February of 2009 will be a big year for broadcasters who will have to stop broadcasting an analog TV signal (over the airwaves) and make the switch to digital television.

For all intents and purposes, this really only affects your church if the way your church receives a TV signal is from an antenna. If so, you’ll either need a simple converter box or a digital-capable TV tuner.

Here’s a bit of the techno-speak about this transition:

The digital television (DTV) transition is happening on February 17, 2009. At that time all full-power TV stations will be broadcasting in digital. Make sure your TV is ready.

In order to give all viewers the best quality television available and more efficiently allocate spectrum, the federal government mandated that television broadcasting switch to an all digital format by February 17, 2009. Older television sets that do not have digital tuners, and that are not connected to cable, satellite or another pay TV service, will need a simple converter box in order to continue to receive free antenna television.

The good news is that people who watch antenna TV have three simple options to upgrade their sets in time for the transition to digital: purchase a new television set with a digital tuner (and some new sets are selling for under $100); purchase a converter box, which may cost between $40 and $70; or subscribe to a pay television service like cable or satellite.

To keep things as simple and affordable as possible, the government is providing two coupons per household worth $40 each to be used toward the purchase of converter boxes. For more information on this program, call 1-888-DTV-2009 or visit www.dtv2009.gov to apply online for your coupons today.

The switch to digital is a revolution in television - providing clearer pictures and amazing sound, as well as additional channels and information. And the best part is, all of this is available for free, just by ensuring your television is ready.
Source, www.dtvanswers.com

Just thought you’d like to know.

- Anthony

As most often happens in the church tech world, advancements for other industries benefit churches leveraging technology. With HD video becoming a lot more than a buzzword, churches are needing more affordable solutions to capturing HD video. And with the major increase in the offerings of sub-$10,000 HD-capable video cameras one of the sticking points has been the lack of optional HD lenses that didn’t cost two to three times more than the camera itself! Well we’re getting closer with the first round of new lenses (2/3″ CCD sized) making their debut at N.A.B..

Today I received news that one of the major lens manufacturers, Fujinon, has come out with some new affordable HD lenses specifically made for the newer “midrange-end” (2/3″ CCD) of HD cameras.

Here’s a snippet from Fujinon:

WAYNE, New Jersey, March 31, 2008 – Fujinon’s new HD Select Series of cost-effective ENG lenses will be introduced at the National Association of Broadcasters 2008 convention in Las Vegas, being held from April 14-17.

The new family of lenses for 2/3-inch HD video cameras consists of three ZA Series HD ENG lenses: including the ZA22x7.6BE HD telephoto ENG lens, ZA17x7.6BE HD standard ENG lens, and ZA12x4.5BE HD wide-angle ENG lens.

The ZA22x7.6BE, an HD ENG telephoto lens, has 22 times magnification, a 7.6 focal length at the wide end and 167mm focal length at the telephoto end. A 2x extender is incorporated for extreme telephoto shots. The maximum relative aperture is 1:1.8 from 7.6 through 120mm, and 1:2.5 at 167mm.

The ZA17x7.6BE, a standard HD ENG lens, has 17 times magnification, a 7.6 focal length at the wide end and 130mm focal length at the telephoto end. The maximum relative aperture is 1:1.8 for 7.6 through 102mm, and 1:2.3 at 130mm. A 2X extender is standard.

The ZA12x4.5BE, which is a wide-angle HD ENG lens, has 12 times magnification, a 4.5 focal length at the wide end and 54mm focal length at the telephoto end. A 2X extender is a standard feature. The maximum relative aperture is 1:1.8 for 4.5 through 41mm, and 1:2.4 at 54mm.

The new ZA Series feature Inner Focus, a servo module with Digi Power, Quick Zoom, One Shot Pre-Set, Cruise Zoom and remote control via RS232.

Continuing my post about what I see coming in the next generation of switchers, I’ve taken a slight look into the past to give us a better glimpse into the future.

Back in 2006, I was asked to give my input on the upcoming release from Thomson Grass Valley on their yet-to-be-released Indigo AV switcher. I wrote all about my thoughts and basically thought that the concept was great but that two things were not quite right.

First was the lack of more HD-SDI inputs and outputs. To me, the whole point of this unit was to be the perfect blend of HD and SD with DVI I/O at an affordable price. The unit is very high quality and reasonably priced, but with only 3 HD-SDI inputs and a shared SD/HD bus structure, it wasn’t quite the hit product I wanted it to be. Second was the inclusion of a fully automated mixing console (replete with flying faders and all) built into the switcher. I said then and still contend today that the vast majority of users would have a mixing console in place and would rather see that expensive item removed from a switcher anyway. To me, it was too reminiscent of the Panasonic MX-series of prosumer gear.

Well it’s two years later and the folks at Thomson Grass Valley have finally come out with an expansion, which provides an additional eight HD-SDI inputs and two HD-SDI auxiliary outputs and gives users the flexibility to accommodate more HD devices. Now we’re talkin’! At a combined price of less than $20K (the switcher and the new expansion), this is now a much hotter item than in its initial release.

When we start to look at the $30K-and-up range of switchers, every manufacturer in this realm has embraced multi-definition switching (HD and SD): the full functionality of multiple keyers, a plethora of aux buses, macro controls and dozens of input and output options. So while I can easily talk about half a dozen manufacturers, I’ve instead limited myself to the $30K to $60K price range and decided upon what makes the best value within that financial radius.

I settled on the Ross Vision series for this next product.

Part of my rationale comes from the functionality that I see churches using with multiple screens and multiple venues. Ross has a terrific Vision Remote Aux Panel that allows for easy control of aux buses. But unlike other remote aux panel controls, the Vision series allows for cuts, dissolves and keys via the control panel. Usually, all you get from one of these panels is cuts-only switching.

So one operator can control the main switch and choose to use macro control buttons to take source transitions on multiple aux buses at once or leave the aux switching control up to another person - or even have a remote aux control in each venue. This kind of next-level thinking makes it feasible for churches to have the production capabilities of a full video switcher with the added benefit of multiple screen control.

Certainly, products like the Barco Encore or the Analog Way Di-Ventix will continue to expand the functionality of computer-based switching. But for live production, there’s still something to be said for having a full-on suite of video production switching control at your fingertips.

So that’s it. My high-level overview of what I think is turning out to be the next generation of switchers. Let me be clear, though, and point out that I like and have used devices from just about every manufacturer - some much higher-end than what I’ve talked about here. Use the tool that works best for you. In fact, share your thoughts, comments and experiences with us by commenting below.

- Anthony

I’m excited to announce the totally revamped Church Media Hotlist Newsletter! Here’s a sneak-peek screen shot of the Newsletter that went out to subscribers this morning. Be sure you’re subscribed to this free church media resource! Just email me anthony AT anthonycoppedge DOT com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject or body.

To view the entire Church Media Hotlist Newsletter online, click RIGHT HERE.

One of the coolest parts of my role as a consultant to churches is that I also get a lot of time with the manufacturers of the products churches use. It also doesn’t hurt that I review quite a few products each year for various magazines and even my own Newsletter, so I’ve had the chance to get to know guys and gals at just about every major manufacturer in the audio/video/lighting/computer world. With that access, I also have the chance to see stuff early (all under non-disclosure agreements) and even get to give input to some products.

Well, a few years ago I started using Miranda’s Kaleido series of multi-image processors to make it easier for churches to use one large LCD screen for all of their video sources instead of using racks of individual monitors for keeping track of each video input. Here’s an example of the video design I did for NewSpring Community Church in Anderson, SC using the Miranda boxes for video images on two Samsung LCD screens:

NewSpring video control room

The beauty and simplicity of the all-in-one monitor made it simple to use, reduced the power and heat from multiple monitors and allowed each source to be named right on the screen.

Apparently, the idea from companies like Miranda and Evertz got into the minds of engineers at Panasonic and Broadcast Pix, because they’ve come out with switchers that include a similar interface and have built it right in to the switcher hardware.

Broadcast Pix has taken their Slate series of switchers and built a brand new model, the Slate 5000 (see below) and also offered owners of the previous Slate 3000 a chance to upgrade to the new 5000 model.

Broadcast Pix Slate 5000

Broadcast Pix Slate 3000

Broadcast Pix has been quietly gaining moment since their introduction just a few short years ago. In fact, their Slate series of switchers have included a multi-view screen output from the beginning. I’m intrigued by their use of “soft panels", which are really PC-based, network enabled GUI’s for their switcher interface shown and controlled via a web browser. This has a lot of possibilities for churches wanting to use the built-in router to manage outputs to various venues or recording devices without the need for adding more hardware switchers.

Available in SD (Standard Definition) and HD (High Definition), these are higher end units that can be added to extensively (8, 16 and 32 camera inputs are available for the Slate 5000 for example). Still in the low to mid $30K range, the Slate 5000 is affordable considering the power and flexibility of their hardware and software combination. I chatted with the president of Broadcast Pix and talked with him about the functionality as a major selling point for churches with video venues.

Panasonic released their AV-HS400 (see below), which ships with 4 inputs and 4 outputs (all HD-SDI interestingly enough) and can be expanded up to 8 inputs and included a multi-image display into their switcher as well. According to my inside sources at Panasonic, the multi-image feature is the main key to the success of the product, which sells for around $10,000 before optional upgrades. In fact, since its release in January, Panasonic has been doing their best to keep up with orders and is increasing their production to fulfill all of the current backorders. One of my sources at Panasonic told me “Panasonic has plans for an entire line of switchers that would include the main feature sets found in the HS400.” It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that they’ve got a winner on their hands and are eager to provide even more products that include the functionality of multi-image processing and computer and video I/O. Expect to see more from Panasonic soon.

Panasonic AV-HS400

The landscape is changing rapidly and manufacturers have slowly come to the realization that the church market is making up a large chunk of their sales. If you want to see even more happen with products like these for use in churches, you’ve gotta pipe up and share your thoughts, concerns and suggestions. It’s the only way they’ll know how to make what you need. So what say you?

Tomorrow I’ll talk about the higher-end switchers and look at what else is coming in the next generation of switchers.

To beloved church leaders:

Churches put a great deal of emphasis on the “Poinsettia and Lily” crowd because it’s the two main times each year that the formerly churched and unchurched seemingly attend a weekend church service out of some sort of obligation. Taking advantage of this statistical bump, churches will put a ton of work into making these “visitor weekends” extraordinary.

In reading a bunch of pastor blogs yesterday I noted with great delight how many churches had record-breaking attendance. To God be the glory for these people hearing His Word! Hopefully they heard that Jesus is risen and will be coming again for His Church.

With this increase in visitors, it’s imperative that we follow up with the visitor information cards and requests for more prayer with sincere diligence. Personal interaction and reaching out to those who came is an extremely high priority. Let’s assume you’re full-on into follow up mode this week. Let’s further assume that there will be those who came this past weekend and are intrigued enough to come back this coming weekend.

Here’s the tough question: Will they experience a weekend on par with your Easter service? Or will they find a bait-and-switch sucker punch waiting for them this week?

In short, are you and your team doing everything possible to make the week after Easter as compelling and engaging as the week of Easter? If not, please let me lovingly challenge you to continue meeting the expectation that you implicitly promised when they showed up at Easter.

He is risen! But now what will you do to help them take the next steps in a faithful following of our Lord? I challenge you to not shrink back but to embrace this coming weekend and every weekend as an opportunity to come through with your implied Easter promise of excellence.

Loving what you do for Him,

Anthony

“…a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.” - John 16:32

Zero hour approaches. Churches everywhere are preparing for services on this extraordinary weekend. Pastors review and study fervently. Musicians practice in preparation. Techies race to finish projects.

Zero hour approaches. Churches are cleaned and made neat and welcoming. Staff coordinate and verify that volunteers will be in place. Fresh paint is applied to touch up faded signs.

Zero hour approaches. Yardwork is done and the grounds are spotless. Printing is completed and handouts are readied. Supplies are stocked and everything is prepared.

And still, zero hour approaches.

We do all of this for our King, yet we must stop and spend time with our King.

Worship Jesus today! Sing praises to Him! Tell him of all that you are thankful for! Show your gratitude with a humble heart! Lift your eyes to the sky and marvel at His creation! Drop to your knees and join the angelic hosts with the words “Holy! Holy! Holy!”

Spend time today glorifying God and deeply thanking Him for the work His Son completed! Thank Him for the ultimate sacrifice made from a perfect heart! Tell your Lord and King how you love him!

Zero hour approaches. Remember to stop the busyness and spend time with the One from whom all blessings flow.

In case this helps any of you stuck with last-minute Easter requests (ahem…that would be most, methinks), here’s a short list of my favorite Easter videos:

• Proof
• 3 Days Later
• Forsaken
• Easter Linebacker
• Sunday’s Comin’
• Pierced for our transgressions
• That’s my King!

I hope your church has prepared fully for this incredible weekend of reflection, hope and praise. Make this weekend an experience they won’t soon forget.

In reading through the Psalms, I was struck by David’s extreme wording, phrases and thoughts. This guy was passionate and then some! Check this out from Psalm 55:

1 Listen to my prayer, O God,
do not ignore my plea;

2 hear me and answer me.
My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

…

15 Let death take my enemies by surprise;
let them go down alive to the grave,
for evil finds lodging among them.

…

22 Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

23 But you, O God, will bring down the wicked
into the pit of corruption;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
will not live out half their days.
But as for me, I trust in you.

Holy smack! That’s some serious prayer from David!!

Did you catch how his pleading is running on the ragged edge of a demand and how he beseeches God to bury them alive?

When my wife and I talked about this passage today she said something that resonated in my heart:

“David’s prayers were extreme and extremely passionate. I think that we often pray meekly under the assumption that our meekness somehow shows God our faithfulness. But if we follow David’s example, our prayers would sometimes be loud and full of cries for our Lord to show up.

Do we pray ‘Lord, please help us’ or do we pray

‘LORD, PLEASE HELP US IN OUR TIME OF NEED AND HEAR OUR CRIES AND OUR ABANDON TO YOU!!!’?

David must have been quite animated because these are not the prayers of a quiet, sedate or meek man!”

I thought my bride’s question was excellent and worthy of repeating beyond the sphere of our conversation.

When was the last time you were so challenged that you yelled out loud your prayers to God? When was your joy so full that your praises had to be yelled out loud to thank our Lord for His unending love, indescribable peace and protective covering?

I think I’ve seen every possible program/software/hardware used to get graphics, lyrics and videos to the projection screens in churches. From PowerPoint™ to Keynote™ to EasyWorship™ to MediaShout™ to ProPresenter™ to Inscriber™ to Chyron™ to Deko™ to Vizrt™ - there’s a solution for everyone.

But as cool and easy to use as the worship software has become, there’s still a huge delta between the inexpensive software and the expensive and far more powerful Character Generators. As a full disclaimer, I have friends at almost every company I just listed above, so I happen to have inside information about the development of new products (I’m under Non Disclosure Agreements, so don’t ask!) and know that there’s some really cool stuff coming down the pike. Yet I’m absolutely positive that there’s not going to be a ‘middle ground’ player anytime in the foreseeable future.

And all of this begs the question: How many churches have found the jump from worship software to high-end character generators to be all that you hoped?

I personally know of quite a few churches using fairly high-end and sophisticated CG’s, so I know it’s being done. But I wonder if the adoption rate would increase if there was an awareness of how much you can do when you make the leap from worship software to CG?

What say you?

Have you ever had someone spend a weekend at your church reviewing all that you do, encouraging your staff and volunteers and giving an honest “secret shopper” visitor’s perspective?

I find that few of the churches I consult with have had a ’secret shopper’ attend their services and honestly critique how they are perceived by visitors. Some churches offer a chance for first time guests to fill out a card rating their ‘experience’ while a few others offer something similar on their church website.

When I realized this years ago, I changed my weekend consulting practice. Instead of only meeting with staff, training volunteers and critiquing the worship arts, I began walking out to the parking lot 15 minutes before one of the services and experiencing the church from a true visitor’s perspective.

I was shocked at what I found.

It turns out that I’d had blinders on when it came to consulting. I was solely focused on the auditorium and how well the worship team, musicians and techs did their jobs and how well they utilized their equipment. While that was a useful thing unto itself, the bigger picture was being missed. That’s when it hit me: a church can have the best tech and worship arts, but if they’re not perceived as a welcoming, safe and engaging church, none of the worship and tech arts mattered!

Now when I start out in a parking lot and literally walk in to the church, I look at the following:

• Do I know where the best place to park is at if I’m handicapped, or a single parent or a family with lots of kids and pre-schoolers?
• Do I know which entrance to use? Is it clearly marked where I am entering - near the auditorium, offices, kids area, etc.?
• Am I greeted and directed where to park by volunteers in the parking lot?
• Am I warmly welcomed by a smiling and engaging person at each door?
• When I walk in, is there good signage to tell me which way to go?
• If I had infants, toddlers, children or teenagers, can I find my way to each area?
• How secure are the areas where my children would be left while I was in service?
• How fast, easy and secure is the check-in process for each child?
• How will I be alerted if there’s an issue with my kids during service?
• If I need help finding my way, does a greeter point me in a direction or are there “floaters” who will walk me to where I need to go?
• Where do I go and what can I get that tells me more about the church and its ministries?
• If I’m person that is not comfortable with talking to people, are there kiosks (static or digital interactive) where I can get information on my own terms?
• What kind of information is being shared on the digital signage in the hallways and meeting areas?
• Is the perception given to me by the bulletin/welcome guide (or whatever you call your printed handout) that there are places where I can get help or find out more info OR that the church only wants my time and money?
• Am I greeted again when I enter the auditorium?
• If the room is getting full, are there ushers to help me find a seat?
• What kind of ambiance is in the room before service? Is there music playing? Are the lights set in a way that build expectation? What kind of textures, colors and imagery capture my attention and engage my senses?
• When the service starts, am I able to sing along without worrying about singing the wrong word at the wrong time? Are the song lyrics typed in such a way that each line identifies breaks in singing or will I stand out by not knowing a song and made to feel dumb if I sing at the wrong time?
• Is there a chance for a ‘meet and greet’ of the people sitting around me?
• Are visitors made to stand out ("if you’re a first time visitor, please stand up” - NO!!!)?
• Are the people friendly?
• Am I watching a performance or am I engaged in worship?
• Can I hear the voices above the music?
• Is there excitement and passion from the worship leaders (worship prompters!)?
• Is technology a natural extension, support and enhancement of the service or am I distracted by technical issues?
• Is the transition between songs, drama, video and preaching seamless or does the service seem to constantly start and stop, start and stop?
• Was I given something to take notes with or follow along with the sermon?
• Is my perception that this is a loving church that genuinely cares about me?
• Am I engaged again when I leave the service?
• What kind of activities did my kids engage in while I was in service? Am I handed anything that tells me what they learned and gives me talking points to go over with my kids on the drive home?
• Finally, will my experience at the church match the perception that the church gave me on their website or was there a disconnect (or, worse, a bait and switch)?

Actually, I do more than that when I write up my recap report, but that list was long enough for this blog post!

I no longer have blinders on when it comes to my weekend church consulting. By looking holistically at who the church is and how they function, I am able to provide them with more insights and more practical advice on how to fully engage their members and visitors. In fact, I’m often told that my reports (typically 20 - 25 pages) included a lot more than the church expected. I love hearing that, because while I enjoy encouraging the staff and training the volunteers, the greatest joy for me has been in getting a letter or email from the senior pastor that tells me they were lovingly challenged to take off their own blinders and rethink what they do and how they do it so that they can better reach their communities.

That’s the most rewarding part of all for my weekend consulting!

Sooner or later, every church will face a technical glitch that stops them in their tracks - and the next 30 seconds will determine how well the church leadership prepared for this moment.

I’ll never forget mixing with my boss Steve at my church back in San Antonio on a Sunday morning in 1993. Storm clouds had been churning and lighting had been threatening for at least 15 minutes when the power went out.

The pastor’s sermon came to a screeching halt as everyone reacted to the temporary pitch black room. A moment later, the emergency lights came on in the 2,300 seat auditorium and a we were already moving to bring the bull horn to the pulpit from the side stage area. The Pastor used it to get everyone’s attention and then asked for everyone to simply be as quiet as possible as he continued his sermon without amplification.

Fortunately, we had anticipated the situation and had come up with a short-term solution to get through a service. In hindsight, we should have had a portable generator and a portable PA system ready to go, but it still worked out OK.

But with more and more churches leveraging more and more technology, including video venues, the ability to hand someone a bullhorn may not be nearly enough. Thinking through the ‘what-ifs’ is part of the territory and plans must be in place for how a campus has to respond in a power outage or in a tornado or any other situation.

Have you outlined your options? Do you have a plan in place? Are there steps that key personnel - including volunteers - know what to do and where to go?

In short, how well prepared are you and your volunteers? It’s a question that must be asked and needs to be answered. And while you’re at it, when was the last time you practiced with your team how you will handle a power outage or a blown FOH mixing console?

Here are a few ideas to help you in your thinking through this type of situation:

• Bullhorns are cheap and are battery powered!
• Rechargeable flashlights that plug into AC outlets until needed should be placed liberally around the campus
• A backup power supply for your Front of House mixing console is usually an option and easy to do
• If your main lighting console bugs out, have a few presets tied into the architectural dimming system controller
• If your wireless mics fail, have wired mics ready to plug in and pre-patched
• Dual-stacking projectors (or in some cases using dual-lamp projectors in half-brightness mode - requires over-specing the projector) offer an image on the screen at all times
• Dual deck (or DDR) playback in sync mode gives you a working source even if one device fails mid-stream
• A second computer (and operator) is suddenly a very inexpensive solution when your main computer fails at the start of service
• UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supplies - a.k.a. battery back-ups) can keep computers running when a brown-out occurs (this usually resets computers and little else)
• Battery-powered portable PA systems can be great quick-fix solutions
• If you just have money to blow, a full gas or diesel powered generator is the ultimate backup

Those are just a few quick ideas. How about you? In what ways have you prepared for those Sunday morning failures?

Passion. That’s a word that brings to mind a lot of visual imagery and a plethora of adjectives and adverbs all vying to fit the picture. Passion. It’s the inestimable and intangible quality that can take good to great or give one the extra ‘umph’ to go the extra mile.

I’ve been called a passionate guy, someone who is fired up about seeing the church become all it can be, so I relate to these types of personalities. Today I got to spend some quality time with a man I used to serve with back when I was a volunteer and attending at Fellowship Church in Grapevine, TX: Pace Hartfield, the executive pastor in charge of Worship Arts for the church.

Pace is passionate. All throughout our conversation today, the passion that he has was expressed time and again. It’s not a side I saw a lot of in Pace because I was usually two to three people removed from Pace back then in my volunteer duties. But today I listened to some terrific God-sized moves and changes at a church where I spent a great deal of time.

I’m now at Gateway Church in Southlake, TX - about 10 minutes West of FC - and loving where I’m at. But I was reminded today of how God used me - His gifting, His talents given for me (and even in spite of me at times) - in the Media Ministry at FC. The passion that I saw in Pace today confirmed for me that FC will continue to be a leading influencer for church leaders for a long time to come.

In all of my travels and consulting with literally hundreds of churches, one of the biggest ‘take-away’s’ for me has been that NO ONE - not any church, not any denomination (or lack of one) - has the market cornered on God. More than ever, I firmly believe that God has uniquely called each one to reach the world and raise up passionate followers of Jesus! I’m thankful for the time I had at Fellowship; I learned and grew a lot during my six years there. And I’m thankful for God allowing me to find Gateway and experience yet another church that is also passionate about loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Passion. It’s hard to quantify, but it’s not hard to identify. I’m glad I got to spend time with Pace today and experience some of the passion that he’s got for the Bride of Christ and I’ve accepted his invitation to hang out more often. We’re all on the same team, so when we leverage our passions together, everyone benefits.

If you’ve not done so, go check out Pace’s new blog. He’s jumped in to the blogging world big time.

I’ve received a few comments about paid vs. volunteer, but wanted to get into the nitty-gritty of how much is ‘enough’ if you’re gonna pay for help.

For those concerned about anonymity, please feel free to email me anthony AT anthonycoppedge DOT com and I’ll post those answers without your name or your church’s name.

I’d like for you to put a number next to each position along with day rate or hourly, or N/A if you don’t pay for that position. If I left any out, feel free to add. But first, please put in the weekly attendance of your church so we can sort of do an Apples to Apples comparison.

* Weekly Attendance

* FOH Audio
* Monitor Mix
* Lyrics/Graphics
* Lighting
* Stage Manager
* Video Director
* Camera Op
* Vocalist
* Musician
* Service Producer

This is a question I get A LOT, so I thought I’d toss it out there for us to be honest and share.

Churches that struggle to project quality images have a new switching option that can upgrade them from clunky input changes to smooth, seamless and distraction-free fades between two sources. That option is the new EasyFade seamless switcher from Analog Way.

I recently put the new EasyFade through its paces, trying to duplicate the various uses that would be found in today’s smaller churches. With a DVD, PC and Mac, I used every function of the EasyFade and came away with a satisfying set of results.

WHAT IT DOES
In the most simple of descriptions, the EasyFade is a device that allows the user to switch between two inputs, such as a computer and a DVD player. The EasyFade does this in one of two ways: either via a “cut", which is a near-instant change or via a fade, which dissolves between the two sources in real-time. With seven total inputs available, this is a small rack-mountable device that offers intuitive controls on the front panel.

A true dissolve is a welcome addition to the capabilities of the EasyFade and makes it a worthy item for those wanting to upgrade from an older, non-fading switcher. Unlike previous iterations of this product line, the EasyFade isn’t limited by fading through black, nor does it require a “freeze” of one of the inputs. Clean, true cross dissolves are perfect every time with this latest new product from Analog Way.

A few more extras are included with the EasyFade, some more helpful than others. For example, the front-panel menu control allows for quick and simple adjustments for each input, including basic controls for brightness, contrast, hue and color of the four video inputs. More robust commands are available for aspect ratio conversion (standard, letterbox/widescreen and anamorphic widescreen), as well as underscan and overscan controls.

For an additional $480, the RK-10 remote control panel gives the same control found on the front of the unit from a convenient wired interface. Without the need for an external power supply, the RK10 will control the EasyFade (or the EasyCut, the sibling to this product) and even basic power controls for a projector.

HOW IT PERFORMED
The unit more than meets the expectations that it defines, making it a solid value and a good contender for churches looking for a relatively simple and affordable switching option. The quality of the conversion processes is excellent, with picture quality always exceeding my expectations. The front panel control, as mentioned above, is straightforward, but the fact that all adjustments are made via a menu does limit last-second changes in things such as the fade rate and title duration.

The Title function allows the user to generate a white-text-on-black-background image, such as one might create in PowerPoint™ or Keynote™, and set this “shadow box” under the text to help make it easier to read. However, with the ability to set a shape in PowerPoint™ or Keynote™, there isn’t a need to include this within the EasyFade, especially since it cannot be dynamically generated to match every text overlay. Indeed, with the plethora of presentation and worship software packages that includes text overlays right within their software interface, I’m not sure why this would be included at all.

Another curiosity is that the fade rate can be changed from a minimum of one-half second to an absurd maximum of 25 seconds. Any poor soul who playfully sets a 25 second fade rate will undoubtedly regret his decision once the take button has been pushed!

I must reiterate, however, that the quality of the fade, lacking any noticeable clipping or artifacts, was outstanding. In fact, the overall performance of the EasyFade far exceeded my expectations for a unit at this price point ($1,800). This is a switcher that should be on the short list of items to buy with this year’s church tech budget.

A new visitor steps onto your church campus probably feeling a bit overwhelmed even if your church has a robust parking lot, greeting and hospitality ministry. And while we’re big advocates of personal touch, there are often so many opportunities for people to plug into the life of a church that finding the right person with the right information at the right time can be a challenge at even the most friendly of churches.

Enter the world of digital kiosks: a supplement to the hand-shake-and-good-morning army of greeters at any church. By making digital kiosks available, a church is opening up ways to engage and inform both members and visitors alike.

The uses for digital kiosks include event registration, children’s check-in, ministry information, contact information and even dynamic digital signage. Because the technology is straightforward and runs off of dedicated hardware, there’s no need for a team of techies to make changes or update software. All information both to and from each digital kiosk is sent over a standard network, allowing content changes to be made from virtually anywhere.

Ease of use is implied for each person using a digital kiosk. Intuitive information and obvious controls are the hallmarks of any successful kiosk technology. But what’s even more impressive is the ease of use for ministry leaders to be able to update their event information without any programming. By using a simple web browser with a user name and password login, quick and easy options allow for making changes in real time.

Not only can people interact with the information on the screen, digital kiosks can be outfitted with a small printer for name badges, tickets or event information, depending on the needs of the church. It’s that kind of flexibility that keeps the technology from simply looking good in the church foyer.

The interactivity of digital kiosks goes far beyond the static plasma monitors found in many churches today. In fact, because the digital kiosk includes a flat panel LCD screen, the exact same digital signal sent to those static plasma monitors can also be sent to an inactive digital kiosk, and for the same money, too. Starting at $5,000, an interactive digital kiosk gives a far greater return on investment and can be configured to the exact needs of the church.

High tech is part of the culture today. Making the technology high touch is the best way to use high tech.

To look at a variety of digital kiosk options, check out the Church Kiosk site.

Has your church embraced high tech and high touch with digital kiosks yet? Share your thoughts, experiences and questions below!

It’s a question I’m asked frequently: “Should we pay for our sound/video/lighting tech?” Or, “Should we pay our musicians?”

That question is poised by churches big and small and everywhere in between. When is it appropriate - even necessary - to pay for someone to mix sound, direct video, play an instrument…whatever the need…instead of using volunteers? Or, a variant on the equation, should volunteers be paid a ’stipend’ just to ensure they’re on time and always available?

I’ve heard quite a few reasons and justifications on both sides of the coin, from paying industry professionals to simply expecting volunteers to serve and be consistent. There are churches that don’t hire on purpose so that the staff must learn to leverage and engage their volunteers fully. And there are those who wonder if anyone would show up if the paycheck stopped.

I’m not going to answer this question here. Instead, I want you to tell us what your church does, if you like it or not and what you’d recommend. What say you?

Nancy Beach is a person who I have admired (but never met) for years. She’s had several key roles at Willow Creek Community Church up near Chicago and has also written a must-read for every worship leader and tech, An Hour on Sunday.

Today, Nancy blogged about one line in Scripture - Hebrews 12:1 - that jumped off of the page at her: “…let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

I encourage you to go check out her latest blog entry and subscribe to her blog.

My friends at Church Production Magazine interviewed me for their new series of podcasts recently about how I see ‘church tech’ shaping up. Mark Johnson, the editor of the magazine, gave the interview and has made it available for free on their website.

To listen to the podcast, just click here.

Thanks to the great folks at CPM for giving me another opportunity to share my heart!

My friend Bobby Gruenewald at LifeChurch.tv posted a fantastic blog today about excellence in the church. Specifically, he talked about the point of diminishing returns in the world of church tech. I highly suggest you go and read his post and the terrific comments that have already weighed in!

Oh, and if you’re interested, you can check out a couple of posts I’ve written on the subject:

From Zero to State-of-the-Art

Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

Be sure to download the free four-part series (in .pdf format) about church tech budgeting by CLICKING HERE.

Intellectualizing the Bible. It seems that I’ve become adept at hearing truth, understanding the words and then failing to trust what I know is true. Yet knowing the truth and doing something with that truth are two very different things.

Here’s some brutal transparency: I’ve been guilty of not trusting God at His Word. A lot. More than I care to admit. I have believed, deposited my belief in a trust equity faith account with my Lord, then made a withdrawal when I couldn’t see my way through a situation.

How stupid it is for me to say “Uh, yeah, God, I’ve got this one. I don’t need to really believe you’ve got my back, so I’m taking this out and making something happen on my own.” Yet, time and again, I rob myself by taking from the trust equity account I have with Jesus.

Quite literally, thank God that He continues to bring me back by showing me just a bit more than I could see before. How pathetic that I don’t trust until I see!

John 20:29 sums this up nicely - “Then Jesus told them, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’”

This has been a time of hard discussions, vulnerable situations and desperate prayer. And, as always, God has shown that He is always - always! - faithful. Thank you, Father.

I honestly hope that as we journey through life together, we share the triumphs, learn from the mistakes and give the glory to our Lord.

The National Religious Broadcasters Convention has been going in Nashville, TN, all through the weekend and this week. I flew in on an early flight to spend the day meeting with current clients, getting introduced to new client prospects and meet up with friends that I typically only see at conferences or conventions throughout the year.

A long day of walking - lots and lots and lots of walking - all over the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center has left me sitting here in the airport waiting on my flight home tired and ready for a hot bath.

Still, I got to see some pseudo-famous people like Kirk Cameron, John Ankerberg and Chip Ingram. But the best part was in meeting with guy and gals that I admire and respect in the industry all trying to get their products/services in front of churches. It’s a long, slow road, but sooner or later more companies will realize just how many churches and ministries can use their stuff. I wish that there were more companies showing up at a conference like this, but it was tech-lite overall, making my show floor time easy to manage.

With the broader educational offerings and the “Reach Conference” add-on, it’s obvious that the old-school NRB crowd is starting to see that churches are ‘broadcasting’ with a far greater reach than the elite few TV ministries. It’s time they looked at the local church as their gauge of effectiveness instead of mere Nielson ratings.

Ah, a long day indeed (18 hours by the end of my travels). And now I’m looking forward to seeing my bride and sleeping in my bed.