Tech Forum Archive

Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all buildings

15 postsstarted by justincy 4,482 viewsoriginal topic

justincy
Member
#1
We have heard that a common problem with webcasts in receiving buildings is that a ward member's laptop is used and each one ends up being different and requires different setup instructions and runs into different problems. Have you guys experienced this?

It was recommended to us by another STS that we buy a dedicated webcasting laptop for each building so that the setup instructions are the same for each building. Do you think this is necessary?
lchoyt
New Member
#2

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

We have found that this is the best way to handle the broadcasts. This way if you run into a problem with one computer you can correct it on all of the computers. Also over the years different members have helped with the broadcasts and it's easier have the same setup and plan every time.
russellhltn
Community Administrator
#3

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

Out of curiosity, how many broadcasts do you folks do? If limited to stake conferences, that would be twice a year. So given a 5-7 year lifetime for a computer, that's 10-14 broadcasts.

What about using the clerk machines? Yes, it's a hassle to move them and set them up with a keyboard and mouse. But it's only twice a year.

Or is there a lower-cost alternative? Can a Raspberry Pi do this?
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Mikerowaved
Community Moderators
#4

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

I've never had a problem of not getting the same one or two notebooks each time to receive a broadcast. The members that help me setup the receive end of things are really good about bringing their own.
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mwgbell
Member
#5

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

We always use the Clerk computers. Drag one out of the clerk's office and plug it into the Ethernet jack at the podium. It sends VGA to the projector (we don't bother bringing out the clerk monitor; just use the projector instead of the monitor). And audio output through the crab box to the building sound system. Seems to work fine, and takes about 15 minutes.

It doesn't give HDMI quality, but since the FM group will not provision anything more than about 1MB (if we are lucky, late at night) upload speed from the Stake Center (more typically in the 500-750K range according to the firewall speed test), there isn't enough quality for anything more than VGA in any case.
justincy
Member
#6

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

Thanks for the sound advice. I'll probably recommend against getting a laptop for each receiving location since they've all received broadcasts before and we haven't heard of it being a problem. We will have Assistant STSs at each location; they'll be able to take care of it well.
drepouille
Senior Member
#7

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

I would love to have an Ethernet jack at the podium. For that matter, I would love to have an Ethernet jack in the stake clerk's office!
Years ago, when the FM hosted a regional conference, he needed an Ethernet jack in the cultural hall, so he installed one, very quickly I might add.
Dana Repouille, Plattsmouth, Nebraska
mwgbell
Member
#8

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

You might try Powerline networking. We needed an Access Point in the "Seminary wing" of one of our buildings, and the FM group was unwilling to provision a drop. We purchased ZyXEL 600 Mbps Mini Powerline AV2 Gigabit Adapter with AC Pass Through http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EPG ... UTF8&psc=1 for about $100. Works great, and seems to be fast enough to not bottleneck (the bottleneck is the Internet download).

The nice thing is that you can move the "remote" unit should you need a temporary drop somewhere.
lajackson
Community Moderators
#9

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

drepouille wrote:Years ago, when the FM hosted a regional conference, he needed an Ethernet jack in the cultural hall, so he installed one, very quickly I might add.
Ask him to give a fireside in the chapel, next time. [grin]
aclawson
Senior Member
#10

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

mwgbell wrote:You might try Powerline networking. We needed an Access Point in the "Seminary wing" of one of our buildings, and the FM group was unwilling to provision a drop. We purchased ZyXEL 600 Mbps Mini Powerline AV2 Gigabit Adapter with AC Pass Through http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EPG ... UTF8&psc=1 for about $100. Works great, and seems to be fast enough to not bottleneck (the bottleneck is the Internet download).
These "solutions" are notorious for causing interference to amateur radio operations as the Powerline adapters are invariably poorly designed and rely on people not caring that they routinely violate the law in terms of harmful emissions. If an amateur radio operator in the neighborhood identifies interference that is coming from your building and requests that you turn it off - even during the middle of a webcast - then you are morally and legally obligated to do so, with hefty fines potentially in the works if you ignore the Part 15 rules.
craiggsmith
Senior Member
#11

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

I personally would like to see dedicated laptops, but also because they could be used for presentations and other needs. I have had countless problems with other people's computers, and of course they never show up in time to work things out.
Craig
Saint George, UT
russellhltn
Community Administrator
#12

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

Just as a thought, has anyone looked into using the new Raspberry Pi 2? It has both Composite and HDMI outputs. Other than a case and power supply, I don't think it needs any added hardware. The only thing questionable is software compatible with webcasting system.
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craiggsmith
Senior Member
#13

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

We were talking about them at my work the other day. I thought someone posted something here a while ago. At any rate, I think they would be ideal for this.
Craig
Saint George, UT
russellhltn
Community Administrator
#14

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

I found out today that the new webcast system is based on Silverlight plug-in. The system supports PC and Mac. So I'm not sure where that leaves Raspberry. Maybe if you load Windows 10 on it. Maybe time to order one and play with it.
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craiggsmith
Senior Member
#15

Re: Dedicated laptops for receiving webcasts in all building

Silverlight? I'm surprised, I thought no one was using it any more. Never had good luck with it with Netflix. At any rate, a lighter-weight solution would be more ideal.
Craig
Saint George, UT