Products that work within budget help church project AECs jump over one important hurdle. But in the rapidly evolving landscape of technology today, these designers must also keep a tight focus on the requirements of the future—IP and streaming, for example, that help churches move beyond the physical boundaries of their walls.
Church Designer magazine caught up with Craig Yanagi, product marketing manager, Professional Video Division, with JVCKenwood USA in Wayne, N.J., to see how JVC and its products are catering to the needs of church designers and ultimately churches today. Yanagi’s honed responses indicate understanding and ardor for today’s church market, mixed with a laser-focused vision of the future.
Vision is what JVC is about in development of its video and audio products. What does that look like right now for church specifiers in terms of your offerings?
Craig Yanagi, Product Marketing Manager, Professional Video Division, with JVCKenwood USA in Wayne, N.J.
Yanagi: JVC has taken the initiative of working directly with one of the leading providers of goods and services to the house of worship (HOW) community and has designed a product unique on its own and customizable to the individual user—the GYHM200HW streaming video camcorder with graphic overlays tailored to the church market. Our direction is to continue to combine emerging technologies to future-proof integration capabilities with the ability to customize our products to fit customer needs.
What are the professional video and recording products from JVC that had the most resonance in the past year for church project specification? Tell us about the top two or three.
Yanagi: The aforementioned GYHM200HW HOW Streaming Camcorder is a unique, innovative and affordable professional-quality camera that enables a single-operator to stream and record church events with professional-quality titling [that] can be customized by each user.
Custom graphics can also be created by request. It's designed so that one person—even a volunteer with little or no experience—can stream services through YouTube or Facebook and simultaneously make professional-quality recordings. Its Full Auto Mode handles exposure, color balance and focus, so that [an] operator needs only to point and shoot. The camera comes with graphic layouts for a variety of religious events. Congregation-specific and event-related text can easily be changed using a browser-equipped device (tablet or smartphone.) Audio from [a client’s] mixing console can be fed directly into the camera's balanced XLR inputs. For churches with limited equipment and personnel resources, this camera is the affordable solution for producing professional-quality coverage.
Next, the new KY-PZ100 Robotic PTZ Network Video Production Camera is a robotic pan, tilt and zoom video production camera. It's the first PTZ camera that features JVC's unique IP communications engine, providing network connection via WiFi, 4G-LTE, or cabled LAN. It's designed to be used as a stand-alone remote camera or as part of a multi-camera system in both studio and field environments. Camera control is possible from a web browser, or with the dedicated RM-LP100 remote control panel, or from a variety of remote units using standard protocol. The camera also has an extremely quiet and reliable direct drive mechanism, ensuring minimal disturbance in its operation.
To complement the streaming attributes of these cameras, and the nine of the 11 others in our lineup [that] have the ability to stream video directly from the camera, we offer the JVC Videocloud, an online video and live streaming platform designed for small- and medium-sized enterprises, such as houses of worship, wedding videographers, and schools. Complete with a content management system and customization tools, JVC Videocloud provides both private and public reliable viewer experiences, [and] is the ideal complement to JVC's PTZ cameras and professional camcorders with built-in HD streaming and RTMP support.
After a user establishes an online account with JVC, events can be set up in advance with custom web pages hosted on the cloud or as streams embedded on the customer's website. With individual event credentials stored in the camera, a single button press on the camera will initiate the live stream. Best of all, the account is scalable to the requirements of the user base. Open access is available for worship services while passwords can be assigned for specific events such as lectures, presentations, and webinars. There is no limit to the number of viewers, so programs can be streamed as a private event for one or a public event for a worldwide audience.
JVC Videocloud delivers content through the backbone of the Akamai content delivery network (CDN), a global leader in CDN services. Its content management system automatically navigates the user to the nearest network entry point, so live events and video uploads are not disrupted by latency or packet loss. Viewers get a smooth viewing experience with instant loading times and minimal buffering. For a customized viewer experience, JVC Videocloud includes multiple skins for video players that can be embedded within a website. Logos and graphics can also be added for branding. Users can also use JVC Videocloud to create a website that can be hosted on a separate domain.
What kind of service (both design service and service after the sale for the church tech staff end user) do you offer?
Yanagi: JVC provides full product operation documentation of its products online so that they can be accessed at any time. We are also starting to provide schematics of our products to assist in the integration of our products, such as our PTZ cameras. Our district sales and support engineering teams work hand-in-hand with our integrators to ensure that they have all of the necessary information to be successful in the installation and operation of our products. We also have a toll-free number and email address to our customer service based in our headquarters where end user customers can call with any product operation questions or concerns.
What do you see as the prominent trends in church technology, video cameras and control, as well as other visual products—both for worship spaces and common spaces in churches?
Yanagi: While Internet video streaming becomes increasingly simplified, refinement in content quality and delivery integrity will be required to capture the attention of the audience for the duration of a service. To meet this demand, JVC continues to raise the bar in providing products and technologies [that] not only deliver broadcast-quality images, but also empower visual personalization of the messaging by individual [churches] with customized graphics, enabling them to establish their own unique identity and provide a high-quality platform where their congregation would want to engage with the content.
From an operation standpoint, the demand for IP-centric devices will continue in the marketplace due to its implementation in facility design for not only infrastructure, but also for external delivery. Moreover, seamless and non-confining wireless capabilities within an IP-centric environment will enable more flexibility and control for all devices. And this is what the JVC ProHD Wireless Bridge can provide our HOW customers today within their existing structures, without the need [for] demolition. The JVC ProHD Wireless Bridge is also portable, so [end users] can place it where [they] need it most.
