Bidwell Presbyterian Church in Chico, California has numerous digital offerings, including a mobile app and live video of its worship services available to all – offerings that went from impressive to critical over the course of the pandemic.
“About two years ago we looked to video to enhance what we’re already doing, and [to] start being more relevant to younger generations and integrating our services with technology,” says Miykael Goodwin, director of technology at Bidwell Presbyterian Church. “When the pandemic started, we were in lockdown and it was a little bit of a growing pain like everyone else had. But we also knew we had [a] resource available to us that we could take advantage of.” The resource was NewTek’s TriCaster live production system.
Bidwell Presbyterian Church, Chico, CA
Reducing the burden
The NewTek line of TriCaster live production systems offered powerful, affordable tools to help craft more stories, "better told," according to Goodwin. TriCaster systems include a full suite of media production capabilities at a creator’s fingertips. The systems offer native Skype integration, ideal for bringing remote callers into a video. They also offer many social media integrations, allowing live streaming to Facebook Live, Microsoft Azure, Periscope, Twitch, YouTube Live, and others.
In addition, when combined with NDI – the free-to-use, video-over-IP protocol that allows video signals to be made instantly available over the network – the TriCaster can make use of NDI PTZ cameras. These cameras require just a single Ethernet connection for setup, power, operation, and signal flow.
Remote production, fully flexible
The video control room at Bidwell Presbyterian sits in a building across the street from the church. This helps meet social distancing requirements, and since the two locations are on the same network, there is no issue with taking complete control of the production remotely, thanks to NDI.
NDI allows individuals and organizations to access the benefits of IP-based, software-defined visual storytelling for a fraction of the cost of other IP protocols or traditional video transport methods. With NDI, nearly any video source can be utilized for creative storytelling, and many free NDI tools are available online for download.
“It’s been very convenient to where if we need to adjust cameras at the main campus, we don’t have to walk across the street or phone somebody to make those quick adjustments,” Goodwin says. “We can do it all on the fly. Or if we do see a problem, we’re able to address it quickly.”
Easy to use, powerful connections
Goodwin praises the user-friendly layout of the TriCaster system and reports that the support offerings from NewTek have helped Bidwell Presbyterian with its broadcasts. In addition, he says the system was mission-critical for the church during COVID-19 restrictions.
Using this technology and equipment allowed Goodwin and his team "to reach the hard-to-reach or the hurting … they can access it from their phone, they can access it from their computer,” he notes.
Read more and watch the video about Bidwell Presbyterian Church here.
