Church Webcast options for Apple TV or Roku?

The Church Webcast system can be used to provide a URL for public live streaming via a browser without needing a member login.

Many members and non-members have Apple TV, Roku or similar set top box systems like Google Cast because they are simple to use.

Is there an app, channel or other way to live stream directly to these devices without AirPlay or other casting via a separate device like an smartphone or laptop?

Does the Latter Day Saints Channel or BYUtv app have a way to add other streams from something like Church Webcast??

Ideas or thoughts?

The only receiver developed to work with Meetinghouse Webcast (MWC) was the Mi Box S. During beta testing it ran Android TV with a custom app pre-installed by the church. The MWC app has since been released to the Android TV app store (different from the Android Play Store) and is available for public download on devices running Android TV. A receiver running MWC can be "synced" to your stake by the stake STS. It will then show existing and/or upcoming webcasts from your stake and let you select one to view.

At this time, we've heard nothing about developing this capability on other platforms. However, we rarely hear of developments in progress until they hit beta or are ready for release.

The Meetinghouse Webcast App with Android TV was intended to provide an inexpensive receiver for remote meetinghouses during a stake conference. It wasn't really intended for home use, it just wasn't restricted.

As such, i doubt if there's any interest in adding Roku or Apple unless it appears that sacrament streaming is going to be something long-term.

rklindquist wrote:The Church Webcast system can be used to provide a URL for public live streaming via a browser without needing a member login.
Many members and non-members have Apple TV, Roku or similar set top box systems like Google Cast because they are simple to use. Is there an app, channel or other way to live stream directly to these devices without AirPlay or other casting via a separate device like an smartphone or laptop?
Ideas or thoughts?

I have not tested this, but I believe if you sign up for Vimeo (a paid service) that you can stream to the desired devices. You would need to research this further if it's an important option for your needs.

As others have stated - you can use the Meetinghouse Webcast app on Android TV devices. You just need to make sure to register the app/device to work with your stake first. Once the device is registered to your stake, then you will be able to see any non-private events listed in the Meetinghouse Webcast app created in your stake. For an event set as a "Private Event", you would need to enter the event code in the app to view the event on the device.

Please see https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/hel ... ebcast-app

.

seanhyte wrote:You just need to make sure to register the app/device to work with your stake first.

Is that required? It helps simplify the public events, but I think you can see anything if you have the event code.

We bought the Nvidia Shield to test out the Meetinghouse Webcast App. Once you install the app from the Google TV App store, you have to register it with the webcast system using a self-generated registration code.

The App works extremely well, I'm really hoping that the church makes it available in the Google Play Store and the Amazon store for Fire devices (Since both of these decisions wouldn't really require any change to the app itself, just the distribution model).

hicksticks2001 wrote:Once you install the app from the Google TV App store, you have to register it with the webcast system using a self-generated registration code.

What happens if you don't?

I have a NVIDIA Shield TV, which doesn’t need to be registered with the Church Webcast System. All that is required is the Event Code generated when a Webcast Meeting is scheduled.

As the STS I schedule my wards sacrament meetings, so I obtain the code then. I have made it known that I will supply any member who wishes to use the Meetinghouse webcast app with the code!

Apologies if this is the wrong topic, but my daughter's ward recently switched from broadcasting over Youtube to broadcasting over the church Webcast system. With Youtube, she could cast the stream from her android phone to their tv so the family could watch. They have been unable to do that with the church Webcast system. Any ideas I can pass to them? I don't believe their TV is an "Android TV" and I know it is not an Apple TV.

davesudweeks wrote:my daughter's ward recently switched from broadcasting over Youtube to broadcasting over the church Webcast system. With Youtube, she could cast the stream from her android phone to their tv so the family could watch. They have been unable to do that with the church Webcast system. Any ideas I can pass to them?

You might try Cromecasting. That might work. I thought that works with most webpages.

Many laptops have a HDMI outout that can connect to a TV set. If using a phone, there's probably an adapter that can create a HDMI output - it depends on the phone.

Thanks for the advice. I have my TV connected to my desktop via HDMI so we can watch Come Follow Me podcasts, but her desktop computer is in another part of her home. I recommended that to her and she was reluctant to go that route, but I will recommend again (I learned last night she has a working laptop). I think they have a Roku, not a Chromecast unit.

davesudweeks wrote:I think they have a Roku, not a Chromecast unit.

You can chromecast to a Roku.

Thanks. I don't have Chromecast or a Roku and don't have any experience with either.

davesudweeks wrote:I have my TV connected to my desktop via HDMI so we can watch Come Follow Me podcasts, but her desktop computer is in another part of her home. ... I think they have a Roku, not a Chromecast unit.

What kind of Come, Follow Me podcasts is she watching – are they on YouTube? If so, there's a YouTube "channel" (app) for Roku, so she should be able to stream them directly on the Roku without connecting another device.

sbradshaw wrote:

davesudweeks wrote:I have my TV connected to my desktop via HDMI so we can watch Come Follow Me podcasts, but her desktop computer is in another part of her home. ... I think they have a Roku, not a Chromecast unit.

What kind of Come, Follow Me podcasts is she watching – are they on YouTube? If so, there's a YouTube "channel" (app) for Roku, so she should be able to stream them directly on the Roku without connecting another device.

We (my wife and I) watch the Book of Mormon Central "Come Follow Me" podcast (on YouTube) using an HDMI cable from our desktop computer to our TV. That is not the issue.

My married daughter used to cast the YouTube Sacrament webcast from her phone through her Roku if they were home with the sniffles. When her ward switched from YouTube to the church Webcasting page, she told me they have not been able to put that on the TV for her children to watch with them - with 4 little ones, it is difficult for them to pay attention to the phone screen. So, her problem is getting the church Webcasting broadcast to show up on the TV. I think their TV is old enough that it doesn't have a web browser.

I think the Roku would be able to go direct to YouTube.

I don't have it set up now, but I'm pretty sure I saw an option to Chromcast from my Chrome browser to the Roku - despite the fact I had never set anything up. The browser simply sensed the presence of the Roku and offered it.

Shameless plug for an app I wrote to solve this problem: https://simplebroadcast.app

Background:

I got tired of our Windows laptops deciding to update themselves right before "go" time, and I was unimpressed with the quality of the Teradek and the limited bandwidth of the stream feeding the Church's system.

So I wrote an app that could take a URL to an HLS playlist (.m3u8) and would remain persistent if the app crashed or Apple TV rebooted. When the app is re-opened, it immediately plays the stream it was last given. This is so much easier to give to another tech specialist or high councilman to take and plug into the projector at our remote buildings while I manage the broadcast from the stake center.

I also built a management platform that talks to an internal version of the app, so I get telemetry from the Apple TVs and know that they're having problems before the on-site guys can text me about them. From there I built my own transcoding and delivery solution as well because of limitations of the Church's system.

Eventually that grew to include a web-based player for our shut-ins so they could attend stake meetings. All of that combined then became the solution that we now use for all 17 wards in the two stakes in our city. (I've toyed with the idea of making it more widely available...)

Obviously, the Simple Broadcast Player app works best in a home-use situation if the broadcast URL doesn't change from week to week. Nevertheless, URL's can be emailed or texted, then pasted from an iPhone to the Apple TV via the Remote app (which is now a part of Control center in iOS). The Church's system does have an HLS (.m3u8) link that can be pulled and used with the app. It won't work for YouTube (unless you use the youtube-dl tool to extract the HLS URL from a YouTube feed).

russellhltn wrote:I think the Roku would be able to go direct to YouTube.

I don't have it set up now, but I'm pretty sure I saw an option to Chromcast from my Chrome browser to the Roku - despite the fact I had never set anything up. The browser simply sensed the presence of the Roku and offered it.

Thanks for the advice. I spoke with my daughter again and she said YouTube offered to Chromecast, but when they pulled up the church Webcast from the link sent to them, they did not see that option. They were able to attend in person today, despite a child who was having a rough time with proper Sacrament meeting behavior (they all do from time to time...).