Live-streaming has become an integral part of worship services, connecting congregations to their faith communities worldwide. Audio-visual companies facilitate this connection by ensuring seamless and high-quality live-streaming experiences. Explore how we at Metro Technical Services can help you with your live-stream needs.

Understanding Your Organization’s Needs

The first step in setting up a successful live-streaming system for worship services is understanding your specific needs and goals. Communication is key. We’ll talk with the point of contact at your place of worship to figure out the budget for the project, the purposes of live-streaming, the preferred platform for streaming, the technical requirements, and any special features or interactivity.

Based on the needs and budget, we can recommend and select the appropriate equipment, including high-quality video cameras and tripods, professional-grade microphones, and audio mixers, lighting equipment to ensure good visibility, video switchers for multiple camera angles, encoding hardware or software for streaming, and monitors for the production team to monitor the live-stream.

Installing the necessary infrastructure is critical to ensuring a successful live stream. This involves establishing reliable internet connectivity to prevent buffering and interruptions during the live stream. Configuring, encoding, and streaming software is essential to broadcast your service to the chosen platform. Additionally, installing uninterruptible power supplies is crucial to prevent power outages from disrupting the live stream.

Related: It’s (Almost) the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Solving Issues As They Arise

Even with careful planning, issues can arise during live-streaming. Metro Technical Services is prepared to troubleshoot and resolve common problems, including audio issues, video issues, and internet problems. Addressing these problems may require adjusting settings, optimizing conditions, or using additional equipment. Our experienced technicians can monitor the stream in real-time to address technical issues as they arise.

Let Metro Technical Services Assist You in Live-Streaming Your Worship Services

Live streaming has become a vital tool for connecting faith communities, and Metro Technical Services is here to help. The partnership between technology and faith allows communities to stay connected, even when physically apart. Contact our team today to get started and ensure that your worship services are accessible to those near and far.

The post Setting Up Live-Streaming for Worship Services appeared first on Metro Technical Services.

By: James Hurley
Good lighting is the foundation of good video. The correct lighting can make you appear confident and competent while poor lighting can cause you to appear unprepared or unprofessional. Lighting for a virtual meeting or presentation becomes even more important because the human eye and a digital camera do not see light in the same way. In the next few minutes, we will look at a few important lighting factors and how they apply to your virtual meeting or Zoom call.

4 Ways to Improve Lighting on Video Calls

1. Change your light bulbs.
2. Turn off lights that do not match.
3. If you have a camera that allows you to adjust the color
   temperature, but sure to set it to match the lighting.
4. Purchase studio lighting if your budget allows

The Best Light

I am often asked, “What is the best light for my Zoom room?” The answer to that question is, “It depends.” It depends on many factors. Because light is not just light. In this case, we are lighting for video. We won’t discuss lighting “hacks”. We are going to talk about lighting principles that apply in the typical virtual meeting. These principles will work the same way every time and give you pro results. The main factors that we will look at include the environment, the light source, light placement, and the color temperature.

What is Good Light?

Let’s start our conversation by discussing what is considered good light for a video call. For most of us, a large soft light will be best. The hardness or softness of a light is based on the shadow that is cast by the light source. If a shadow has a hard crisp line, it is considered hard. If the shadow line is undefined then it is considered to be soft.

Take a look out your window. Is it cloudy or do you have clear skies? If the sky is clear and the sun is overhead you will see very distinct shadows with well-defined edges. The shadows may be hard to see if the sky is completely overcast. This is because the sunlight is being diffused by the clouds and causes the light to hit a subject from many points. When there are no clouds in
the sky, the sunlight is direct and strikes a subject from one direction, creating a very distinct shadow.

The larger the light source the softer the light.

Why is this important? The answer is quite simple. Hard light will magnify every blemish on your skin. A soft light will make your skin look smoother and more pleasing. In short, the larger the light source the softer the shadows will be. That is our first principle of light. The larger the light source the softer the light. This principle of light will come into play when we choose the light source we will use for our meeting.

Use Natural Light

Let’s first look at natural light and see how we can use it to our advantage.

The sun is the one light source that everyone has access to. Natural light can be beautiful and is often used by portrait photographers. A large window with indirect sunlight is best. This means the sun is not shining directly through the window. In short, if you can see the sun, the light will not be flattering. It will be harsh. The result is every blemish on a person’s face will be magnified. This is typically not what we want. If you are in the northern hemisphere, a North facing window will always have indirect light.

But, even if your window faces the Southern sky, and the sun shines directly through, you are not out of luck. You could consider the time of day, and schedule your meeting when the sun is not shining directly through the window. But, most cannot schedule a virtual meeting based on the position of the sun. In this case, you could add some diffusion to cut and diffuse the light, just like the clouds on an overcast day. Every pro photographer or cinematographer uses diffusion. Diffusion allows us to control the light and shape it to meet our needs. Simple sheer curtains can take direct, bright sunlight and turn it into a large, soft, and flattering light source. It is that simple. If the light is still too bright, add another layer of sheer curtains.

Shape the Light

When using natural light through a window you will want to make sure that you set up your desk area so that you are facing the windows, or even better positioned at an angle up to 45º to the window. With your desk set up directly facing the window, the light will be very even across your face. You will look very professional and great on your call.

If you want to step it up a bit and look a little more cinematic try rotating your desk up to a 45º angle. Doing this will allow the light to drape across your face. One side will be brighter while the other side will be shadowed a bit more. This will add depth and dimension to your features. Play with this and find the angle that works for you.

Make sure the brightest light is used to light your face.

One mistake I’m sure you have seen is setting up a call with windows in the background. Remember the camera sees light differently than the human eye. It may look beautiful in real life, but the camera will struggle to create a usable image in this case.

Most webcams are not able to expose properly with large differences between bright and dark. During the day the light is much more powerful outdoors than it is indoors. The net result is this. The main light is now behind you. The camera must expose to the bright window light. This throws you, the subject into darkness. This is particularly hard for others on the call to watch and makes you look like an amateur.

Add a Bounce

If you are having fun and want to take this a step further, you can add some bounce. That is, we are going to bounce some of the light that is shining across your face back into the shadow side.

This is easy to do with a piece of foam core. You can pick this up in the art supply section of Walmart or your favorite art supply store. Prop up the card so that it can bounce the light from the window back into your face. This will gently soften the shadows and fill in your face a bit more.

Artificial Light

To this point, we have been talking about using the sun as our light source, but that beautiful, natural light is not always available. Enter artificial light. This could be overhead lights in the ceiling, a lamp, or a more professional studio light. First, I will touch on common lighting that is likely already available to you – your house lights.

Common Lights

Before we begin we need to consider another principle when trying to create good light. The second principle of light we should consider is the angle or direction of the light. For many, the main light in the room is an overhead light that is hung in the center of the room. This provides very even light throughout the area. But, unless you place your desk so you are facing the light your face will fall into darkness.

We want your main light to come from in front of you and illuminate your face. To help balance the light and bring focus to you use a desk lamp as the main light source. The overhead light can be used as a secondary light illuminating your space.

Consider the direction and angle of the main light.

A lamp with a nice shade can produce beautiful light. But, remember our first principle of lighting: the larger the lampshade the better the light. Second, use a white lampshade. Using a colored lampshade or one that is off-white or yellow will produce a color cast that will not be flattering. Keep it simple and keep it as large as you can. You can control the brightness by choosing a brighter or dimmer bulb or by moving the lamp closer or farther away from you.

Mixed Lighting

Now, let’s consider a common problem that comes from using household lights-mixed lighting. This is the principle of the color of light. Mixed lighting is the result of using different kinds of lights. Incandescent lights look different from CFL or LED. Fluorescent lights can look different as well. We are specifically talking about the color temperature of a light source. Color temperature is measured in Kelvin and can tell us what the look and feel of the light will create.

• Incandescent lights – 3200º kelvin.  Incandescent lights have a yellow hue.
• LED – LED lights are blueish but can vary in color temperature. 5500º Kelvin.
• Fluorescent – Fluorescent lights have long been the bane of photographers.  They often cast a green tint. 4000º Kelvin.
• Daylight – Color temperature varies throughout the day, Sunrise/Sunset 3600ºK, Midday 5500ºK, Cloudy 6500ºK.

The camera is unforgiving when it comes to color temperature. Using lights in your environment with different color temperatures will cause your video to look odd or downright bad. Take a look at some of the examples below.

Practical Steps to Correct Mixed Light in Your Office Area

• Change your light bulbs. Many manufacturers make light bulbs available in different color temperatures. Do your best to make sure that all of the lights in your Zoom room are of the same
  color temperature or as close as you can. For example, if you have a lot of windows with sunlight pouring through, be sure to purchase bulbs that are in the daylight spectrum. This will give a
  much more pleasing and natural look to your video. You may also want to consider using an RGB LED light bulb.  These lights are adjustable, both in color and brightness.
• Turn off lights that do not match.  Don’t be afraid to turn some lights off. Sometimes it is better to turn a light off than to have a light that is a different color temperature.
• If you have a camera that allows you to adjust the color temperature, but sure to set it to match the lighting.
• Purchase studio lighting if your budget allows.

Studio Lighting

One of the main reasons many commercial photographers do not solely use sunlight is they need to be able to create any type of light at any time of day, and any time of year. Studio lighting will give you consistent results every time. If your goal is to have a setup that just works this is the way to go. Studio lighting has many advantages over household lights and even daylight. It can be adjusted for brightness and in many cases color temperature.

In recent years LED lights have grown in popularity for their power efficiency, size, cool operating temperature, weight, and flexibility when compared to more traditional studio lighting. LED lighting has also seen a dramatic drop in overall cost.

As we stated earlier, when selecting a light, size matters. You will see many different options for lighting your zoom room. You need to remember a few things.

• The larger the light source, the softer and more flattering the light will be.
• What is the color temperature range of the light you are considering.

Types of LED Lights

One of the most popular lights available today is the ring light. Ring lights create a beautiful light that many love. It is the de facto standard for the Instagram fashion or beauty blogger. No doubt, because it’s smooth and even light. The tell-tail of the ring light, and why some-including myself, choose not to use it are the circular catchlights you will see in the eye.

But, just as some do not care for the catchlight the ring light provides, just as many love it. So, don’t let that hinder you. Quality ring lights can be found for a great price.

The next type of light you may consider is the LED panel. Panels are manufactured in many sizes. Just remember that size matters. I would urge you to get the largest-sized panel your budget allows.

The last consideration for a LED light is the color temperature range. Some LED panels have a set color temperature – normally about 5500ºK or daylight. Higher quality panels may be bi-color. These lights have LEDs that are balanced to 3200ºK (incandescent light) and 5500ºK (daylight). You can set the color temperature anywhere in that range.

Things to Remember

• It is important to remember that the larger the light the softer and better it will make you look.
• The angle of the light is important. Never place the main light behind you whether that is a window or a house light.
• Always make sure the brightest light is used as the main light for you.
• Be sure that all of the lights in your space are in the same color temperature range. If you follow these steps you will be well on your way to having great light on your next virtual presentation.

Title Image by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

The post 4 Ways to Improve the Lighting for Your Next Zoom Call! appeared first on Metro Technical Services.

By: Shelagh Bolger

If your year was anything like mine, it saw one video call after another. Many of us were not prepared to turn our homes into a full-time office – and curating a backdrop for our video calls was the least of our worries! But as days turned into weeks turned into months, we’ve all realized that video calls are here to stay, so we must thoughtfully consider our virtual presentation to clients, colleagues, and friends. Use the tips below to curate a professional, tidy, and aesthetically pleasing backdrop for your next zoom meeting. 

1.  Select a Neutral, Clean Background

One of the most important elements to consider when preparing for a video call is selecting the wall that will be your backdrop. Opt for a wall with a solid colored background. Avoid stripes or patterns as these become distorted on camera, which will ultimately distract your viewers from focusing on you and your content. 

If you select a space that has shelves or bookcases, be sure to tidy them up. Remove any excess clutter and take some time to assess how the pieces on the bookshelf look as individual pieces, as well as a cohesive unit. Consider removing a few items from shelves or bookcases to allow for some empty space on camera. You can always refill the space after your video call.

Take note of how the subject (in this case, you!) is framed by props and decor. You want to avoid styling mistakes such as a plant looking like it is coming out of the speaker’s head, or large text (in artwork, a poster) being partially cut-off from the shot which could potentially distract viewers as they ponder what the full text would read if completed. By framing the subject in a tasteful way, you are drawing focus and attention where it should be – on the presenter. 

Make sure your desk is clear of any trash, dishes, mail, etc…You want to present a professional and clean look to your colleagues and clients.

2. Add Texture

Texture is a first principle of design. It adds dimension and warmth to a space. To make your video background feel real and inviting, add texture through the use of wood, rattan, wool, or metal. Below are some ways to add these materials to your backdrop:

• Install a beautiful piece of driftwood on your wall to add a coastal feel to the space.
• Opt for a unique desk that brings in gorgeous texture with this rattan piece.
• Throw a beautiful wool blanket on your chair- it will add both comfort and depth to your look! 
• Invest in a cool, industrial-style bookshelf to display your favorite photos, awards, and keepsakes.

3. Bring the Outdoors In

It’s been a difficult year for many, having to connect with family, friends, and colleagues virtually rather than in-person. Make your background feel real and inviting through the use of plants, florals, and faux trees. Adding a bit of nature to your screen will make your viewers feel that what they are seeing is a little more real. 

Opt for potted plants on your desk, hanging plants installed from the ceiling, or air plants hung on the wall. Real or faux potted indoor trees make a statement with their height. Bonus- plants will purify the air in your space. 

Set a bouquet of flowers on your desk or table. This is a beautiful way to add color and dimension to your video set. Many grocery stores sell reasonably priced options that are already styled as a centerpiece – so no need to be a floral master yourself!

4. Color is Key

Many studies have been conducted which suggest that color can have a great impact on human emotion- affecting us both positively and negatively. For instance, red ignites passion, blue is a calming hue, and green and white promote feelings of health and well-being. Given this, one should pay particular attention to the colors used in their video set: What are you trying to project to your viewers about yourself? And how do you want your viewers to feel? A few color/mood associations are listed below:

• Blue: Calming, purity, universally appealing color
• Purple: Regal symbolism, strength, power
• Red: Passion, appetite, battle, love, extreme emotions
• Green: Nature, rejuvenation, hope, envy 
• Yellow: Sunlight, brilliance, treachery
• White: Cleanliness
• Black: Strength, authority, sorrow

Carefully consider your color scheme, taking into account how color affects human emotion. Perhaps you want the overall feeling to be clean (white walls) whilst also projecting strength (black accent pieces). Keep in mind that while you want to incite positive feelings, it’s also good to show your personality. Use your favorite colors in the space – even if it’s just a pop of a favorite hue in the flowers on your desk or a framed poster on the wall. 

Styling a clean, professional, and thoughtful space for your video calls takes creativity and intention but will make such a difference in your online interactions. Hopefully, 2021 brings more in-person moments for us all, but in the meantime, impress your colleagues and friends with your thoughtfully styled backdrop – one that highlights order and beauty, and never detracts from the main event- you!

About the Author:

Shelagh Bolger is a full-time event planner and freelance stylist based in Washington, D.C. who works on events of all types and sizes from intimate dinners for eight to large galas featuring the President of the United States. On the weekend you can find her feng-shuing her bedroom or picking up coffee and fresh-cut blooms at Eastern Market. 

To follow her adventures as an event planner and stylist, check out her Instagram

*Computer Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The post 4 Tips for Styling a Picture Perfect Video Call appeared first on Metro Technical Services.

By: DcSoundOp

Virtual meetings are a struggle, but they are not going away anytime soon. Everyone really is doing their best to keep up. Keeping businesses going, teaching important lessons, solving everyday problems, all while sorting through countless new technologies and options for how to get it all done. There is a lot to do.

In recent months I’ve talked with friends who are musicians, teachers, business people, doctors & medical professionals, all with common frustrations. Hearing from them, it’s clear that each industry and person has unique challenges to consider. Also, many people are dealing with details beyond their control and limited budgets for finding solutions.

It is obvious that everyone wants to show their work, message, or story in the best possible light. You can hear it in the frustration when best efforts go off the rails. But we can help by understanding that while everyone’s end goals & resources are vastly different, the fundamentals of good virtual meetings are the same. Anyone can apply these fundamentals, no matter the budget. They are quick to try and offer tons of value for the effort.

Lights

Lighting is everything in video. It doesn’t have to be complex or expensive, just given proper care and planning. Light arguably makes the biggest difference in achieving good results with any video project. The camera and other gear involved are all relying on good light to produce their best results.

Use natural window light to your advantage whenever possible, it is cheap and plentiful. Pay close attention to how you’re using it, though, as you set things up. Windows behind the subject, leaving faces in deep shadow is a very common mistake to make. Big picture windows & pretty garden views often seem like the perfect plan, but a poorly lit face & a blown-out white box is typically the unfortunate result.

Position your subject so light hits the face, you’d think that was obvious. Sheer curtains are an inexpensive way to diffuse light for a softer & more flattering look. Even with great windows though, daylight is variable and we are sure to be working more after dark as the seasons change.

Modern LED video lights are thankfully inexpensive and offer reliable & consistent results you can easily repeat. Choose a light with some sort of diffusion & place it close to the subject, just off-axis to their sightline to the camera. Look for any reflections in eye-glasses, eliminating them by repositioning the light as needed. Check out this video from DSLR Video Shooter for more ideas on how to light a subject on a budget.

A neutral color wall, at least three feet behind the subject makes an ideal backdrop. Something with more personality might be tempting, but web-cameras struggle with cluttered backdrops. Don’t create distractions when the focus should be on you. Keep it simple & if you want to add some pop, try a hair light. Extra lights are a great way to build dimension & better define the subject.

Audio

There are endless ways to customize and improve your audio setup for virtual work. Professional-grade tools like an audio interface, microphone, and headphones are certainly something to work towards for heavy users. For many users though, you don’t need to go so far to see a benefit.

Avoid these two BIG mistakes at all costs:

1) Never use your device in speakerphone mode.

2) Always MUTE your microphone unless you intend to speak.

Pay attention to your virtual audio etiquette & your peers will overlook most other technical issues.

The earbuds that came with your device are a great place to start. Bluetooth headphones are a great option too, and there are tons to choose from. I always prefer a wired headset. Apple earbuds aren’t very comfortable, but they have been remarkably reliable over the years.

Bluetooth offers some great benefits, but days will happen when batteries run low & pairing issues arise, leaving you out of luck. There is a good reason that professional productions don’t use wireless unless there is a real need. Wired gear is always more reliable, sounds better, and generally costs far less than wireless versions.

Microphones come in all shapes and sizes. On the low end are some great all-in-one microphone that offers USB-C connectivity and a built-in headphone amplifier for easy setup. For more specialized microphones, you’ll need an audio interface to handle that connectivity.

Different situations may call for a headset or lavalier microphone or even a broadcast style microphone like the Shure SM7b that has become so popular in recent years. Dedicated hardware to mix multiple microphones & process the audio before it hits the computer is limited only by your imagination & budget. You’ll know you need that when you get there.

Video

Like audio, the possibilities to capture and process video are endless. You could rent a full broadcast studio for your next virtual meeting, or use a spare bedroom and the camera you bought for your last vacation. You’d be surprised by how similar the results can be with a bit of careful planning.

The big mistake I see here is simply not setting up the shot. Especially when using the built-in camera on your phone, tablet, or laptop, get it up off the desk & closer to eye level. This simple change will fix so many problems.

For phones and tablets, I like to use clamps from SmallRig (with a cell phone or tablet holding clamp) as they provide the most flexibility. A plain old shoe-box or other cardboard box is my favorite way to get the camera up to the correct height for laptops. Unless you’re a headlining DJ, the chrome laptop stand is probably a bit overkill.

Raising your camera improves the geometry of your backdrop. It also makes a much more flattering angle for the subject. Not many people would take a selfie with the camera on a desk, looking up their nose and distorting their features.

The selfie game has been going strong for years. You know you look best using an outstretched arm and pointing the camera down slightly from above. Use your instincts to experiment and find your best angles, then highlight them.

Computer

In many cases, the hardware is provided by an employer & out of your control, don’t despair. There may still be a few things you can do to ensure the best results. The first one is so easy and could easily save your job.

Before doing anything else, stop and create a dedicated user profile on your device just for virtual meeting software. Treat this profile like a public computer you might use in a lecture hall or conference room to give a presentation. Nothing should be stored locally to it, presentation files can be loaded from a USB drive & erased after use.

Clear the desktop, brand it with your logo if you like, and only sign into relevant software and services that you are comfortable for viewers to see when they pop-up at random. You can then prepare this environment with any needed presentation files and test them prior to joining each meeting.

It worries me to see professional business people & educators presenting in virtual forums to the public and their peers with all manner of sensitive information on their computer desktop. Notifications are often popping up throughout, with all sorts of potentially embarrassing or career-ending message previews displayed for everyone’s benefit.

No different than clearing your desk of sensitive documents and muting your ringer for an in-person meeting at the office, a clean virtual environment is even more critical in avoiding embarrassment.

Divide & Conquer

As you can, try to use dedicated devices for important tasks. The device handling the video call should not be tasked with anything else during the call. Try to handle web browsing, taking notes, referencing email, and other tasks on a separate device. Multitasking is great, but it’s asking for trouble during a live presentation.

Dedicated devices don’t typically need to be powerful or expensive as they handle just one specific task. Using this approach also leaves some budget to have backups on hand. Avoiding failures altogether is impossible, but you can easily be prepared with a backup solution as soon as issues arise.

Network

Use wired internet whenever possible during video calls, no matter the device. It’s a cheap way to significantly improve the quality of your meetings without any real work. WiFi has security limitations and provides a fraction of the speed and reliability of a wired solution, even in good circumstances. How about tablets & smartphones? Pickup a lightning to ethernet adapter for iOS devices, or a USB to ethernet adapter for devices with USB-C . Wired internet eliminates tons of issues & should be your standard procedure.

Backup

Always have another device ready in the event of a failure. If you use a computer for a video call, keep a tablet or phone nearby and signed in to the same service. Before the call starts, have extra headphones and a charger on hand. Seamlessly reconnecting with a simple device when issues arise will help keep the conversation going.

These are just a few fundamentals and ideas that will hopefully get you thinking in a different way about streaming & video conferencing.

Metro Technical Services provides sales, installation, and consulting services.  If you have questions or need assistance we can help.  Email or give us a call at (301) 470-2142.

The Author

DcSoundOp.com is an independent creator producing Pro Audio and production focused content for all skill levels. Videos & articles include in-depth gear reviews, teardowns, interviews, how-tos & sound system walkthroughs. Reach out on social media @dcsoundop or directly at info@dcsoundop.com with questions if you’ve got them.

*Laptop Photo by Philipp Katzenberger on Unsplash

The post Virtual Meetings without Breaking the Bank appeared first on Metro Technical Services.