PROJECTS
Streaming success Central Moravian Church has turned to PTZOptics to produce engaging livestreams in a challenging space
IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Central Moravian Church is an inclusive community which assembles for worship, education and fellowship as members of the worldwide Moravian Church. Founded in 1742, Central Moravian Church is Bethlehem’s first congregation and the oldest Moravian Church in North America. The church’s main worship space can host approximately 1,200 worshippers for its traditional services. Central Moravian Church wanted to update the AV technologies in its large, historical building while creating systems that would remain relevant for years to come. Previously, the church used just a few webcams with a laptop to stream its services, but quickly realised the laptop was not equipped to handle the three video input sources it needed. “We wanted to be able to capture more of what was going on during the service in order to help the people who were watching on Facebook and YouTube be more engaged with the service,” said Will Schwab, media director at Central Moravian Church. “During the pandemic, we had a soloist and an organist, and most weeks someone playing a trombone accompanying the organ. The laptop was never designed to process that many video streams. It routinely maxed out its processing power and this led to dropped frames and lag on occasion. Additionally, our production team had to set up and take down the systems before and after each service.” The church’s architecture required cameras with a significant optical zoom in order to capture close-up views from
long distances. Everyone involved in the project worked to preserve the inside beauty of the space while maximising efficiencies for a multiplecamera operation. “The church was constructed from 1803–1806 and we have worked hard to try and preserve
incorporate the organist and the soloist in the back of the church and the two pulpits and baptismal font at the front of the sanctuary. Schwab’s team uses Telestream Wirecast software to set up shots, along with an X-keys controller and
The PTZOptics IP Joystick G3 the architectural integrity and aesthetic look of the sanctuary,” explained Schwab. “Between the age of the structure and wanting to make the streaming system as inconspicuous as possible, it was necessary to be creative with the wiring and placement of the equipment.” The team at Philadelphia-based integrator Haverford Systems installed two white PTZOptics PT-30X-NDl cameras in the front of the church and another two PT-30X-NDl cameras in the back of the church, powered by Power over Ethernet (PoE) for cabling efficiency. These cameras are able to capture head-and-shoulder views of people from up to 23m away. This allows Schwab and his team to create scenes that
a PTZOptics joystick for on-the-fly adjustments. The church also regularly uses the equipment for special events such as weddings and baptisms that require PTZ camera operation. “Each week we have a service on Sunday morning, but the space is used for a wide variety of events,” said Schwab. “We also use the space for chamber music concerts, hymns, weddings and memorial services. In addition, several other organisations regularly use the space. Moravian Academy – a K-12 college preparatory school – uses it for its chapel services and in December for its Vesper programme. Moravian College holds its Baccalaureate service and Vesper programme in our building,
and several times a year the Bach Choir of Bethlehem holds the ‘Bach at Noon’ concert series at Central. The space is also used by Musikfest for its Chamber Music series of concerts during the music festival.” The results of Central Moravian Church’s streaming upgrades have attracted followers from around the globe and helped the church expand its reach. “While acknowledging the painful horror of a global pandemic, the accelerated advancement in technology presents a silver lining,” comments Rt Rev Hopeton Clennon, senior pastor at Central Moravian Church. “Teleconferencing and livestreaming have truly moved mainstream. Central Moravian Church is grateful for an opportunity to adapt to new technology and engage the world through a new medium. Our weekly congregation is now global and in real time. Our daily mission and ministry activities are now available to be accessed around the world at the convenience and in the preferred timeframe of the recipient.” “We have been monitoring our YouTube statistics, which include viewers from as far away as South Korea and Nepal,” added Schwab. “During a special Easter service, we were able to use Wirecast to bring a remote caller into our production using a cell phone. Using the PTZOptics cameras with Wirecast and the X-keys controller, our team continues to find new ways to spread the message of God and share the mission of the Central Moravian Church.” www.ptzoptics.com
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