Video production in the church market has become incredibly sophisticated in the past decade. Over that same period, the technology used has increased in options and decreased in cost. As a result, the video switcher has become a common staple in churches.
Today, the width and breadth of options for a video switcher are staggering. In the face of this oversaturated market, the obvious question becomes "Which one is right for your church?"
There is no easy way to determine the criteria that makes sense for your church; each church's criteria will be as unique as the church itself. There is no "one size fits all" answer.
I always say the switcher that is right for you is the one that gets you the results you want, on all fronts, every time.
That said, there are some good guidelines that can help separate the wheat from the chaff. Things like resolution, input type, and budget are all contributing factors.
Like most things, switchers do tend to follow the rule "you get what you pay for." I do hope, though, that this article will arm you with some information to help you not pay for more than you need.
Input
Video signals come in different sizes, shapes, frames rates, and connections. Making sense of these options is a challenge.
Typically, if you have mixed format resolution and connection types you are going to want to consider a scaling switcher. This is a switcher with built-in processing that converts mixed media and connections into a standard output. As you might have guessed, adding a scaling engine to a switcher increases the cost. It also typically slows down the output signal a little, because of the processing. The amount of latency depends on the switcher. If you can get all your content to a single standard, be it SD, HD, or 4K, the scaling engine is not necessary. So be sure and weigh out which is cheaper; standardizing your sources or paying for a switcher with a scaling engine.
When it comes to connection types, there are two that stand out in stark contrast to the rest. The gold standard of video connection is Serial Digital Interface (SDI) and typically comes in a BNC connector. HDMI is certainly gaining traction and support as the availability of longer, more reliable HDMI cables becomes available. HDMI tends to have more information that can be sent over that connection than SDI, however it doesn't have the cable length and locking connector found on SDI. It's also an expensive cable that can't be field terminated, compared to the cheap, easily terminated SDI cable.
HDMI also has another nasty four letter acronym associated with it, High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection, or HDCP. The long and short of it is this: many devices like Blu-Ray players won't work if they are connected to your switcher, because the device recognizes that the switcher is not a TV, and therefore capable of stealing the information. As a result, it simply doesn't pass the information. Don't assume that just because your switcher has an HDMI port that any HDMI device is going to work there, because it might not. HDMI from a camera typically doesn't pose a problem, as long as the formats are compatible. For computer inputs, HDMI is still a viable option, as long as you are not sending copyright-protected material over the connection. Be sure you research or you could be paying a premium for nothing.
Budget
Production switchers come in a wide range of prices, ranging from less than $1,000 to more than $100,000. I think the most important question in determining your budget is "how are you going to use the switcher?" Is it for live production IMAG, live streaming, VOD, multisite distribution, or all of the above? This is important, because features specific for one distribution platform might not be required or needed in another. Knowing exactly how you are going to use your switcher will keep you from paying for features you don't need.
For example, if you are not going to be distributing live IMAG, there are some very budget-friendly models of switchers. They tend to introduce latency, rendering them not as useful for IMAG. However, if you are just streaming, the latency isn't an issue. Do you need keying overlay and effects? There are models that don't have these production effects, but are cost effective and designed specifically for streaming.
If you have to do live IMAG and streaming, but they can be the same signal, then a 1Mix Effect (ME) switcher might be suitable. If you need live production and a totally separate mix output for streaming, then you are looking for a 2ME switcher. If you have huge live production requirements and multiple distribution avenues, and it needs to be user friendly for volunteers, then you need a very large production switcher with macros for reliability.
If you are comfortable with your switcher being built on a computer platform, there are lots of feature rich, computer-based switchers out there. However, if you are like me and prefer the reliability of a hardware platform, it might be worth giving up some of those features for reliability, especially if you know you would never use them anyway.
This piece wasn't intended to be all inclusive; there are many factors like genlock, control surfaces, and volunteer friendly use that I didn't even go into. This was intended to be a primer to encourage you to think about which switcher is right for you and consider those factors in that decision.
I always say the switcher that is right for you is the one that gets you the results you want, on all fronts, every time. Hopefully your answer will be different from mine, because your church is different than mine.