<< return to training home page Audio Video Streaming Media - 08/21/2003

This is a constantly changing topic (thus the date). You are encouraged to try this on your own. If you run out of time or get frustrated - contact us.  markdisbrow@hightechministry.org

Topics

Quick Overview:

Christian websites have, and can, make great use of the internet with streaming media. Imagine being able to minister worldwide from your single church building! In a nutshell, the presentation is recorded and digitized onto the computer, uploaded to the website, linked on a webpage somewhere, and a visitor can click on the link and hear / watch it.

The viewer typically watches/listens to the media in a Real Player or a Windows Media Player or Quicktime. These players are typically already on their computer or available as a free download.

The Process and Details:

I. Uses of streaming media - live vs. recorded - You can broadcast music, sermons, bible studies, testimonies, classes, even videos.  This has great use for your missionaries who want to experience their home church. It has great benefit to non-believers who want an anonymous learning situation. For shut-ins, for people who missed a week, for the non-churched population, for other pastors and leaders....the list is endless. This is way way cheaper then planting a new church somewhere.

Live vs. Recorded - Should you go live or recorded? It's a question of budget, number of messages available, the time slot of the presentation, and the audience target.

Generally it costs more to go live and is a notch up in technical requirements. Most often, recorded is suitable. Depending on your audience target, you might choose to go live. Live has an immediacy and attraction to it that recorded does not. Further, your live broadcast can be recorded for later rebroadcast too.

II. How to create streaming media

You must record the media either on video tape, cassette tape, or directly onto the computer with a capture card. The most simple is typically an audio cassette. You then put the audio cassette into a player and put it next to your computer microphone. You record the message as a .wav file, wmf file, or rm file depending on your hardware and software.

For videos, you must connect your vcr or camcorder to a capture card on your computer and record.

Once digitized you then use software to encode (compress) the file. Next, upload it to your website and set a link to the file from a web page.

III. Where to get software & hardware tools

For Audio: You will need a microphone, tape player, and your can use a .wav recorder typically available for free download or found on installation cd's for modems etc.. Contact me if you need more help on this part.  Very often  you will have one on your computer. The native sound recorder for windows only records 60 seconds. However, XP has a pretty good native recorder.

For Video:  You will need a vcr or camcorder, a capture card and software installed on your computer. The capture card software will typically do the digitizing for you.

Once your file is digitized: You will need an encoding software program. Real Media uses Real Publisher Encoder, Windows Media uses a Windows Media Encoder, and Quicktime does it for Mac's and others. All of these have free versions at eitherhttp://www.realnetworks.com/products/producer/basic.html ,
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=5691ba02-e496-465a-bba9-b2f1182cdf24&DisplayLang=en ,
or  http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/

You simply follow the encoder wizard and it re-records the original digitized file you created above.

Once recorded, you upload the encoded file to your website and set a link to the file. Using Real Media requires the creation of a .ram file which is nothing more then a text file pointing to the path. You upload the .ram file too, and you actually make the link to the .ram file. Your real media file must be on a Real Media Server. Contact me for a referral on this.

WMF files by Windows Media Encoder can stream right from a webserver as can Quicktime. Each format has it's own advantages and disadvantages.

IV. How to do live multimedia production

You will need to get the sound and / or video piped from the presenter via cables and camcorder into your media computer. The media computer will then need to have a capture card and be connected to the internet. This is best handled by a DSL connection or better.

You will need the encoder software mentioned above - Windows Media Encoder being the least expensive and easiest.

When the presentation starts, you start the encoding software. You must have the computer that is capturing the presentation connected to the internet on a website that knows the ip address of the computer OR you register the ip address with a domain name and registrar. The internet server must be configured to accommodate the format of the encoding file ie. windows, real server, etc.