Tech Forum

Mikerowaved wrote:...hosting a meeting using a cellphone app, such as Larix Broadcaster...

Grrr... Looks like Zoom Webinar doesn't have the capability of RTMP ingestion. We might be able to use the Android/iOS Zoom app, as long as viewers can join without needed to be admitted.

Great info, swigginton. I'm trying to have to try a webinar with the app to see how that goes.

Since webcast is what we used at the stake center for stake conferences, I've been working to get our other buildings setup and assistants trained so that every unit in our stake is broadcasting. The stake center has a video mixer and a teradek but the other buildings are just using a webcam and old clerk computers with OBS.

It's been a bumpy road and the stake president has some specific feedback we're been working to implement to try and improve the experience so that our little bumps don't detract from the reverence/spirit of the meeting. One of the major items was setting up transition scenes for before and after the meeting as well as one to show during ordinances. I've been looking at webinar since I received this email and I haven't been able to find a way to easily stop broadcasting audio and video and switch to an "ordinance in progress" message. In OBS this is very easy, it's a single click on the appropriate scene. (start soon, webcam, sacrament, adjourned, etc). Any ideas on how to replicate this in a webinar? I played with some of the screen sharing options but don't really see any that are a good fit.

HAH, ok, I just figured out a good way to do this. Since I already wrote all of this, I might as well share what I'm thinking with all you instead of deleting the post.

OBS now comes with a Virtual Camera feature built in. I can just set the zoom webinar to consume/broadcast the virtual camera and continue to use OBS to produce the event. Everything will just the same as before.
*edit* And for audio, Virtual Audio cable lets me set Zoom the zoom "microphone" to the virtual output. This means the audio controls in OBS (camera scene has pulpit audio, others are silent or could play prelude music) can be piped through the zoom webinar.

they007 wrote:Since webcast is what we used at the stake center for stake conferences, I've been working to get our other buildings setup and assistants trained so that every unit in our stake is broadcasting. The stake center has a video mixer and a teradek but the other buildings are just using a webcam and old clerk computers with OBS.

It's been a bumpy road and the stake president has some specific feedback we're been working to implement to try and improve the experience so that our little bumps don't detract from the reverence/spirit of the meeting. One of the major items was setting up transition scenes for before and after the meeting as well as one to show during ordinances. I've been looking at webinar since I received this email and I haven't been able to find a way to easily stop broadcasting audio and video and switch to an "ordinance in progress" message. In OBS this is very easy, it's a single click on the appropriate scene. (start soon, webcam, sacrament, adjourned, etc). Any ideas on how to replicate this in a webinar? I played with some of the screen sharing options but don't really see any that are a good fit.

HAH, ok, I just figured out a good way to do this. Since I already wrote all of this, I might as well share what I'm thinking with all you instead of deleting the post.

OBS now comes with a Virtual Camera feature built in. I can just set the zoom webinar to consume/broadcast the virtual camera and continue to use OBS to produce the event. Everything will just the same as before.
*edit* And for audio, Virtual Audio cable lets me set Zoom the zoom "microphone" to the virtual output. This means the audio controls in OBS (camera scene has pulpit audio, others are silent or could play prelude music) can be piped through the zoom webinar.

You can take a look at our sacrament to see how we do it. Aiea and Aliamanu wards are the ones to look at. The others just use youtube or whatever they want.
Honolulu Hawaii West Stake Broadcasts

sbradshaw wrote:The Meetinghouse Webcast page (MyWebcast) provides a nice one-stop place for ward members to go, with a link that remains the same, and the ability to control access based on Church Account. That said, I understand some of the benefits that could come with an off-the-shelf solution like Zoom.

If local leaders could post Zoom meeting links on the Meetinghouse Webcast page – not just sacrament meeting links, but second-hour meetings as well – it would allow wards to transition to Zoom as recommended, while furthering the benefits of Meetinghouse Webcast – most important to me, a stable link and controlled access. Has that been considered?

We solved this by starting out with our own landing page, created on a Wordpress site. The landing page links to the church webcast system for video meetings but has a separate (maintained by people in each ward) page for the Zoom links for the individual wards. One-stop, unchanging URL. Last week for stake conference I simplified the page so only the stake conference link was visible. Makes it much easier for everyone.

kaaloa wrote:You can take a look at our sacrament to see how we do it. Aiea and Aliamanu wards are the ones to look at. The others just use youtube or whatever they want.
Honolulu Hawaii West Stake Broadcasts

That's using the church webcast system. But this thread is about the church wanting us to leave Church Webcast for Zoom webinar.

I agree with some of the other posters that not taking advantage of the automation and simplicity of the Meeting House webcast system is a step backwards despite the obvious cost savings to church by using Zoom.

As an example, our stake center and the attending wards in that area suffer extreme temporal need and poverty. Thinking anything remotely about technology (ie Zoom/OBS/Larix) is the last thing that's on your mind when your stomach is growling. Anecdotally, one of the attending Bishop there has a flip, dumb phone and YouTube is a bizarre, foreign concept.

Fortunately, we've been able to nearly fully automate the stake center using the Lumens PTZ Camera, an older Teradek VidiU and Meeting House Webcast system that runs on a schedule. Ironically, most of the ward members don't even have the means to view the webcast however there are those--mostly elderly, some handicap and a few venerable members that can. For those members, we asked them to bring in their device, or we went to their residence to setup a URL shortcut to our stake's Meeting House webcast portal on their phone or tablet. With that, it's 2 clicks and a name input to view their ward's Sacrament service. Even that simplicity is still a formidable challenge.

In our other buildings, we do have two members who are savvy enough to setup the webcam equipment and broadcast to YouTube however they're suffering burn-out as we're struggling to train others to share that burden.

In fact, we're looking to somehow duplicate the technology at the stake center to the other buildings to have it run on the Meeting House webcast system and zero-touch automate it on a schedule. Even if we have to figure out how to pay for it ourselves since FM only supports that tech for stake center's only.

Unless, the great minds at Church HQ can figure out how to intermingle the Zoom, Teradek and the Meeting House Webcast portal, I don't think that's a path we can follow for now. So far we've only issued 1 Zoom license because none of the wards know how to use it or even want try it.

I completely feel the pain of moving away from the church webcast system. My stake was struggling with the complexity, until I came across this post.

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=37546&hilit=Jtech


The instructions in this post create a system identical to what you are looking for to automate a stream to the Webcast platform. Unfortunately, I don’t see the ability to integrate it through Zoom happening.

khansen188 wrote:Unfortunately, I don’t see the ability to integrate it through Zoom happening.

The Teradek itself can be programmed to send to a distribution system other than Church webcast. But apparently Zoom does not have that capability. So if the existing system is Teradek based, you can still send to YouTube Live or some other similar system that will work.

Our challenge for virtual meetings with outside participants is that we need to interface with something like Zoom to bring it all together.

Apparently, you cannot broadcast from an iphone (as a host) using HD 720. I guess you need a laptop or computer for that.