Launching New Video Technology
We finally got all the right equipment in place including the Metro E data connection between our NewSpring Anderson and Greenville campuses. For the first time at our 11:15 service in Greenville they’re getting:
- Video streaming over a data connection
- an HD center lock-down shot
- SD side-screen shots, and
- it’s all LIVE!
Just so you know, we took a bit of a risk to pull this off. In fact, we had some experts tell us it couldn’t be done. We’re aware of others that are streaming live (but not with two video signals). We’re also aware of others that are using two video shots (but it isn’t live).
We’re trusting, though, that this new technology solution will help us present the Gospel in Greenville and beyond in ways that weren’t previously possible. If you know of a church (or any other organization for that matter) that’s implementing a similar solution, please let me know. We’d love to compare notes and figure out ways to improve our implementation.
It’s all a learning process, and I’m sure we’ll still need to make some tweaks going forward. I’d just like to publicly thank the team, though, for all you’ve done to pull this off. This is a huge win!
YEA for God and the technology that allows for His word to be spread to all!
FYI….while in NE Ohio this week, I happened to mention your name and both times was told that they follow your blog. I know a “famous” person…heehee! Thanks for being on the NS team and making a difference in the lives of soooo many. God has blessed NS and many with your gifts and talents. makes me want to hug you :)
Tony, great to hear. The Lord is ever good!
Behind you and the awesome team God has brought to NSC.
Excited for you guys – way to take a risk and have it work!
It is great to see a church who truly believes God is worth our best and doesn’t just say it. A church who believes all things are possible because – if God is for us, then we can do it for His Glory! Thanks for the encouragement.
Will you post your solution and the tech info behind it? Maybe someone will read it and offer a better solution.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks,
George
Our two campuses have simultaneous services, with the speaker alternating sites. In person one week, video the next. We’re currently using HD capture to show the message at our video services. We’re having the fibre optic cable laid down this month to begin showing the message live, with a center lockdown shot and side screens. I’m sure our video guys would love to learn from your experience.
I’m not completely sure I understand your set up or what you are asking :-)
but Woodmen Valley Chapel has two campus, has a band in each in which each of the worship leaders take turns leading the other campus… meaning… the band is live in both places, with the worship leaders and their instruments being fed to both campuses. so they are singing together and harmonies etc… pretty cool…
don’t know if that is what you are looking for. but i thought it was cool.
I’m the creative arts director at Cross Timbers Community Church in Argyle/Keller/Denton, TX. We used to do the exact same thing except we broadcast it via satellite instead of an internet data connection.
When we first started, satellite caused all kinds of sync issues with decode rates between the HD “virtual pastor” shot and the SD “imag” shots on side screens. Syncing the signals LIVE was a beast of a task, but we eventually got them locked in with each other. We used that video model for about a year until this past summer.
We’ve since abandoned the “virtual pastor” shot because we wanted the ability to time shift our services with a glorified “TIVO” option. It’s obviously very difficult and expensive to capture and time shift an HD and SD stream simultaneously. Although, the technology IS out there for doing two streams… I personally researched every option out there and have all the specs of different devices if you guys are ever interested in time shifting.
Our newest venture that we’re playing with is bidirectional video for a huge baptism event we’re having at all of our places in October. All of our campuses will be able to see each other as we do baptisms at the same time. Should be fun if everything goes as planned!
Tony,
I have been around the Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale church for some time and they are now using an almost identical technology. They broadcast an HD center and SD side images live over a Bellsouth fiber connection. I have witnessed the presentation and they do a great job.
I am specifically talking about my experience at the Boca Raton location, but they are doing very similar with their other 2 satellite locations as well. I have spoken with their video engineer at the Boca Raton location and know they are very willing to help.
Their address is http://www.calvaryftl.org/ . You may need to talk to the campus pastor at the Boca location, Jerry Sander, to be directed to the right guy to talk shop with.
fellowship church (ed young jr) is doing the same thing, 2 feeds from the capture facility, sent out into the internet, and then synced back up for live playback. northpoint (andy stanley) does something very similar as well, but i believe they have fiber between locations instead of T1s
Fellowship Church actually dropped their locked off shot so they’re only doing one video stream now. They’re using Streambox encoding and decoding over fiber.
Last I talked to the Northpoint guys, they were pretty adamently opposed to the idea of a LIVE stream. They like for each of their campuses to have the freedom to be a week behind or have their campus pastors teach on occasion. Unless they’ve changed their delivery method in the last few months, their capturing an HD center and SD sides striaght to hard drives and hand delivering hard drives to their campuses for playback in Pro Video Sync by renewed vision.