As churches across the country and around the world continue to move confidently into the future, one of the most exciting ways they are engaging new generations of seekers is through the creative use of new video display technologies. From the lobby to the screens to he stage, ministries are increasingly growing in their abilities to present content in dynamic ways that would have been inconceivable just a decade ago. First-time guests are being treated to digital signage in lobbies and high traffic areas that both clearly communicates where to find what they’re looking for and proactively conveys ministry news and opportunities. Thanks to the infinitely adaptable nature of digital signage, environment teams can switch the displays between many different functions, from student ministry on Wednesday to missions’ outreach on Saturday to weekend worship on Sunday—all within the same week, at the single touch of a button.
When configured properly, digital signage can also double as a live feed from the worship experience into overflow areas when the need arises. Advances in video display technologies are also having a profound impact within the context of the worship experience itself. Traditional lamp-based projectors are increasingly giving way to laser projectors, which produce higher-quality imagery with far more flexibility and efficiency. Recent reductions in cost of quality LED display panels have also allowed churches to begin gradually introducing this powerful new technology into image magnification (IMAG) and stage design systems in ways that would have been almost unimaginable even a few years ago. Best of all, church tech ministries are beginning to discover that investments into improved and expanded video display can provide a dramatic boost to the “wow factor” of worship experiences, all without incurring the usual political costs that go into other tech system upgrades. Whereas audio or lighting system upgrades can generate a continual source of tension between different generations, each holding to subjective preferences, video display upgrades are rarely met with anything other than enthusiastic applause across the board.
PITFALLS AHEAD
While the potential upsides of incorporating new video display technology into ministry are enormous, church tech directors and AVL designers considering new systems will need to carefully decide upon the best methods for creating functional systems that last. Most of your members and first time guests are surrounded by high-quality screens in their everyday lives. From smartphones to tablets to 4K televisions, people know what great screen imagery looks like. Although they may not be able to articulate exactly why a display is inferior, they can still perceive the difference. While the potential upsides are numerous, the costs of purchasing and installing substandard or inconsistent video displays can be significant. Poor quality can result not only in wasted eff ort and monetary resources, but also in future headaches when systems need to be repaired or replaced entirely. Worst of all, sub-optimal system investments and integration can result in damaged credibility with the executive leadership of your church. The world of video displays is evolving rapidly and the changes can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming, even for people with experience in the field. Fortunately, there are several steps tech ministry and AVL design leaders can take to avoid costly mistakes. The fi rst step is to evaluate the different technologies individually to fully understand the advantages and limitations of each.
PROJECTOR TECHNOLOGY
One video display technology that has firmly established itself in churches over the past few decades is the video projection system. In the beginning many new and developing ministries take their first tentative steps into video displays with lamp-based projectors and screens purchased at places like Staples or Office Depot. While this can be a jumping off point, most church tech teams discover early on the serious limitations of this kind of equipment. What works fi ne in a small board room with 10 people is usually completely underpowered for audiences of hundreds or thousands. While higher-end lamp-based projectors are still a viable solution for churches, the cost of replacing lamps every 6-12 months, along with the architectural limitations and ambient fan noise inherent to these types of projectors, has given rise to the wider adoption of Laser Phosphor (or DLP) projectors. While the initial upfront costs of these projectors are higher, the savings accrued from not needing to constantly replace the lamps almost always makes up the price difference over the long-haul. Churches looking to install or upgrade their projection screen systems will want to consider a few important factors—the first of which is a projector’s output brightness, usually measured in lumens. While cost is always a consideration, nothing undermines the impact of a system like an underpowered image. Another factor to consider is resolution.
While LED panels are still a few steps away from being considered economical, they offer massive advantages to minis-tries wanting to take a monster step forward in image quality, brightness and contrast.
While 4K resolution can produce a razor-sharp, accurate image with wide dynamic range, the costs of the total system pipeline needed for 4K can add up quickly. Some churches today are finding 1080p HD to be more than enough for their specific ministry environment. A third factor to take into account when designing an IMAG system is dependability. A thriving church may well end up running its projectors hundreds or even thousands of hours a year. While many off-the-shelf projectors simply aren’t designed for this kind of workload, professional-level machines will be able to handle the rigors of these demands week after week, month after month. DLP projector technology usually boasts up to 20,000 hours before needing any type of replacement service.
Other variables to consider when exploring video projectors are things like signal connectivity, remote control protocol, mounting options and ambient projector fan noise. These are the often-overlooked aspects that separate professional projectors from the projectors sold at retail outlets.
LED SCREEN TECHNOLOGY
One of the most disruptive developments in projection technology over the past few years has been the steady drop in the cost of LED display screens. While LED panels are still a few steps away from being considered economical, they offer massive advantages to ministries wanting to take a monster step forward in image quality, brightness and contrast. One of the main advantages of LED screens is that they are easily viewable in very bright environments. Because of their impressive lumen output, many churches are incorporating quality screen imagery into spaces with considerable natural light. The brightness of LED panels also means they are far less affected by bleed from stage lighting. Best of all, the panels themselves are modular, allowing for far more creative display configurations than would ever have been possible with traditional projectors. The main danger of the rapid decline in the costs of LED panel systems is that many manufacturers are rushing products to market that don’t meet the higher manufacturing and quality standards previously associated with LED displays. These manufacturers also lack the reputation and crucial long-term customer support that more established LED producers and installers offer. Tech ministries considering LED for a new installation or system upgrade will want to carefully consider how to ensure color and luminance consistency across each of the panels that make up the entire display. One subpar panel can undermine the perceived quality of the entire display. One best practice is to plan on buying a few extra panels to ensure color matching when one goes out months or years down the road.
VL designers will also want to consider the screen pitch, or the space between the individual diodes. If the pitch is too wide, viewers sitting very close to the screens will see an unpleasant screen-door effect. Some-where between 2.5mm and 4.5mm spacing is usually considered “fine pitch,” an acceptable standard for indoor installation viewed at a 10-foot distance.
Churches looking to install or upgrade their projection screen systems will want to consider three crucial factors: brightness, resolution and dependability.
Another factor to consider when installing LED systems is how to best accommodate the specific facility’s demands of each individual system. Infrastructure variables like power, weight, ventilation and easy access for maintenance will be needed for successful implementation. These are often the aspects that prompt AVL professionals to include installation specialists for consultation, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel themselves.
DIGITAL SIGNAGE
As one of the newest and most exciting trends in church environmental design, digital signage is making a big impact in the way members and visitors engage in the life of a congregation. The immediate, practical improvements a digital signage system can make are undeniable. The biggest danger, however, when considering how to best implement digital signage is to overestimate how easy and cost-effective the process could be at first glance. One fun afternoon at Best Buy has set more than a few churches up for long-term disappointment. When it comes to digital signage there are some important factors to consider right off the bat. The first is the life expectancy of the specific display monitors you’re considering. Many churches utilizing digital signage will run these displays between 16-18 hours each day, seven days a week. This adds up quickly on monitors not designed for that kind of workload. A second factor to consider with digital signage displays is the native viewing angle for which the screens are designed. While this may not be a big deal when set up in a living room, it becomes a much bigger problem in a lobby environment.
Another environmental concern will be how much natural light is already present in the space in which you’re installing digital signage. If the displays are overly reflective, much of the effect and utility of digital signage can be quickly undermined. If your hope is to stack multiple monitors together, thereby creating a larger implied display, the edge bevel will be something to carefully consider. And speaking of stacking, while it might seem obvious, it’s nonetheless crucial to carefully consider safety factors with digital signage, especially if the signage may be set up in the proximity of small children. A final variable that can be overlooked in the design and planning phase is how the actual content that goes on the screen will be created and distributed to each individual screen. Knowing where the content will come from and how it will be displayed at an individual screen level will help ensure you get the most out of your investment once the screens go up.
CLOSING CONSIDERATIONS
As with most tech systems upgrades, success will often come down to how best to balance cost and quality. In our eagerness to be good stewards of the church’s resources, we can often go for the cheapest solution available and just try to install it ourselves. The down-side of this approach is that when we forego the “ounce of prevention,” the “pound of cure” can cost far more in the long run. A few weeks of research almost always outweighs several years of regret.
Some churches today are finding 1080p HD to be more than enough for their specific ministry environment.
With very rare exceptions, the wisest path forward is usually to partner with experienced installers who can help realistically evaluate your needs. A reliable professional will often help you avoid overspending on features and specifications you don’t actually need in your specific environment. A professional installation company will also be able to help you find the right equipment that will set your ministry up for years of success, rather than months. Most importantly, they should be able to help you run tests with the actual equipment in your environment. If you want to take your process to the next level, consider a plan to get your communications, design and film teams involved in the planning process early on. By working closely together they can provide content that show-cases the new systems when it’s time for the big unveiling. Finally, do your best to communicate effectively with your executive leadership through-out the entire process. While new video display systems are usually an easy vision to sell, your leader is very likely still expending some of their own leadership capital to make the financing happen. By working together, your win will become their win too, and you’ll build trust for the next time you want to swing for the fences.
Video Display Technology Solutions
