Announcement: No webcast during Priesthood Session

I just want to point the Community to a very recent announcement found on the LDS Tech Wiki page for the Meetinghouse Webcast technology. Apparently, the webcast technology will be disabled during the hours that Priesthood Session is broadcast.

Here is a link to the wiki page containing the announcement: https://tech.lds.org/wiki/index.php/Mee ... se_Webcast

mkmurray wrote:Apparently, the webcast technology will be disabled during the hours that Priesthood Session is broadcast.

Thank you for the heads up. We will get on the phone tomorrow and let everyone know that they will need to travel. Our plans to save them several hours of driving time have just evaporated.

They've never broadcast priesthood sessions. They put it in the Ensign, but they don't broadcast or provide the audio or video on the website. They allow RS and YW to save money on transportation and rewatch their great talks, but priesthood members are kept in the dark. Too bad.

jkcook wrote:They've never broadcast priesthood sessions. They put it in the Ensign, but they don't broadcast or provide the audio or video on the website.

Priesthood sessions are always broadcast via satellite to stake centers and other selected locations.

This announcement is a surprise because the new Meetinghouse Webcast service will be unavailable for the precise times of the priesthood broadcast. Several stakes who have the Meetinghouse Webcast technology had planned to transmit the Priesthood Session live from their stake center to other buildings in their stake. Now they can't do that.

jkcook wrote:They've never broadcast priesthood sessions. They put it in the Ensign, but they don't broadcast or provide the audio or video on the website. They allow RS and YW to save money on transportation and rewatch their great talks, but priesthood members are kept in the dark. Too bad.

Alan_Brown answered your question, but I will emphasize the discrepancy in topics by pointing out that you are asking about a completely different technology than mentioned in my announcement at the beginning of this thread. The difference is that you are talking about satellite broadcasts from Church Headquarters to units around the world while I am referring to the new Meetinghouse Webcast technology which is a building-to-building communication system used within a Stake.

For more information about this new technology offered by the Church, I will again refer you to the same link posted at the beginning of this thread (as it not only contains the warning announcement, but also detailed information about the new technology itself): https://tech.lds.org/wiki/index.php/Mee ... se_Webcast

lajackson wrote:Thank you for the heads up. We will get on the phone tomorrow and let everyone know that they will need to travel. Our plans to save them several hours of driving time have just evaporated.

Alan_Brown wrote:Priesthood sessions are always broadcast via satellite to stake centers and other selected locations.

This announcement is a surprise because the new Meetinghouse Webcast service will be unavailable for the precise times of the priesthood broadcast. Several stakes who have the Meetinghouse Webcast technology had planned to transmit the Priesthood Session live from their stake center to other buildings in their stake. Now they can't do that.

If there is a significant travel time/distance issue for those who live near the other buildings, perhaps those buildings might qualify for a satellite dish.

rmrichesjr wrote:If there is a significant travel time/distance issue for those who live near the other buildings, perhaps those buildings might qualify for a satellite dish.

Not quite far enough to qualify for a dish. Their meetinghouse is 25 minutes from the nearest building with satellite. But, many of them have to travel an hour to get to the branch meetinghouse before they travel that extra 1/2 hour.

We thought we would save a bunch of them that last 1/2 hour of travel, but that plan just backfired.

Based on the message, it may be that maintenance work was needed on the entire system, not because of other reasons? After all, some things have happened in regards to MLS right when everyone needed to use it to upload financial data to HQ.

JamesAnderson wrote:Based on the message, it may be that maintenance work was needed on the entire system, not because of other reasons? After all, some things have happened in regards to MLS right when everyone needed to use it to upload financial data to HQ.

The outage is from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. MDT.
Priesthood is from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. MDT.

I don't think it's a coincidence, but it's hard (and pointless) to speculate any further.

As one who seems to frequently find himself beating dead horses to new heights, is it possible the the new webcasting service also can also be used to webcast from the meetinghouse to peoples homes? If so, then that might be a more likely explanation for the outage.

jbh001 wrote:Is it possible that the new webcasting service also can also be used to webcast from the meetinghouse to people's homes? If so, then that might be a more likely explanation for the outage.

Yes, it is technically possible for anyone with an Internet connection who has been given the event code and URL to view the webcast. However, in the Meetinghouse Webcast FAQ we read:

Meetinghouse Webcast is intended to broadcast events from one building to other buildings. Allowing others to view the webcasts from locations other than Church buildings should be done only when unusual circumstances exist and stake and area leaders deem it necessary. (emphasis mine)

Note that if people are following the policy, anyone receiving a webcast anywhere besides a Church building has to have approval from both stake and area leaders. I imagine such approval would not be given lightly.

However, the only real security on the webcast is a 6 digit code. The Church goes to great lengths to secure the broadcast of the Priesthood Session, so I could certainly understand a reluctance to have local units then pass on this secured communication using technology that is far less secure.

lajackson wrote:Thank you for the heads up. We will get on the phone tomorrow and let everyone know that they will need to travel. Our plans to save them several hours of driving time have just evaporated.

I certainly understand a desire to save members significant travel time. However, even if it had been technically feasible, I do wonder if it is appropriate at all to use Webcast technology to pass on broadcasts to other buildings. After all, the Meetinghouse Webcast FAQ says:

What type of meeting is appropriate for meetinghouse webcasts?
The letter from the Presiding Bishopic’s Office regarding use of webcast technology refers to “stake conferences, regional conferences, firesides, and training meetings.” Stake and area leaders should use discretion when determining what meetings should be broadcast. Webcasts should not be used to broadcast ordinances such as baptisms or the administration of the sacrament.

I don't see general conference broadcasts listed there as one of the appropriate webcast options. Just a point you might consider. But it is clear that stake and area leaders do make the decision.

Alan_Brown wrote:I don't see general conference broadcasts listed there as one of the appropriate webcast options. Just a point you might consider. But it is clear that stake and area leaders do make the decision.

Excellent point, and duly noted. We had already arranged to project the general sessions of conference at these meetinghouses using byu.tv (move.org) and laptops. Perhaps we got a bit carried away in thinking we could also arrange to show general priesthood meeting that way.

In any event, we are blessed with faithful brethren who will make the trip wherever needed to attend the meeting.

jbh001 wrote:. . . is it possible the the new webcasting service also can also be used to webcast from the meetinghouse to peoples homes?

Yes, as Alan has noted. The setup instructions say that up to 15 connections can be made via the Internet to the feed. The instructions also say that more connections can be arranged by coordinating with CHQ.

We have discussed sending the feed of our next stake conference to several meetinghouses, and also to locations where large numbers of our members are away for training or other service. We can still do it in under the 15 connection limit, though.

jbh001 wrote:As one who seems to frequently find himself beating dead horses to new heights, is it possible the the new webcasting service also can also be used to webcast from the meetinghouse to peoples homes? If so, then that might be a more likely explanation for the outage.

Well, if we're going to join in the recreational kicking of a moot points..... perhaps the reason it's unavailable is because it's a limited resource that's going to be used to bring the Priesthood session to congregations that don't have access to a satellite system. Perhaps members without their own building in some far away land. The ones getting it have been selected by the General Authorities in advance.

RussellHltn wrote:Well, if we're going to join in the recreational kicking of a moot points..... perhaps the reason it's unavailable is because it's a limited resource that's going to be used to bring the Priesthood session to congregations that don't have access to a satellite system. Perhaps members without their own building in some far away land. The ones getting it have been selected by the General Authorities in advance.

Ok, ok...you both bring up good points that it may not be precisely the reason we are eluding to, the fact that maybe the Church wants to continue to protect Priesthood Session broadcast in some way. I concede your points may be factors or the whole reason altogether. I still agree with Alan_Brown that there is ample evidence that Church goes to great lengths to secure the Priesthood broadcast.

Anyway, we probably should refrain from guessing like this about Church HQ's intentions. I will be the first to withdraw from the fruitless hypothesizing.

mkmurray wrote:I still agree with Alan_Brown that there is ample evidence that Church goes to great lengths to secure the Priesthood broadcast.

No question about it.

But, "Ours is not to question why, Ours is to do or die."