For those of you new to the idea of church webcasting, here’s a crash course in what it is.
Essentially, webcasting is broadcasting over the internet. Churches will be able to stream their services live worldwide, as well as offer recorded (and if they choose, edited) events for on-demand viewing.
See below for a quick description of how it works.
Streaming Your Service
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A church has a live event. Their camera, or an output of their video and audio mixers, feeds into a computer. That video and audio feed needs to be converted, or encoded, into a format that will allow it to be broadcast over the internet.
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The computer is equipped with encoding software. In the case of WorshipStream, users can use their own encoding software, or the free Adobe Flash Encoder. The encoding software captures the video and audio from the camera or switchers and encodes it digitally for upload.
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The encoding computer is online via high-speed internet connection. For best results, the computer should be connected via hard-line.
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As the service is being encoded, it is also simultaneously being uploaded to our Content Delivery Network, or CDN. This is a network of redundant servers that will store and share the uploaded stream. Users can also set a destination for the encoded file on their own computer’s hard drive as a back-up in case the stream connection fails.
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Now that the stream has made it to the CDN, it is available for viewers to stream to their home PC or device. WorshipStream provides our customers with a custom-designed player for integration on their church website. Or if they prefer, they can have a dedicated site at www.worshipstream.com/channels/churchname.
When an viewer navigates to the specified page, the player will pick up the church’s webstream wherever it is during the live event. Just like watching a service on television, a viewer starts viewing at whatever point they first tune in.
Churches can also elect to broadcast archived services via their web channel, just like a re-run of a television program. Viewers that visit the channel during a scheduled re-broadcast of an event will enter the program at the beginning of the show regardless of when they visit the channel. The show will be available for as long as the client offers it.
Finally, churches can offer archived content for On-Demand viewing. Viewers navigate to the site and choose from a list which webstreaming video they’d like to see. The CDN then plays the stream direct to the end user’s player, much like watching a YouTube video.