Good morning gang! I'm doing some research for my church. We'd like to Livestream to YouTube and possibly Facebook at the same time. Does anyone have any recommended hardware/software setups to make that happen? We are looking into different cameras and hardware but, the main requirement is that we need to have all the sound and video running through our sound booth's PC so we can control all of it from there.
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Question / Help LiveStream Setup Recommendations
If you are looking at using multiple cameras, I would recommend using the BlackMagic ATEM Mini and feed that in to OBS. The ATEM Mini is a cheap and reliable video switcher that has 4 HDMI inputs, 2 audio inputs, and can appear as a webcam to OBS via its USB cable. You can even control it over the network (which definitely helps).
The only downside with the ATEM Mini is that it does not have great graphics integration, but that is where OBS comes in.
I would recommend this because it would be cheaper than buying multiple capture cards to convert the HDMI or whatever into USB for OBS to see. We use an ATEM switch at our church, and it has served us well.
As for getting the stream on Facebook AND YouTube, I would do some research, as I know there are some software that can achieve this.
Best of luck,
Micah
The only downside with the ATEM Mini is that it does not have great graphics integration, but that is where OBS comes in.
I would recommend this because it would be cheaper than buying multiple capture cards to convert the HDMI or whatever into USB for OBS to see. We use an ATEM switch at our church, and it has served us well.
As for getting the stream on Facebook AND YouTube, I would do some research, as I know there are some software that can achieve this.
Best of luck,
Micah
In terms of cameras, I would do some Google searches.
Here's an article I found: 5 Affordable Live Stream Cameras
Keep serving!
Micah
Here's an article I found: 5 Affordable Live Stream Cameras
Keep serving!
Micah
Great help, Micah. I'm looking to do the same for a live music venue. The booth is in the balcony. I have 2 DSLR, 2 Gopro and could add a phone or two with Wifi (OBS camera and IP Webcam on Android) My issue is the distance for cables, and bandwidth for wifi. I had been researching a USB/HDMI transceiver/receiver over ethernet to allow us to place some of the cams on the stage. How are you dealing with the distance from your HDMI cams to the ATEM Mini?If you are looking at using multiple cameras, I would recommend using the BlackMagic ATEM Mini and feed that in to OBS. The ATEM Mini is a cheap and reliable video switcher that has 4 HDMI inputs, 2 audio inputs, and can appear as a webcam to OBS via its USB cable. You can even control it over the network (which definitely helps).
The only downside with the ATEM Mini is that it does not have great graphics integration, but that is where OBS comes in.
I would recommend this because it would be cheaper than buying multiple capture cards to convert the HDMI or whatever into USB for OBS to see. We use an ATEM switch at our church, and it has served us well.
As for getting the stream on Facebook AND YouTube, I would do some research, as I know there are some software that can achieve this.
Best of luck,
Micah
Also, can you explain how to control the Mini over the network? I'm using SLOBS switchdeck on an old ipad at the moment, which is great as I can switch views myself if playing keys on stage.
Thanks!
Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
For our House of Worship setup, we are using a USB webcam at the moment [no one else in sanctuary], but I should be ordering a NDI PTZ camera soon (this week, next??). The benefit of NDI is longer, single cable run, and no capture card required, so much more scaleable. With a downside of higher network requirements and understanding required. Our plan (we'll see if I succeed) is to avoid a switcher and simply use OBS.
From a camera perspective, you have to ask yourself... camera mounting positions, camera count, cabling options, distance from camera position to subject, and lighting. I have a good DSLR and nice zoom lens, but I'm not willing to donate it, and buying a decent camera and low-light lens capable of recording a close-up from 50+ ft away.... a good $2K PTZ camera isn't all that over-priced and and can be remote controlled vs requiring additional people, coordinating them, etc.
As for streaming to multiple platforms, with some effort you can apparently do so directly, though the simpler option (at a cost) is to use a re-streaming service [you send stream to company who forwards stream to multiple targets... YT & FB in your case].
Things to consider:
- YouTube subscription requirements (100+?) for live stream.. probably not an issue for larger congregations... but for many...??
- With Facebook Scheduled Live Videos non-FB users can watch from any browser, or you can even embed the video in your own web site. So we didn't bother with YouTube [my initial preference... as I didn't and still don't have a FB account ... ymmv]
- community engagement (and therefore need for 'digital ushers')... different church styles have different expectations around this
- are you dealing with quarantine/distancing rules and wanting to leave stream without a congregation present? or are you only looking at the hybrid attendance model (some folks in-person and some remote)?
For us, with pure remote attendance, we use many pre-recorded videos of Readings, announcements, Hymns, etc. then switch back and forth to live video feed of priest. The OBS config for this is much more demanding (video in different formats, different cropping/re-framing, etc) than a hybrid model where we only have PowerPoint for Service Bulletin and live video feed [I'm at almost 30 scenes at this point]. Though when you say sound booth, I'm getting impression of more evangelical vs liturgical style. Regardless, you have to think about content and presentation style, along with audience expectation
Technically.. beware WiFi as using it for streaming is just asking for trouble (doable, but if problems arise, without sophisticated knowledge and monitoring, possible you'll never know if or why WiFi being a problem). And be prepared to have a process for setting, then regularly checking audio/video sync for the stream
Anyways... some basic food for thought
Oh..and blackbar's YouTube channel has really good basic info regarding options and setup for live streaming House of Worship services
From a camera perspective, you have to ask yourself... camera mounting positions, camera count, cabling options, distance from camera position to subject, and lighting. I have a good DSLR and nice zoom lens, but I'm not willing to donate it, and buying a decent camera and low-light lens capable of recording a close-up from 50+ ft away.... a good $2K PTZ camera isn't all that over-priced and and can be remote controlled vs requiring additional people, coordinating them, etc.
As for streaming to multiple platforms, with some effort you can apparently do so directly, though the simpler option (at a cost) is to use a re-streaming service [you send stream to company who forwards stream to multiple targets... YT & FB in your case].
Things to consider:
- YouTube subscription requirements (100+?) for live stream.. probably not an issue for larger congregations... but for many...??
- With Facebook Scheduled Live Videos non-FB users can watch from any browser, or you can even embed the video in your own web site. So we didn't bother with YouTube [my initial preference... as I didn't and still don't have a FB account ... ymmv]
- community engagement (and therefore need for 'digital ushers')... different church styles have different expectations around this
- are you dealing with quarantine/distancing rules and wanting to leave stream without a congregation present? or are you only looking at the hybrid attendance model (some folks in-person and some remote)?
For us, with pure remote attendance, we use many pre-recorded videos of Readings, announcements, Hymns, etc. then switch back and forth to live video feed of priest. The OBS config for this is much more demanding (video in different formats, different cropping/re-framing, etc) than a hybrid model where we only have PowerPoint for Service Bulletin and live video feed [I'm at almost 30 scenes at this point]. Though when you say sound booth, I'm getting impression of more evangelical vs liturgical style. Regardless, you have to think about content and presentation style, along with audience expectation
Technically.. beware WiFi as using it for streaming is just asking for trouble (doable, but if problems arise, without sophisticated knowledge and monitoring, possible you'll never know if or why WiFi being a problem). And be prepared to have a process for setting, then regularly checking audio/video sync for the stream
Anyways... some basic food for thought
Oh..and blackbar's YouTube channel has really good basic info regarding options and setup for live streaming House of Worship services
If you into some experimenting\development.
Zcam e2c Camera
- very budget friendly wired network\ndi capable POE 4k cameras.
- Very flexible micro 4/3 lenses
- An API to control cameras.
-No PTZ capabilities but at 4k you can do some digital zooming without quality loss if streaming at 1080.
-Run Cat5e cables with a POE switch and bandwidth and power concerns are gone.
-using NDI with Cat5e cables reduces cable costs, and give you a lot more flexible over sdi or hdmi cabling.
-no ATEM needed.
- Steaming to multiple sources on a budget. Check out mobcrush. It's free and you can simulcast to Facebook and Youtube
- I'd stay away from wifi streaming unless your forced too (Zcam supports wifi if you need) or have an experienced wifi technician on your team. With approximately 20 mb/s to stream 4k video, you will need to a clean well planned wireless setup.
Zcam e2c Camera
- very budget friendly wired network\ndi capable POE 4k cameras.
- Very flexible micro 4/3 lenses
- An API to control cameras.
-No PTZ capabilities but at 4k you can do some digital zooming without quality loss if streaming at 1080.
-Run Cat5e cables with a POE switch and bandwidth and power concerns are gone.
-using NDI with Cat5e cables reduces cable costs, and give you a lot more flexible over sdi or hdmi cabling.
-no ATEM needed.
- Steaming to multiple sources on a budget. Check out mobcrush. It's free and you can simulcast to Facebook and Youtube
- I'd stay away from wifi streaming unless your forced too (Zcam supports wifi if you need) or have an experienced wifi technician on your team. With approximately 20 mb/s to stream 4k video, you will need to a clean well planned wireless setup.
Hello, I am with a Baptisit Church in Syracuse. The issue we have is the AtemPro is working fins. It shows great in OBS. e can see camera transitions and all. But we try to connect to Facebook we have an issue.Our Facebook page has multiple accounts and for some reason we are having issues getting a "stream key". ANy suggestions? We had to just connect to our laptop with a single camera and do the service. Would like to use AtemMiniPro with OBS. SuggestionsGreat help, Micah. I'm looking to do the same for a live music venue. The booth is in the balcony. I have 2 DSLR, 2 Gopro and could add a phone or two with Wifi (OBS camera and IP Webcam on Android) My issue is the distance for cables, and bandwidth for wifi. I had been researching a USB/HDMI transceiver/receiver over ethernet to allow us to place some of the cams on the stage. How are you dealing with the distance from your HDMI cams to the ATEM Mini?
Also, can you explain how to control the Mini over the network? I'm using SLOBS switchdeck on an old ipad at the moment, which is great as I can switch views myself if playing keys on stage.
Thanks!
Hello. I am with a Baptist CHurch in Syracuse and have a similar issue. Wse purchased a AtemMiniPro and it was easy to set up. We hav two Sony cams hooked up and can do fades and transitions. WE have that feeding to OBS. Our problem comes when trying to get OBS to go to Facebook. For some reason when we try to obtain "stream key" from Facebook it will not connect. Our Facebook page does have multiple users accounts. The main account is not the one we stream over. Could that be an issue? Thoughts/suggestions?If you are looking at using multiple cameras, I would recommend using the BlackMagic ATEM Mini and feed that in to OBS. The ATEM Mini is a cheap and reliable video switcher that has 4 HDMI inputs, 2 audio inputs, and can appear as a webcam to OBS via its USB cable. You can even control it over the network (which definitely helps).
The only downside with the ATEM Mini is that it does not have great graphics integration, but that is where OBS comes in.
I would recommend this because it would be cheaper than buying multiple capture cards to convert the HDMI or whatever into USB for OBS to see. We use an ATEM switch at our church, and it has served us well.
As for getting the stream on Facebook AND YouTube, I would do some research, as I know there are some software that can achieve this.
Best of luck,
Micah
Just saw your post. Not sure if you've solved this issue yet, but wanted to share a solution for anyone in the future reading this post. What we've experienced is that FB only generates a stream key when you go live. We found that to be limiting to get us prepped before going live. we use a third part app like switchboard or restream to be the intermediary proxy before going to FB. This way, it helps monitor the stream as it comes out from OBS or elsewhere (in our case we zoom to it) then going to facebook or youtube is as simple as clicking "Go Live". A much smoother transition. Hope it helps. Thanks.Hello. I am with a Baptist CHurch in Syracuse and have a similar issue. Wse purchased a AtemMiniPro and it was easy to set up. We hav two Sony cams hooked up and can do fades and transitions. WE have that feeding to OBS. Our problem comes when trying to get OBS to go to Facebook. For some reason when we try to obtain "stream key" from Facebook it will not connect. Our Facebook page does have multiple users accounts. The main account is not the one we stream over. Could that be an issue? Thoughts/suggestions?
Lawrence_SoCal
Active Member
That is NOT true. it depends..Just saw your post. Not sure if you've solved this issue yet, but wanted to share a solution for anyone in the future reading this post. What we've experienced is that FB only generates a stream key when you go live.
I do NOT use a persistent key (for security reason). We use a FB Scheduled Event instead in FB's /Live/Producer, so that FB creates a consistent URL that non FB users can watch (without logging in, ex Roku). The new (non-persistent) stream key is available as soon as event is created (days/week+ in advance)
We found that to be limiting to get us prepped before going live. we use a third part app like switchboard or restream to be the intermediary proxy before going to FB. This way, it helps monitor the stream as it comes out from OBS or elsewhere (in our case we zoom to it) then going to facebook or youtube is as simple as clicking "Go Live". A much smoother transition. Hope it helps. Thanks.
SO, you have an option
- use (same) persistent stream key (FB or other)
or
- improve security and go non-persistent stream key. Even without Scheduling, if you go into FB's /Live/Producer and go to the Go Live Now area [note: area/page to setup, not actually truly Going Live] and select Streaming Software (vs locally attached camera) your next stream key will be available.
IF you want a new stream key for each video stream (a good security practice), of course you are going to have to retrieve that key and enter into whatever system is streaming to FB (be that OBS or a restream type service).
This is in no way limiting for our workflow, though is based on well-trained volunteers to run stream. We already monitor stream using FB's /live/producer, so I have no need for an alternate service for just monitoring stream (nor would I advise it for such a use case). Res-streaming makes sense when your upload doesn't have a solid connection, and you want a restreamer to prevent interruption; or you want single upload stream to go to multiple CDNs.
For our workflow,
- we start 1-2 hours before HoW livestream service (primarily to leave LOTS of time for any troubleshooting).
- As noted above, we use a Scheduled Event so all users connect/comment etc in one environment, and build community. Streaming to FB and YouTube at same time would be counter-productive for our situation (and I'd argue for most HoW).
- A very early step is to log into FB's /live/producer and get the new stream key, and enter that into OBS
- for years, we would test streaming (again 1.5+ hrs in advance) just to confirm OBS PC, camera, internet, etc all working. [However, recently the automated Go Live at scheduled time didn't work, so last week we didn't test stream well in advance, and auto start worked.. not sure if causal or just correlated.. tbd]
- we then go through Service Bulletin and other content, to make sure everything is ready, configured properly, test audio, etc. In our situation, due to volunteer who creates unique Service Bulletin per service, it is not uncommon to spend 30+ minutes cleaning up the Service Bulletin (PPTx in our case), updating OBS overlays when go camera full screen.
- leaving 30-45+ minutes of free time
- Schedule FB Video event requires streaming to start more than 10 minutes (was 15 at one time)
- we use FB's /live/producer to monitor technical aspect of stream, see and respond to comments as appropriate (ie act as Digital Usher), etc.
Once service is over, from the same /Live/Producer page, we manually end livestream (we turn off auto-end if stream interruption due to issues 2 years ago with Internet circuit), and then go check/adjust video thumbnail