Please share your experience with broadcasting interactive Sacrament Meetings

[nammeroo]

Our stake purchased Zoom accounts for the individual units. Zoom has proved to be a reliable and consistent platform for our Sunday meetings. It has also been used for Ward Council and presidency meetings with good success. During our state's shutdown period, our Sunday "devotionals" were entirely on Zoom. More recently, Sacrament meetings have been broadcast via Zoom under the church's guidelines, along with very limited in-person attendance at the ward building. The arrangement works well and I hope that it continues. There has been some talk of moving to Facebook live or another platform, but Zoom's reliability and easy but secure access via computer, smartphone, and telephone dial-in makes it far and above the best option.

[eddygood15]

This is our set up and it practically the same as the church announced in the recent announcement.

We set up a tripod on top of a seminary table in the middle of two rows and use an iPad. To have cleared sound, we bought wireless microphones, the ones that are portable put the transmitter on the iPad and clip on the pulpit.

We use Facebook live, without any problems.

Spend maybe $150 in technology and the iPad was already owned by a member.

It works well and no problems.

Hope this helps someone.

[jamnajar]

We use a borrowed laptop, a USB 1080P webcam with a flexible clamp mount and a wired lapel mic with an 18’ cable, (1/8” TRS connection) all using the Zoom platform. Sounded great, looked good and was easy for the ward techs and end users.

9F840836-46C4-4CF0-94B4-D77C3DF79353.jpeg

(1.75 MiB) Not downloaded yet

[littlezeek]

So I have read some of the posts and thought maybe I could help. I bought a $130.00 4k video camera that can charge the battery while in use (not all of them do that), a cheap $25.00 tripod, a memory card (camera won't run without it), and a 100 ft. Cat 8 cable so I can Hard wire connection. As far as sound goes I am using the hard of hearing box hooked into the laptop mic port. I watched one of the tech videos done a couple of years ago and it mentioned that these have a 30db gain and they are already hooked into the sound system. Audio issue solved. The laptop I'm using is the one our building was issued several years ago that is an I3 that I doubled the memory on. (4gigs to 8gigs) This laptop is upgrade to Windows 10 1909.
I went with the Video Camera so we can record holiday events like Trunk or Treat and Christmas party to name some. The bonus is it was cheaper than mounted internet cameras costing $300 +.
As for some things that can be done with a Zoom meeting. We can now have those @ home, by invitation, give there testimonies, be our speakers, etc. We have a projector in our building but the screen is behind the podium and we would have to turn down the lights for those in Chapel to see. I don't recommend this. So I recommend you use a TV. I also bought an updated Android TV box from Amazon for 50. (U will need a wireless keyboard w/ mouse pad). I added zoom app to this box to hooked to the TV and point it to the Chapel. I have a HDMI 2 way spitter and a long HDMI cable so I can add another TV for the Bishopbric to be able to see the zoom feed.
As far as editing software I'll be learning Obs. I'm in the testing phase right now as our Ward will start Broadcasting 2nd Sunday in October 2020. I will update with any troubleshooting that comes up. Otherwise if you have questions you can email me @ littlezeek@hotmail.com. I live in Eastern NC.

[blakegrover]

How were you able to hook the hard off hearing boxes to the laptop? I'm assuming we need a cable or adapter to change it to a single pole connector to a three pole connector which most laptops would use to have an headphones with microphone connector? Or did you get a USB device that just has an audio in port?

So I have read some of the posts and thought maybe I could help. I bought a $130.00 4k video camera that can charge the battery while in use (not all of them do that), a cheap $25.00 tripod, a memory card (camera won't run without it), and a 100 ft. Cat 8 cable so I can Hard wire connection. As far as sound goes I am using the hard of hearing box hooked into the laptop mic port. I watched one of the tech videos done a couple of years ago and it mentioned that these have a 30db gain and they are already hooked into the sound system. Audio issue solved. The laptop I'm using is the one our building was issued several years ago that is an I3 that I doubled the memory on. (4gigs to 8gigs) This laptop is upgrade to Windows 10 1909.
I went with the Video Camera so we can record holiday events like Trunk or Treat and Christmas party to name some. The bonus is it was cheaper than mounted internet cameras costing $300 +.
As for some things that can be done with a Zoom meeting. We can now have those @ home, by invitation, give there testimonies, be our speakers, etc. We have a projector in our building but the screen is behind the podium and we would have to turn down the lights for those in Chapel to see. I don't recommend this. So I recommend you use a TV. I also bought an updated Android TV box from Amazon for 50. (U will need a wireless keyboard w/ mouse pad). I added zoom app to this box to hooked to the TV and point it to the Chapel. I have a HDMI 2 way spitter and a long HDMI cable so I can add another TV for the Bishopbric to be able to see the zoom feed.
As far as editing software I'll be learning Obs. I'm in the testing phase right now as our Ward will start Broadcasting 2nd Sunday in October 2020. I will update with any troubleshooting that comes up. Otherwise if you have questions you can email me @ littlezeek@hotmail.com. I live in Eastern NC.

[autryld]

@blakegrover
It's been a couple of weeks since your post so I'm hoping this will still be of some help.

Our ward has been using the device for the hard of hearing for the audio for our Zoom meetings. You'll need to use the crab box. Connect the mono audio connector from the earplug port to a crab box then the 3.5mm stereo as input to this device below. The stereo connector should be plugged into the microphone in (red) on the USB device. This should work on either a Windows or Mac laptop.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IRVQ0F8/

We are transitioning from using a webcam and the device for that hard of hearing using Zoom on the Bishop's laptop. We will soon be using Zoom and the chapel camera and audio via OBS and the USB Razer Ripsaw Capture Card. However, I haven't gotten that setup to broadcast audio yet. I could use some assistance in getting the audio to work. I'm using a MacBook Pro but we are looking at getting a used Windows laptop. That shouldn't make any difference.

[wgotzmann]

Good evening - not sure if there is interest in two way meeting still, its been a while since the last post.

We have run two way meeting often enough, Zoom with the right connections a TV laptop and MevoStart Cameras allow for a quick set up.
Audio is the most difficult concern

Stake New Setup Gym.pdf

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There are a few details needed but - it can be done.

Stake New Setup Gym.pdf

(112.85 KiB) Downloaded 148 times

[munaish]

Who do ward members contact to find out if their ward is doing this kind of thing, and how to participate?

I have not experienced interactive sacrament meetings online, so I can't comment on that.

[russellhltn]

Who do ward members contact to find out if their ward is doing this kind of thing, and how to participate?

Contact your bishop. Wards do this depending on need. If there's no shut-ins, there's no need.