Collegedale Community Church Webcast

Introduction

We started our first test broadcast at Collegedale Community Church in late 2007 and have come a long way since. This page is an attempt to document how we do things now as well as some of the lessons learned along the way. To read how we got started you can skip to the History section.

History

First Tests

We conducted our very first test broadcasts in late 2007 using existing hardware on hand and some free software. The only expense to get started was a PCI firewire card and a memory upgrade which was needed anyway. We used a single camera connected via firewire to a PC running Windows Media Encoder. We experimented with streaming directly from the PC and also with a free hosted service called Streamwebtown. We also experimented with using a webcam which provided a nice wide angle shot, but the focus was not so good. It quickly became apparent that we would need more switching features (titles, transitions, etc) and a more reliable way to stream.

Going Live

After much research and some trials we purchased Wirecast switching/streaming software and built a powerful new PC to run the software in February, 2009. We decided to publish our stream using flash for ease of use and cross platform compatibility. We looked at several different hosted streaming options but decided to use an Amazon EC2 based instance of Wowza Media Server. The most attractive aspect of this hosting solution is the pay as you go pricing model. Since we didn't know how many viewers would tune in we really liked the idea of only paying for actual usage while still being able to support over 100 viewers if needed. For playing the stream we tried several free flash players before settling on JWPlayer from LongTail Video. We also added a second borrowed firewire camera to the mix so that we could have two different shots and railing mounted tripods for both cameras. After about a month of testing we went live and added the stream to our public website in March, 2009.

Adding Cameras

In April of 2009 after a couple months of streaming we purchased a pair of new consumer grade Canon ZR960 cameras which improved our image quality and got us away from using borrowed equipment.

Growing Pains

The Wirecast software is not a bad way to go for webcasting on a budget. However, due to a number of problems and limitations and lackluster customer support (see the Wirecast article for more details) we started looking for a replacement switching solution.

We looked at the Newtek Tricaster products, hardware based switchers from Vaddio and other options but ended up going with VT5 software/hardware which we got off ebay. We liked the flexibility and cost savings of still using our existing PC for switching. We had also learned that firewire may not be the best option for real time video for a couple of reasons. First, s-video arguably has better image quality than firewire and also doesn't suffer from any of the lag problems that firewire has. Wirecast seems to fix this, but on VT5 we would have to delay the audio feed or bring it in via a firewire camera to get it in sync with the video. Additionally if we used any firewire inputs all inputs would need to be firewire or else the firewire cameras would be delayed relative to the analog cameras.

For streaming we switched to the free Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder (FMLE) software to stream to our Amazon EC2 Wowza Media Server. FMLE (or any other encoder) can see the VT5 video and audio devices as inputs in windows which allows for very flexible streaming/recording options.

Adding Cameras Again

In order to improve image quality, provide multiple angles and prepare for a possible move from a balcony pew to a more permanent switching location we researched and purchased our first new HD capable PTZ camera system by Vaddio called the WallVIEW CCU Z700. The system includes a Sony Z700 camera and all the hardware to handle video, control and power over 3 CAT5 cables. We also added an optional SD breakout box (part number 440-6207-000) which enables s-video support in addition to composite and got a ProductionVIEW Precision Camera Controller joystick.

We started using the new camera system in February, 2010 and have been really happy with it in terms of control (it's easier to follow the speaker with the joystick) and image quality (our viewers definitely notice the difference compared to our consumer grade cameras). The lower mounting position also gives us a more head on angle than before which is nice.

Thanks to a generous donation we were able to add a second controller and camera which we started using in April, 2010. The controllers can switch between and control multiple cameras, but we decided to get a second controller so that we could set up the next shot while still following with the live shot.

Next Steps

To add HD switching support we might consider the latest NewTek TriCaster TCXD850 product which supports 8 HD inputs, but the cost is about 7x what we payed for the VT5. At this point we don't have a real need for HD so we'll probably focus on adding additional PTZ cameras first. We're also looking at a possible move to a dedicated control room from our current balcony pew location.