Hymn Lyrics on Screen

My Stake President has asked that I look into something for our Stake Conference coming up on March 18. We broadcast stake conference from the Stake Center to 2 other buildings in our stake. He has asked about putting the words of the congregational hymns on the screen like what happens at General Conference. I am VERY green and new when it comes to this calling. Any suggestions on how to do this? Is it possible? Is this something that I should contact FM about? I hope I survive this calling!

jsto03 wrote:Is it possible?

Yes, it is possible. No, it is not supported by the FM Group or Church headquarters. You are on your own. It is interesting to note that the Church has stopped displaying hymn lyrics during General Conference.

To do so requires special equipment. There are other threads in this area that describe different ways it may be done.

You will survive the calling.

jsto03 wrote:Is it possible? Is this something that I should contact FM about?

No. From Webcast Requirements: "Units that use webcast technology are encouraged to keep their webcast setup as simple as possible. Overly complicated systems can be difficult to run, and represent an unnecessary expense to the Church. Advanced features such as speaker titles, hymn text, and multiple cameras are optional, not required, for a successful webcast."

This is going to be entirely up to the stake, both for implementation and paying for the equipment. On the expense side, keep in mind that if equipment has a life span of 5-7 years, then it will only get used 10-14 times before it's replaced (again at stake expense).

That said, I know others have done text on screen. It's either running the video though the compuer (by using a video capture card), or by using a video mixer that will allow you to superimpose text (from a computer) on screen.

jsto03 wrote:Is it possible?

Sure.

jsto03 wrote:Is this something that I should contact FM about?

No, they won't be able to assist you.

The church has supported Wirecast in the past for doing video titling and hymn lyrics (see Wirecast—Displaying Speaker Titles and Hymn Lyrics), but if you're starting from scratch, the setup required to do so can be expensive with a pretty good learning curve thrown in.

If you are webcasting in standard definition, there are plenty of good SD video mixers available from eBay in the $100-$150 range with titling capabilities. This might be the best option, but you'll need to do your homework first to make sure it will do what you want and if you need extra equipment (like a PC/Mac) to go with.

Does your stake president specifically want the camera and the hymn lyrics on the screen at the same time? If you can simplify and only show lyrics (without mixing in the camera), there are a lot of solutions. I've seen people pull up PowerPoint slides or go to LDS.org/music in a web browser. If you have the right cords, I like to plug an iPad into the projector and mirror the LDS Music app.

Do some searches on this site for what you want to do, there are tons of threads discussing it. You'll find powerpoint templates that are the correct color to key on for the overlay. If you can find an audio/video shop and RENT a video mixer that's the easiest way to get it done because it doesn't require a specialized computer to be created.

Here's a good overview of using the system - It has as inputs 2 cameras (our FM ran a PTZ camera from the chapel and I kept the 2nd input from the overflow to use as a 2nd camera)
But it should give you a pretty good idea what's required for using a video mixer.