1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3
Things have come a long way from the days when having cassettes of the sermon available in time for the following week's service was considered cutting edge. Today's tech ministries are expected to deliver flawless HD video of the message to multiple locations, often with a turnaround time measured in just minutes. On top of that, multisite churches are increasingly utilizing a multiscreen approach, requiring delivery of both the IMAG feed and a synced center lock-down shot.
While online streaming is an acceptable way for individual viewers to experience worship remotely, these systems are often only as reliable as their weakest link. Which is why many churches today still rely on physical delivery of media to ensure a high quality product with minimal chances for error. This solution, while dependable, creates some serious issues of scale once churches want to start adding additional venues.
Enter the Blackmagic Duplicator 4K. Blackmagic Design has long been known for creating amazing products for live production that churches across the country count on week in and week out. With the introduction of their new Blackmagic Duplicator they've created a tool that could become the new standard for how multisite churches deliver video products to campuses efficiently and effectively.
The Blackmagic Duplicator 4K is a rack-mounted unit that records HD and 4K video onto 25 SD (secure digital) cards simultaneously, with the cards ready to be ejected and distributed moments after hitting the stop record button. The device utilizes the new H.265 codec, allowing approximately one hour of 4K footage to fit onto an 8GB SD card. The duplicator features a 12G SDI video input/outputs for direct recording of Ultra HD as well as RS-422 deck control I/O for daisy-chaining of multiple units together, making it a breeze to add additional duplicators in the future.
The Blackmagic Duplicator 4K features an LED preview screen which displays live video and audio levels, providing a much-appreciated sense of real-time operator confidence. For churches utilizing single-camera setups the duplicator allows for remote starting and stopping of the recording directly from the camera itself.
At first glance it would appear Blackmagic Design has a real winner on their hands with this device, especially considering how churches could immediately utilize it within the context of multisite ministry. For starters, the fact that it uses SD cards as its default media indicates that Blackmagic really understands the needs of the end-user. Any tech director that's had to suffer through expensive SSDs being damaged or lost in weekly transit will immediately appreciate the fact that when a 16GB SD card is lost you're only out about $8. Can I get an amen!?!?
Another attention-grabbing aspect of the duplicator is the fact that it records to 25 SD cards in real time. Nothing's sadder than having to say ‘no' to a great ministry opportunity because your current system is maxed out. With the Blackmagic Duplicator 4K you could have cards ready for 15 different campuses and still be able to say ‘yes' to that new prison ministry, service to shut-ins or alternate worship style venue. Plus, most computers today have SD card readers, which means you won't have to fork over for special readers or enclosures each time one of those opportunities pops up.
The fact that most computers today feature SD card readers also means the duplicator could provide a direct resource for members of your congregation that want hard copies of the sermon immediately after service. It's easy to imagine how an SD card placed within a well-designed carrying sleeve could make for an engaging invitation tool for your church.
One additional benefit to incorporating a duplicator into your broadcast system could be having the ability to make hard copies instantly available after conferences and special events. The device itself even features a button directly on the unit allowing for what Blackmagic calls “Append Recording”, which combines multiple recording files into a single output file. This allows operators to start and stop the recording as needed, while still providing the viewer with a seamless end product.
Without testing it ourselves, the one area we can't speak to is how well the new H.265 codec (also called HEVC) will incorporate into your current system. While being extremely efficient compared to the H.264 standard, H.265 is still in the process of being fully embraced within current software and hardware. For instance, while H.265 plays back natively on machines running Windows 10, Apple computers will need third party software for playback. How this affects performance within ProPresenter, Media Shout and EasyWorship remains to be seen. Full adoption of H.265 is likely only a matter of time, but it's something to look into within your specific context.
Even with that issue factored in, the Blackmagic Duplicator 4K is one of those devices that could seriously improve an operation that's mission critical for most multisite churches. And for that reason alone merits very serious consideration. Even more importantly, it's a device that could open doors to new ministry impact that might otherwise be closed --- which, at the end of the day, is what it's really all about.
