTMP address and key.

OBS is a software equivalent of what the Teredek does. The Teredek hardware box takes 1 audio source and 1 video source, mixes them together, then sends it out to a broadcaster via RTMP. OBS lets you take any number of audio sources and any number of video sources, mix them together, and send it out to a broadcaster via RTMP (and a variety of output options).

The biggest changes here are

1) Learning new systems. Any new system is frustrating at first and takes a few hours.
2) Using YouTube means your URLs are going to change each week, so you need a way to distribute that. (We just have our own webpage like how the church broadcasting system had a webpage.)
3) Your "roll" system is just a max number of viewers.
4) OBS isn't automatic like the Teredek. You likely want a laptop that can accept HDMI input (requires buying an HDMI to USB adapter, I recommend an Elgato capture as it has zero lag), and one that can accept 3.5mm input (may require purchasing one or two more cheap adapters). So each week you have to set up a laptop, make sure inputs work, start broadcasting, then stop the broadcast. The Teredek system tried to automate that.

Again, check out the non-interactive broadcasting forum, many of us have discussed details from there. Honestly, there still is no "one right solution" yet. Many of us are still looking for a good permanent solution and haven't got there yet due to either limitations from FM or understanding our tech needs. It seems the church is still slowly trying to figure this out as well. Be patient.
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Mikerowaved
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Re: Webcast end of life question.

#34

Post by Mikerowaved »

Tmorrill wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 8:51 am
Mikerowaved wrote: Wed Oct 06, 2021 8:45 pm Our stake has their own YouTube channel, where all the wards are represented. https://youtube.com/LaytonUtahKaysCreekStake. I'd be happy to help others setup a similar channel, if this is what they want to migrate to.
I would be interested in learning how to set up a Stake YouTube where all our wards are represented and how to use it to broadcast our sacrament meetings. Also, are there any limitations to broadcasting this way? Are 3 wards able to broadcast at the same time? Do you also use YoutTube for your stake conferences as well?
I can help you set it up. Drop me a Private Message to get started. Yes, YT allows for any number of concurrent live streams, as long as they all have a unique RTMP stream key - which is easy done using their stream key manager.

We have a stake conference coming up in 2 weeks and we will be using YT Live. The stake president has asked me to keep the Saturday adult session unlisted, with the viewing URL given out only to him. He will work with his bishops in sending the link to those adults in the stake that really need it. The rest are asked to attend in person. For the Sunday general session, 2 wards will be invited to attend at the stake center, the rest will be able to watch it at home.
Tmorrill wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 8:51 amAt this point, YouTube sounds like the easiest route to migrate to, especially with a lot of our ward techs broadcasting in different ways right now. This would be a great way to get them all on the same page so we can work together to support each other as issues arise.
I went through a similar thought process. :)
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russellhltn
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Re: Webcast end of life question.

#35

Post by russellhltn »

bradpeterson@gmail.com wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 1:28 pm For those who have an existing hardware AV setup in place, and they want minimal changes, I'd recommend YouTube + OBS.
If I'm not mistaken, the Teradek and YouTube are perfectly happy with each other.

OBS gives you more control and options, but you'd need to add a computer to run it.
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brad_p
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Re: Webcast end of life question.

#36

Post by brad_p »

russellhltn wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 1:58 pm
bradpeterson@gmail.com wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 1:28 pm For those who have an existing hardware AV setup in place, and they want minimal changes, I'd recommend YouTube + OBS.
If I'm not mistaken, the Teradek and YouTube are perfectly happy with each other.

OBS gives you more control and options, but you'd need to add a computer to run it.
Oh yes, you're right. For those who don't feel tech savvy but want to use their existing setup as much as possible, Teredek to YouTube is much simpler.

I think the biggest challenge of keeping the Teredek is finding a mechanism to turn off the camera video and audio if the sacrament is mid meeting (many stakes have started transitioning back to that in the last month or two). I haven't heard many good options how to handle this. My favorite low-tech solution was just putting a sign in front of the camera that says "Sacrament in progress"
lajackson
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Re: Webcast end of life question.

#37

Post by lajackson »

russellhltn wrote:Only those with inadequate facilities to host the entire stake in their buildings in one sitting would be pushing Zoom's 500 connection webinar limit.
That number is increasing, since the Church stopped building large stake centers a number of years ago.
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Re: Webcast end of life question.

#38

Post by russellhltn »

lajackson wrote: Thu Oct 07, 2021 3:02 pm That number is increasing, since the Church stopped building large stake centers a number of years ago.
A factor, but not the only one. I think the bigger question is how many buildings in the stake can accommodate the full Sunday turn out in single session.
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lajackson
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Re: Webcast end of life question.

#39

Post by lajackson »

russellhltn wrote: I think the bigger question is how many buildings in the stake can accommodate the full Sunday turn out in single session.
Well, none in our stake. But in the stake we belonged to before we were divided, the stake enter could easily hold 2,000 or more.

I am not complaining. I am all for the efficient use of my tithing dollars, and IMO a huge meetinghouse for capacity use only two times a year is not so wise any longer with the advent of technology.
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Mikerowaved
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Re: Webcast end of life question.

#40

Post by Mikerowaved »

We are inviting only 2 wards to attend stake conference in person, the others will be asked to watch it at home. There's no way we have enough room for the whole stake in any of our buildings, nor would there be enough parking.
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