TV monitors on rostrum

[stephendoud]

I am a relatively new STS - only two stake conferences under my belt.
I Zoomed our previous stake conference meeting, and linked my laptop to an Epson projector to project Tabernacle Choir prelude music and linked it's audio to chapel sound via the crab box. So I have some experience.

The presiding area authority seventy at our upcoming stake conference requested two TV monitors on the rostrum floor, flanking the pulpit, for leaders and speakers to view the current speaker.
I have two webcams, laptop and an HDMI splitter.
I will also need to Zoom the Sunday morning meeting.
I need to know ...
1) What technology can I use to link webcams to these TVs on the rostrum?
2) How can I Zoom the meeting on Sunday, while simultaneously sending the video feed to the rostrum monitors?

[russellhltn]

When you say Zoom, are you talking "meeting" or "webinar"? As I recall, with the meeting version you can set to show the current speaker, even if it's "yourself". In that case, you just need to split the laptop output among the devices.

[stephendoud]

@russellhltn Zoom Webinar. It prevents unwanted video/audio iintrusion by participants

[russellhltn]

I'd do a test run with the webinar to see if it can be set to show the speaker.

Be aware that Zoom webinar has a limit of 500 streams. That may not be enough for a stake conference. You'll probably need to use another streaming service, either as backup or as primary.

The other possibility is if you can use a camera with HDMI out and use a splitter to feed the devices. Use a HDMI to USB capture device to feed the laptop.

[stephendoud]

I'd do a test run with the webinar to see if it can be set to show the speaker.

Be aware that Zoom webinar has a limit of 500 streams. That may not be enough for a stake conference. You'll probably need to use another streaming service, either as backup or as primary.

The other possibility is if you can use a camera with HDMI out and use a splitter to feed the devices. Use a HDMI to USB capture device to feed the laptop.

________

The webinar limit 500 streams max is sufficient.

I don't have a camera with HDMI Out, but if I did, I could feed it to a triple HDMI splitter to 2 TVs, and then convert #3 HDMI Out to USB for laptop/Zoom. I will look into the cost.
Thank you Russell

[johnshaw]

Forget ZOOM for Stake Conference (unless the Visiting Authority isn't attending in Person) as long as everyone is at the stake center, go back to the traditional way that stake center technology already does with relative ease and webcast it.

Use the mounted camera in the Chapel, send it to the Teradek, and use the output at the podium (what's being sent from the tech closet/library) - Split the RCA signal (simple few dollars) and run both to small size TV's from the library on either side of the rostrum. This is SO EASY to do with the already provided technology in stake centers.

For the morning leadership meeting, just do the zoom webinar and forget about the rostrum tv monitors. Technically, you're not supposed to be required to do anything that doesn't come with the tools provided by the church, a zoom account and the technology in the stake center, I always found that providing the detail about the design I had to leaders was a way to overwhelm them with information in my favor. Basically, this is what you get, here's how it's going to work. Here are the 17 reasons why the effort to put it in place for just the Leadership session isn't worth it. Likely you also have to provide microphones for that morning session also... just put it all together, tell them what you can do, and they should be fine with it. Otherwise give them the bill and let them know that every dollar they spend is a $ we don't spend on the youth.

[stephendoud]

Forget ZOOM for Stake Conference (unless the Visiting Authority isn't attending in Person) as long as everyone is at the stake center, go back to the traditional way that stake center technology already does with relative ease and webcast it.

Use the mounted camera in the Chapel, send it to the Teradek, and use the output at the podium (what's being sent from the tech closet/library) - Split the RCA signal (simple few dollars) and run both to small size TV's from the library on either side of the rostrum. This is SO EASY to do with the already provided technology in stake centers.

For the morning leadership meeting, just do the zoom webinar and forget about the rostrum tv monitors. Technically, you're not supposed to be required to do anything that doesn't come with the tools provided by the church, a zoom account and the technology in the stake center, I always found that providing the detail about the design I had to leaders was a way to overwhelm them with information in my favor. Basically, this is what you get, here's how it's going to work. Here are the 17 reasons why the effort to put it in place for just the Leadership session isn't worth it. Likely you also have to provide microphones for that morning session also... just put it all together, tell them what you can do, and they should be fine with it. Otherwise give them the bill and let them know that every dollar they spend is a $ we don't spend on the youth.

Thank you for the response and ideas John.
We do not have a stake center building. Our stake covers multiple counties.
The Saturday meetings will be held at 1 chapel, and Sunday meeting at another. I shuttle the equipment after the last meeting equipment to the other chapel.
The visiting authority requested 2 TV monitors on the floor of the rostrum. The small size of the cultural hall requires placement of the 2 TVs from the library in larger rooms in the building, so I cannot use them as rostrum monitors....
We do have a mobile (tripod-mounted) PTZ camera & RCA cable...perhaps that's what I will use for rostrum monitors.
The authority requested Sunday morning Zoom session.

[johnshaw]

Thank you for the response and ideas John.
We do not have a stake center building. Our stake covers multiple counties.
The Saturday meetings will be held at 1 chapel, and Sunday meeting at another. I shuttle the equipment after the last meeting equipment to the other chapel.
The visiting authority requested 2 TV monitors on the floor of the rostrum. The small size of the cultural hall requires placement of the 2 TVs from the library in larger rooms in the building, so I cannot use them as rostrum monitors....
We do have a mobile (tripod-mounted) PTZ camera & RCA cable...perhaps that's what I will use for rostrum monitors.
The authority requested Sunday morning Zoom session.

That being the case I'd tell the authority to go jump in a lake, you're already doing more than any STS should be expected to do, I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, remind them that E. Bednar once had to push back on a GA because if a meeting he required that was a very bad idea for someone that didn't have an understanding of the area.

I know we don't all have the same ability to absorb something like this, but man, if it's me, I'd say, you get what you get.....

Also, you should have a location where stake conferences can be broadcasts, get with the Stake President, and the HC over facilities, you likely can't get it this time, but make sure getting that in place is there for the future.

[lajackson]

That being the case I'd tell the authority to go jump in a lake,

A wise STS will do the best he can (or she, now) and leave communication with the General Authority to the stake president. [grin]

You should be able to split the video feed you are using for the rest of the building to also feed the two small monitors near the podium. For my GA is in Africa but I am in the U.S. stake conference, I had an extra computer next to the pulpit connected to the Zoom call, muted, and took the video out of it to feed the two monitors.

Also, you should have a location where stake conferences can be broadcasts,

The Church no longer builds stake centers. Many stakes in our area rotate their meetings around the several meetinghouses in the stake as a routine matter and originate from each of them. This provides a new challenge at each location for the STS, but we got some practice with sacrament meetings during the pandemic.

If the visiting authority is located at the site where the conference is being originated, I agree that there is no reason to use Zoom. In that case, I would just use the normal, Church-approved method to distribute the conference to other locations. Your Stake President should be able to explain this to the visitor, or provide you with specific justification and resources if something else is happening that requires it.

[russellhltn]

The authority requested Sunday morning Zoom session.

If a GA asks for some papers to be Xeroxed, but the meetinghouse coper is a Canon, what would you do?

I'd request information as to "why Zoom". It may be he just wants a webcast and in his world, everything is "zoom". I agree with others that unless you you need some Zoom specific feature, you're probably better without it - in this case.

One possible feature is Zoom's ability to deal with other languages.