Removing distractions like poor production quality is what promotes engagement for a streaming ministry. People are what matter, so keep their experience in mind first and foremost.
Let's imagine that you've convinced your church to start live streaming. Like any good techie, you did it with a little “show and tell.” You showed the church what it would be like with a bare minimum system and then told them to ask around to see if any of their friends would ever use it. The response was good enough that your pastor said to go for it.
You started with just a webcam and a computer or even just using a smartphone, but your pastor wants sermon notes on the screen in addition to a single static shot. You've also been asked what it would take to make the sound and picture better and more engaging.
Great! Now, how do you get from where you are to where you want to be? What are your options?
There needs to be a healthy balance between getting necessary upgrades and future-proofing your system. In a year, the church may lack the desire (or budget) to do another upgrade, so you may want to push for a little more than you need at the moment. This shouldn't come at the cost of the simple, small improvements that will make a big difference.
As you look at your system, you might know that a few low-cost improvements will improve the audio quality, but if your church is willing to add a switcher and another camera, be careful in telling them “no” because an ambient microphone and a good set of noise isolating headphones will make a bigger difference in quality.
That's not to say that you should push for a system that's far beyond the capabilities of your team in the hopes that you'll use it “some day.” It's okay to stretch a bit, but you don't want to waste resources to get something you won't use.
With that tension in mind, let's look at upgrades in different areas that will improve the live stream:
Start with sound
Sound is what separates amateur productions from professional ones. As I've said in this column before, you'll likely have two problems with sound on your live stream that you'll want to address.
Since people watching remotely don't hear the sound that's present in the room, they'll miss anything that's naturally loud, and not amplified. Perhaps it's the drums or brass, but maybe it's a singer who just naturally sings loudly. In your sanctuary, the sound engineer doesn't need to add much of these sounds into the mix because they're present acoustically. Online, without a dedicated mix or the addition of an ambient microphone, they'll be quiet or nonexistent.
To get better audio, you'd ideally add a mixing position in a sound-isolated room where an engineer would remix the music to make it sound good in other locations. Often, that's not going to be possible because it will require an additional person, more space, and more equipment. You could also get a set of sound isolating headphones for your engineer and have him or her mix separately for the online congregation. At the very least, you'd add in an ambient microphone to capture some of the natural sound in your sanctuary.
Don't forget that changes in relative volume that might seem normal in person may be ear-busting or annoying on headphones or computer speakers. Music in person may sound great at 98 dB with a prayer immediately afterwards only reaching into the upper 80s. Remotely this contrast will seem huge.
Plan for compression and other gear that will even out these fluctuations. Your goal should be that people watching the live stream never adjust their volume, but set it to a comfortable level and don't touch it again.
Add light
Often, you can make inexpensive cameras look better just by having better light. If your sanctuary has lighting that looks okay to the eye, but lacks something on camera, consider adding lighting. Keep in mind that this lighting doesn't need to look “theatrical,” but enhance what you're trying to accomplish on camera. It might just look a little brighter to the people worshipping in person. To the camera, it will look more natural because you'll control where the light lands, illuminating what's important, directing the eye, and eliminating shadows that the camera may emphasize.
Your goal here is to separate the pastor and musicians from the background while lighting their faces in pleasant ways. Perhaps the light won't be harsh and directional, but broad and diffused, coming from the correct angle, not directly overhead.
You can certainly add light to the background and emphasize architectural features or add colored lights to subtly set the mood, but the goal here is to make sure that the people your cameras are shooting are well-lit and their features and expressions are visible.
Encoding and internet speed
Perhaps when you started live streaming you just wanted to prove to your church that it could be done. Maybe you weren't concerned about having better encoding or having an HD stream. But if it's time to upgrade, make sure you take a look at these pieces of the puzzle before you spend a lot of money on cameras and switchers. Why? If you have a 4k production system, but a computer that's only fast enough to encode 640x360 or only enough upload speed to send an SD signal, all of the extra capabilities of the hardware you have will be wasted.
Look for the weakest link in the signal chain, from capture to live streaming host, and address that first. If you have 1 mbps upload speed, a top-of-the-line encoding computer with top-notch software won't enable you to send 1080p.
Assuming you'll want to send a single stream of 720p to 1080p, you'll need between 1,500 kbps and 9,000 kbps upload speed. These should be average numbers, not peak speeds or the “up to” speeds your ISP may tell you that they can theoretically perform at. You'll want to get enough upload speed to live stream your chosen resolution with some additional overhead for network congestion.
If you have the option, don't rule out sending multiple streams that are tailored to both mobile and desktop users. This will require more speed than a single stream, but might make it possible for people to participate in locations where they normally wouldn't be able to, like some foreign countries with poor infrastructure or even when your members are on vacation or visiting relatives.
As important as upload speed is, don't forget about encoding. There are two routes to go here. You can either go with a dedicated computer, capture device, and encoding software or a live streaming appliance. Whichever direction you go (and there are plusses and minuses to both), make sure it fits the needs of your live stream. Can your system encode the signal you're sending it without dropping frames? Can you send multiple streams? Is it something that your people can operate reliably? Is the system solid or prone to crashing?
You can spend a few hundred or several thousand dollars on encoding, but make sure you're neither buying too little or too much.
Video system upgrades
Now, for the part of the system that most people think of first. Perhaps your church doesn't have a vision for a five camera live streaming system with a dedicated switcher and computer. That's okay, but don't settle for a single webcam in the back of the sanctuary either.
When you move from a single video source to two or more (whether they're a camera and a computer or multiple cameras), you'll need a way to transition between those sources. There are software-based solutions that capture video from all sources and enable you to switch between them, adding graphical elements. Don't forget to factor in costs for additional hardware, like capture cards and software when comparing software solutions to dedicated switchers.
Another great place to upgrade is the cameras themselves. Perhaps you only had room for a small camera mounted to a wall. Take a look at PTZs (robotic pan-tilt zoom cameras) if space is an issue.
Consider a tripod-mounted camera if you can have a camera operator control the camera. A good tripod, communication system, and camera can be very pricey, but while the picture of a static consumer camera may seem comparable to a professional one, when you include movement, professional gear will really shine.
Putting it all together
Maybe your live streaming system started off really basic. Once it's time to upgrade, don't simply focus on the problems, but identify where you can grow in the future.
Whether it's the sound, lighting, internet, encoding, or video have the most challenges, plan to solve them and allow room for growing past your current stage. Balance this with a desire not to spend money on equipment and capabilities that you won't use.
Make it a goal to remove distractions like poor audio or video quality, unnecessary or unintended camera movement, poor connection speeds etc, and engage with people online. Remember that live streaming is just a tool to reach more people, not a way to make your church feel special or appear to be hip. People are what matter, so keep their experience in mind first and foremost.
