Founded in 1976 in Denton, Texas, Denton Bible Church is a non-denominational church that averages 4,000 attendees each Sunday across its three services. As the demand for digital content and streaming grows and the need for quality video for the church increases, Denton Bible Church leaders need to replace an outdated camera system with a solution that will be flexible, deliver high-quality content and create a worshipful environment regardless of where attendees choose to worship.
When church leaders begin the search for a new camera system, there are a few key features the new system needs to have in order to future proof the church’s investment. Because Denton Bible’s camera operators are all volunteers, the solution needs to be simple enough for novice users to operate and eventually master without sacrificing on the quality of the content delivered. The camera system also needs to have a small footprint, yet a wide field of view in order to capture engaging video content, including different angles from each camera position without impeding attendees view. Additionally, the camera needs to be lightweight, mobile and have the ability to connect over IP to accommodate for the various events that take place around the church’s campus.
“We were stuck in an SD/HD environment using a camera system that was 15 years old,” says Preston Fuqua, technical director at Denton Bible Church. “We knew we needed a product that was on the leading-edge and offered multiple options to achieve the end results we were looking for.”
After participating in several camera shootouts, Fuqua and his team install five Panasonic AW-UE150 4K pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras throughout the sanctuary along with two AW-RP150 touchscreen remote camera controllers. Fuqua says they were the most intuitive to a volunteer camera crew, gave them the ability to jump to 4K/HD resolution and allowed them to use the cameras in multiple ways. Additionally, the PTZs large one-inch sensor and 20X optical zoom now allow operators to zoom in two times further with better image quality, giving online attendees higher quality streams during at-home service.
Fuqua says, “Once the Panasonic’s PTZs were installed and we saw the images they produced, we were blown away. The IP control on the remote camera controller is spot on and exceeds our expectations due to the controller’s ability to manipulate multiple cameras at once and simultaneously output 4K. It was hard to even compare our old set up to the new.”
Historically, they needed three camera operators to pull off the church’s three Sunday services, along with its midweek events. With the new camera system in place, the church’s volunteer operators are able to show up prior to service, review the notes for the day and check the configurations on their control surface. Additionally, Panasonic’s RP150s remote touchscreen camera controllers allow the volunteers to output multiple resolutions, control them via a webpage and capture multiple shots from one camera, which they utilize with the different speakers and panel events they host.
“Panasonic’s camera systems have been a very versatile tool for us. Our camera operators have caught on quickly and really enjoy the ability to customize the user experience as well as the ability to quickly jump between pre-programmed shots and moves.”
Shortly after they deployed Panasonic’s UE150 PTZ cameras and remote touchscreen controllers, COVID-19 spread to the United States. As social distancing measures were put in place due to the pandemic, the need to remotely live stream services became increasingly important. After a few changes to the infrastructure which included adding a broadcast suite with separate audio mixing and video switching capabilities, the church was quickly up and running with streaming-only services. Once the capabilities were seen by the church’s leadership and senior pastor, a new weekday series was started. When paired with its streamed Sunday services, the church was able to serve approximately 6,000 viewers – tripling weekly attendance when compared to in-person services and special events.
Having the ability to stream and connect with families remotely during quarantine opened the pastor’s eyes to a whole new way of doing ministry and teaching. Recognizing the importance of streaming content, the church has since added more UE150 PTZs to some of the church’s smaller venues within the campus, including the Student Center Auditorium and Chapel, allowing them to deliver the same quality image no matter the event or where they are on campus.
To learn more about Panasonic cameras, visit https://na.panasonic.com/us/audio-video-solutions/broadcast-cinema-pro-video/professional-ptz-cameras/aw-ue150-4k-60p.
