Webcast end of life question.

[russellhltn]

I have been told by some 'sources' that the Webcast system is going away.

You might want to check back with your sources.

I also heard that rumor, but it said there would be an announcement by the end of the month. The end of the month has come and gone. Given the time line slipping, there could easily be a change in the plan.

If you have to make a decision, I'd suggest on moving away from webcast for weekly meetings. We've already been encouraged to do that. Using Webcast impacts the church financially. The more it's used, the more it costs them. Zoom is a fixed cost.

As for Webcast for stake conferences, my Magic 8 Ball says "Cannot predict now.". To completely eliminate Webcast would either make the church totally dependent on YouTube (uh-oh), force them to up their Zoom licenses ($, and it tops out at 50,000), or find another solution (also $). It's gone as well.

I'll also note that no one seems to have heard a rumor of something "new and improved" that would make us want to switch to that.

[BEWilson]

Switching the Teradek over to send viewers to Zoom is the easy part, the difficult part is that our Stake Camera system is analog and there currently is not a way to get the camera signal and audio converted over into a computer running zoom which then broadcasts back out to the internet. We would have to basically re-wire everything or run a small camera and laptop from the front row of the Chapel. Audio would have to pick up ambient from the laptop/camera position. In other words, it would take a lot of effort and planning. Perhaps there is another solution through the newer digital stack set up, but until we get one, we are still analog all the way. Will the Church have a solution for this? Equipment? Especially for Stakes? I have a LOT of questions.

[godefroi]

You might want to check back with your sources.

So, ah, yeah, it's going away.

I was already using OBS with Zoom, but this is definitely a more involved, complex setup. Granted it gives me much more power over what I broadcast, but it's nowhere near as easy.

[jamiep39]

Switching the Teradek over to send viewers to Zoom is the easy part, the difficult part is that our Stake Camera system is analog and there currently is not a way to get the camera signal and audio converted over into a computer running zoom which then broadcasts back out to the internet.

If you're already converting to HDMI to go into the Teradek, you could get a USB adapter like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/BlueAVS-Capture- ... B097D5CJ4T

I have that same adapter and have used it successfully many times for various broadcasts.

If you have audio running into the line in on the Teradek rather than coming in through HDMI, you can use an adapter like this to bring audio and video in, or you could get a USB sound card with a separate mic input and use that.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RX69KR8 (have used, works well) or https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-External- ... B01N905VOY (haven't used but looks like it should work)

Also the Church sent an announcement out just barely confirming the discontinuing of the Webcast system in July 2022. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/let ... 6&lang=eng

For our sacrament broadcasts we've been using Twitch but via an embedded video frame in a custom web page to cut out all the extra Twitch stuff. We use the Mevo cameras but the Teradek should be able to push to Twitch as well. Other stakes in my area have been using YouTube successfully from Windows laptops. Lots of options.

[mmacconnell]

I just got an official letter stating they encourage us to start using Zoom. It states the WebCast system will be discontinued in July 2022. The letter is dated today.

[cmelkin]

It was stated that the Webcast System is being discontinued, The Stake/Ward zoom accounts only allow for 500 User, How do we deal with events that have over 500 People logging in. Now we can use webcast, but with this being discontiues it is no longer an options. Eg. A few weeks ago, I had 1069 connections on the webcast of a funeral, how do we cater for this number of attendee's using Zoom.
Also involved in webcasting Multi-Stake Devotional which have over 500 users joining, Please let me know how we deals with this, and the zoom accounts being upgraded to deal with more than 500 connections.
Thanks

[lajackson]

How do we deal with events that have over 500 People logging in.

The Zoom accounts are not being upgraded. I have not seen an "official" recommendation for larger groups, but I suspect that something similar to YouTube Live will become a popular solution, whether officially recommended or not.

[russellhltn]

How do we deal with events that have over 500 People logging in. Now we can use webcast, but with this being discontiues it is no longer an options. Eg. A few weeks ago, I had 1069 connections on the webcast of a funeral, how do we cater for this number of attendee's using Zoom.

YouTube. Even small channels can livecast. I believe the subscriber threshold applies to using the YouTube app on the phone.

Even before this, some have been feeding YouTube from Zoom. The YouTube link is used for English, and those needing other languages are directed to Zoom which allows for translators.

[hi.hyrum]

I currently run 8 Ward Sacrament Meetings from 3 buildings every Sunday using the Church's Webcast solution with Teradek equipment for over a year. It has been rock solid. The membership of the Stake love how easy it is to use from a viewers perspective and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Today I don't need a computer to run a webcast using a Teradek device. A phone or a tablet is all that is needed to monitor and end the Webcast when needed. That is something that all 14 of our webcasters already have. Looks like an additional expense is being transferred to the Stakes to continue using webcasts. Now I will need an adequate computer at all three buildings.

Alas, there is nothing as constant in the church as change. Official announcement came out today as noted above.

As previously mentioned, there is no way to input a RTMP stream into Zoom. We have performed several tests using various HDMI converters to get audio/video into Zoom from our external camera systems. They have all had audio sync or picture quality issues (or both). No, we were not using an under-powered laptop. I learned a long time ago that hardware video encoding is ALWAYS as good, or better, than software encoding, and certainly more reliable.

Number of connections is also a factor for several events throughout the year. 500 is not going to cut it for those.
Whatever the solution is, it has to be good enough to not be distracting to the viewer so that they can be taught by The Spirit. Otherwise, we are wasting our time.

[jepthy]

Looks like the church announced in an official letter that it is ending support for the Webcast system in July 2022. We just had the FM group install a camera and microphone system in the Stake Center that goes to a Teradek in a technology closet. It’s a great setup, for the Webcast platform. I am not sure how we are going to use it for Zoom.
Is anyone aware of documentation on how to connect the Teradek to Zoom?