For nearly two decades, live video streaming has contributed greatly to reaching people "outside" the four walls of the church. In even the simplest form, streaming media provides leadership with a unique channel into our busy lives, where we can literally participate in a church service from the palm of our hand.
As the medium continues to develop and mature, the need for a deeper, more interactive experience must be part of the discussion. How do we enrich the virtual church experience to meet the needs of people who may never darken the door of our church building? Can we meet their spiritual needs in a virtual capacity?
The best answer depends on the person watching and flows from the ministry philosophy of running a virtual church experience. Some churches thrive in simply broadcasting their services, live, from their web page. Others opt for a more interactive mode, using interactive chat solutions and leveraging social media outlets like Facebook Live and Periscope to help foster a two-way experience, with the latter being the trend in church streaming today.
Imagine for a moment that the viewing experience could change from a produced, conventional broadcast, to an immersive experience.
Recently, I spoke with a church media director who is experimenting with live, 360 degree, virtual reality streaming of their church services. This is a streaming use case where a 360/VR camera is strategically placed in a sanctuary/auditorium, with the live stream being broadcast to a website for mobile and desktop viewing. As a result, the viewer can logon to a web page, where they're presented with a pan/tilt/zoom option in a two-dimensional player. Additionally, using a 3D headset or Google Cardboard, paired to a mobile device, an end user can enjoy a 360 degree, virtual reality viewing experience.
In other words, with the proper viewing equipment, the experience is exactly like standing in the congregation, looking around, and participating in every aspect of the service, exactly as if they were in the room!
I know what you're thinking. "We could never afford that," or "This is creepy, our pastor would never go for it." Personally, I was taken aback by the concept, until I came to the realization that this is exactly what many of us want - pulling people into the real church experience!
When used properly, VR technology is affordable, robust, and effective.
Imagine for a moment that the viewing experience could change from a produced, conventional broadcast (mimicking what we see on TV), to an immersive experience where perfection is less important and participation literally takes center stage.
Think about it: We design our church services to meet the needs of the people in the room. 360/VR streaming extends that hard effort by providing the real sense that you're actually present, on-site. 360/VR streaming provides the potential to virtually merge the service with the online viewer, which is better than just watching a rectangle on your computer screen.
While it is a relatively new concept, as church media professionals, I think we should embrace this new medium and begin to think creatively in how we can leverage 360/VR streaming to expand and challenge how we distribute our services today.
Setting up a 360/VR workflow requires the following:
1. A 360/VR camera like the Giroptic 360cam, Orah, or multiple GoPro Hero4 cameras (connected to a Teradek Sphere)
2. Video stitching and encoding software like VideoStitch or Sphere from Teradek.
3. Streaming Media Server/CDN like Wowza Streaming Engine, Wowza Streaming Cloud, Akamai, or YouTube.
4. 360/VR HTML Player like the HTML5 VR offering from Bitmovin.
On the end user side, consider the following enhancements:
1. Google Cardboard
2. 360/VR headset: Oculus Rift
For example, the newly released 360cam, from Giroptic, offers a low cost of entry ($500-$800) for live VR streaming, which includes the video stitching software and encoder, built-in to the device. This durable camera, which easily mounts to a standard tripod, can push live audio and video to Wowza Streaming Cloud, a powerful solution for stable and effective distribution of UHD/VR video. Embedded in the website, the HTML5 from Bitmovin will pull the video stream from Wowza Streaming Cloud, where it is rendered as two dimensional video for flat screens, with pan/tilt capability, as well as provide a stereoscopic mode for Google Cardboard and Oculus Rift users.
Using Wowza or Akamai, it is also possible to push your 360/VR feed to social media outlets like YouTube, who are 360 video ready today. This is a good solution if you're ready for VR streaming and need a quick player solution.
Keep in mind:
Quality: As with many media applications, a greater investment in camera equipment will improve the quality of the media. Maximize your investment by using the best VR camera that you can afford. For example, the Teradek Sphere offers an incredibly flexible stitching solutions, where you can "bring your own cameras" to the workflow. This means options from GoPro, Red5, and others become options to consider.
Network: 360/VR is essentially publishing a 4k stream (or greater) to the Internet. Some solutions require more bandwidth than others, so be sure that you have at least 5-6 MB upload capacity to support your streaming workflow. Higher definition VR streams can consume 10-15 MB of bandwidth, depending on the settings, so be ready. Also, if you are simultaneously streaming a standard HD video stream, be sure you have additional bandwidth as well.
Promotion: Google Cardboard accessories are low cost, and can be custom printed using your church's logo and messaging. Distributing these as part of a marketing program, may be fun and captivating.
If you have questions or ideas, please reach out. I would be pleased to offer any assistance on this topic.