End of Webcasting in July 2022: Please transition to Zoom

[matthewdavis]

We've been using a Teradek VidiU and were looking for solutions to move our meeting broadcasts to Zoom with minimal added cost/complexity. To do that, we're testing a cloud-based relay option that enables broadcasting from our existing Teradek (or any RTMP stream) to Zoom, without the need for any additional computer or A/V hardware.

Essentially it's a custom script that spins up and configures a secure cloud instance on AWS on demand (when our meeting is scheduled each week), starts the Zoom webinar, and relays the incoming Teradek stream to the Zoom webinar in real-time. It also shows a fallback image for any periods when the device isn't broadcasting, such as before the meeting has started. To make the switch, we just had to set up the Zoom webinar, then change the "Remote XML" URL on the Teradek.

Software components include nginx-rtmp-module, v4l2loopback, snd-aloop, the Zoom client for Linux, and a nodejs service to tie it together. Estimated AWS costs (including bandwidth) are less than $1 per ward per month, as it can run on very modest specs.

If anyone here is interested in something similar, let me know. If there is interest, I may be able to publish the scripts or make it available as a turn-key solution at cost.

Sorry to ping you again.. but with the recent announcement that the webcast system will be offline for an indefinite amount of time, do you have an alpha set of scripts you can share?

[Biggles]

Sorry to ping you again.. but with the recent announcement that the webcast system will be offline for an indefinite amount of time, do you have an alpha set of scripts you can share?

Not offline, but permanently withdrawn from service!

[russellhltn]

Not offline, but permanently withdrawn from service!

According to the subject line, that wasn't supposed to happen until July.

[Biggles]

Not offline, but permanently withdrawn from service!

According to the subject line, that wasn't supposed to happen until July.

I made the assumption that the poster was referring to a a temporary outage, but hadn’t realised that the service was being permanently withdrawn in July!

[benturley]

Sorry to ping you again.. but with the recent announcement that the webcast system will be offline for an indefinite amount of time, do you have an alpha set of scripts you can share?

I'm hoping to have something online this week or soon after General Conference to allow other wards/stakes to use the solution. Haven't had as much time to work on it as I'd like (busy with other work), but with the recent announcement and seeing as there's a need for it not just in my stake, I'm making it a higher priority.

[matthewdavis]

Not offline, but permanently withdrawn from service!

It's not permanent based on the email I received.

To support our General Conference, we will need to take down our Webcast system for a few days. This means that our Webcast system will be unavailable beginning today, March 28th. We will be working with Church leadership to determine when Webcast can be made available again sometime after General Conference. We do not have a specific date at this time when Webcast will become available. If you need to broadcast local unit meetings, please use Zoom. You can request a Church-provided Zoom license at meet.churchofjesuschrist.org if you don’t already have one.

I read that as it'll be back, just the date is unknown.

[Mikerowaved]

I read that as it'll be back, just the date is unknown.

I tend to agree agree. I also read (and this is only my personal opinion) that with the ups and downs of church services of late, it's probably all hands on deck to ensure all conference sessions go flawlessly. After conference, everyone can get back to what they were working on, including stabilizing services, such as webcasting.

[skiddlyarcus]

it's offline as of April 1 ... it's been 5 days without connections.
I'm guessing there will be many wards and stakes who don't notice until Sunday morning.

we are moving broadcasts this week.

[benturley]

For those wishing to try the Teradek to Zoom relay service my ward is using, please send me an email here: rtmprelay_beta@luminationlabs.com

I'm in the process of deploying a beta version and can send you some instructions for getting set up. The current relay servers are in the US only right now, so probably not going to work well for anyone outside North America.

[basepi]

Pretty frustrated with the way this was handled. Our wards are scrambling to switch to Zoom this weekend due to the removal of the webcast system three months early.

Nothing actionable, just wanted to state that this is not how this should have happened. Erodes trust for church-provided resources.