Church Live Streaming System - St Peter's Church, Formby
The Client
St. Peter’s Church, Formby, is one of the oldest churches in the area and values tradition. They are also constantly looking to the future and exploring different methods of reaching their congregation. They provided high quality pre-recorded services to their congregation via YouTube from the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic before looking to invest in a church live streaming system.
The Project
As church services with a limited in person congregation began to be allowed, St Peter’s were keen to help the members of their parish who were unable to be present feel a connection to the church. We were asked to provide a live streaming package that was easy to use, reliable and versatile. It was essential that the system could be operated when the vicar was on her own, so that christenings and funerals could successfully be streamed. We were also asked to allow for a fully produced, multi camera version of their services that could be operated by one of the church wardens.
The listed status of the building meant it was essential that the installed system was as discreet as possible.
The Service
We designed a bespoke live streaming system using Blackmagic Design equipment and 1080p cameras. In order for the system to be ready to go at the push of a button and for the cameras to be placed discreetly, we opted for CCTV style cameras on a 12v supply.
The Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro benefits from a built in streaming engine, meaning that in most cases a separate computer is not required to live stream. The network capabilities gave us the option of installing a smart remote button that a member of the Clergy could use to start a live stream with the wide shot camera at the push of a single button. We added a WiFi access point that allows a church warden to use the control software to switch between cameras and start and stop a stream from anywhere in the building.
All cabling was placed in pvc conduit at height, to minimise the visual impact on the building. We supplemented the existing microphones with three discreet boundary microphones to pick up the congregation and choir. A direct feed to the stream from the church’s digital mixing desk means that a high quality of audio is achieved.
We provided a thorough handover to key members of the team following the installation, as well as offering phone and email support to ensure a smooth start to the live streaming of their services.
To find out more about our streaming services for churches and other places of worship. Click Here.
You can view a service streamed from St Peter’s Church, Formby here
The Response
“We highly recommend Infinity Technical for installing live streaming into your church.
We employed the company in November 2020 to install all the equipment we would need to live stream our services. From the start of discussions about our needs in St Peter’s to making sure we were trained Infinity could not have been more patient or helpful. They worked to our requirements and have installed such subtle cameras and microphones that they are not at all obvious. Their work is to a very high standard and if anyone ever wanted to visit St Peter’s to see what is possible they would be very welcome.”
Revd Canon Anne Taylor, Vicar of St Peter’s & Area Dean, Sefton North