Zoom, Skype Technical Q&A here:

[luisenriquereyes]

14 minutes ago, jwhess said:

I am not in the A/V group, so I don't usually get any material.  I will check around my email files to see if I can locate any of them.

Would love to get any training material. I would then translate them to Spanish.  We have few qualified brothers and only have one ministerial servant.  We may have to train sisters soon to help us. 

[LRJW]

If someone has additional tips that works for them, in a document, I'd love to receive it too, please.  

 

Proverbs 11:14(b): "there is success through many advisers."

[More4me2do]

We evaluate 30 minutes before the meeting starts if there are any possible problems or if anyone anticipates difficulties. We have 4 different brothers that can at any given time jump in as backups.

 

On my setup all my routers, switches and necessary connection gear is connected to Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) should the power go out I am good for 45 minutes, providing the Internet connection is still up, before the UPS sends a signal to the NASs for an orderly shutdown. It has happened that power returned within 30 minutes and everything was normal on my setup as if no power failure ever occurred. Couldn't think of a better investment on my home network than a 900W CyberPower UPS.

 

One meeting evening there was a weather warning regarding heavy rain and thunder and lightning so the scheduled host requested someone else to do the hosting and sure enough his power went out. We were just glad he didn't have a part on the meeting.

[TylerD]

New update being released on Monday, April 19. Not a really a whole of changes in regards to congregation meetings, except for minor bug fixes and security enhancements. There is one new feature that I found interesting.

 

Improved power consumption 
Technical enhancements to improve power consumption for the Windows desktop client.

 

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201361953

[Qapla]

These two options are a nice change - the original sound on/off has been difficult for some to grasp

 

• Clearer Original Sound designation when on/off 

The in-meeting/webinar button for the Original Sound feature has been enhanced to provide a clearer designation of when the feature is on or off.

• Enhancement to screen sharing Zoom windows 

When sharing screen and allowing Zoom windows to be seen during the share, Zoom windows can be minimized.

[jayrtom]

19 hours ago, jwhess said:

We have about 10 brothers trained for the A/V work.  Lots of training, spcial instruction sessions, printed diagrams to show step-by-step procedures.  All of these workers have read the forms and instructions as to procedure.  Sometimes it is an internet problem and the brothers are quick to move the Host duties to an assistant with little loss in program.

 

We use one Host and three Attendant/Assistants (and we have a couple of sisters to backup the attendance count, if needed).  It is working fairly well.

Unfortunately we have few br. who can do this task, mainly because they don't have good internet or good equipment, so we are just 3 br. alternating the AV tasks on a weekly basis (all of them, except counting)

Then we have the host which is also from a list of 3 br. that has the job of opening the meeting and allow br. from the waiting room. 

I am one of the AV br, also one of the hosts and also I am the only one counting every meeting

specially when I am doing everything in a particular week, it's a ery tiresome task.... 

those tasks are for meetings, field service and broadcasting transmissions.

[jwhess]

28 minutes ago, jayrtom said:

Unfortunately we have few br. who can do this task, mainly because they don't have good internet or good equipment, so we are just 3 br. alternating the AV tasks on a weekly basis (all of them, except counting)

Then we have the host which is also from a list of 3 br. that has the job of opening the meeting and allow br. from the waiting room. 

I am one of the AV br, also one of the hosts and also I am the only one counting every meeting

specially when I am doing everything in a particular week, it's a ery tiresome task.... 

those tasks are for meetings, field service and broadcasting transmissions.

I sympathize with the strain that just a few workers can bring.

 

I realize that as a small congregation (90+ publisher), we are very blessed with volunteers.  We have some in our congregation with poor internet service.  We even have on sister with no internet and she uses her cellphone plan to do it all (including field ministry).  It is very expensive for her because there is very little choice in her area for cellphone service also.  I can imagine a small congregation of all sisters trying to juggle these assignments with conducting the meetings and I pray for them.

 

Our group is not part of any "silicon valley" tech center.  We have retired people, factory workers, self-employed construction tradesmen, newly married retail clerks and so on.  What we have is diligent, motivated learners.  The year before Covid we had completed a change from Apple Mac computing to Windows 10 desktop.  We all were trained for that. Then the teleconferencing and videoconferencing was added to the mix and we weren't in a position to have "in-person" training as before.  So our training brothers stepped up.

 

The core group widened out to help the local publishers figure out what they needed to do.  Those with extra devices got many newbies online (maybe for the first time).  Those who wanted to share in the work included those who went out and spent money to get better equipment and better internet service.

 

So I am thankful to Jehovah that our meetings are working relatively smoothly and in order and on time.  We had 2 publishers who used to connect by telephone (one who was close to 80 years old).  I am happy to say they are all online now with tablets.  It is a joy to have enthusiasm and cooperation...♥️

[bigvince]

We're in a similar boat, only 3 brothers doing A/V, and 5 or so doing participant support and attendant.

[Qapla]

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by Qapla

[jwhess]

Zoom updated all platforms.

 

Windows - version 5.6.3 (751)

Android   - version 5.6.3 (1813)

IOS Ipad  - version5.6.3 (276)

[bigvince]

Mac OS updated to 5.6.3(706)

For any who use sidecar, there's an update to improve using ipad as a second screen.

Edited April 22, 2021 by bigvince

[TylerD]

New update coming Monday, April 26.

 

New and enhanced features

• Meeting/webinar features
  • Immersive Views - Windows, macOS
    Recreate the feel of your class or conference room by placing video participants onto a single virtual background. Participants are automatically placed onto provided scenes, but the host can upload their own custom background and adjust the arrangements as needed. This requires client version 5.6.3 or higher and works best when using Virtual Background, but not required.

(I don't think we'll use this for congregation meetings but definitely a cool feature)

Resolved issues

• Minor bug fixes
• Resolved an issue for a subset of users regarding crashes when switching audio devices - Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS

[LRJW]

I'm still waiting for the ability to assign and start breakout rooms using the iPhone or iPad.  

[TylerD]

I tested out the Zoom Video share option at today's Sunday meeting. It seemed to work out nicely. I heard there were no skipping or delay. I'll hear from someone on how it does on Thursday.

 

From the Zoom support website,

Quote

Advantages of video share

When using the option to share your desktop or an application, the video resolution is dependent upon CPU usage, screen resolution, graphics card, and OS graphic system capabilities. Additionally, when a video is larger than 1080p, Zoom automatically downgrades the resolution to 1080p (or 720p), in order to optimize the content while minimizing the required bandwidth. Depending on how the video is shared, such as sharing a specific application or sharing only a portion of your screen, it may require additional CPU resources, which can further affect the overall quality of both the video share and the meeting for the user who is sharing.

However, when using the video share option, Zoom encodes the video from the file directly and shares it, effectively bypassing some of the limiting factors with standard content sharing. Allowing the Zoom client to handle the encoding and sharing minimizes CPU usage for the participant who is sharing, which allows for higher frame rates and smoother video playback.

Here's how to get to this option:

 

• Zoom desktop client
  • Windows: 5.4.3 or higher
  • macOS: 5.4.3 or higher

 

1. Start or join a Zoom meeting.
2. Click the Share Screen button  located in your meeting controls.
3. Switch to the Advanced tab, and then select Video
4. Navigate to and select the video you wish to share, then click Open. 
   The video will now open within Zoom and be visible to attendees. 
5. Click the Play button to start the video

 

I also found a nice program that downloads the media that will be considered during congregation meetings. See my topic I made about it for more info.

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by TylerD

[Floyd]

I have Zoom 5.6.3 and don't have the video option. Is it something that has to be enabled on the account?

[Qapla]

 

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by Qapla

[Qapla]

To learn more about "Immersive View"

 

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360060220511-Immersive-View

 

 

Edited April 26, 2021 by Qapla

[Intercore]

6 hours ago, Floyd said:

I have Zoom 5.6.3 and don't have the video option. Is it something that has to be enabled on the account?

What's your processor? Zoom tells that this function needs a 4-core processor but mine (i7-5500U) has only 2 and I see that option.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Intercore

[Qapla]

Here is what I have

 

When I first installed the upgrade I did not have the immersive view available in the app or the option to turn it on with the web portal.  A few hours later the option showed up in the portal and I turned it on. Here is what I now have available:

 

When I click on the option for Immersive View I get this option box:

 

When I select a View and hit start my meeting looks like this (my camera is off):

 

Since I am the only one on this meeting I cannot see what it looks like with others but I will check it out tonight when I host an informal chat - you are welcome to join

 

[On the huh]

Apparently it works better with Virtual Backgrounds enabled.  Since my PC can't do that, it doesn't look so good.  I don't think it will be used for meetings.

[felito]

Thank you for the info. It looks nice !!!! I like it.

[AH173]

I wonder if a future "immersion view" update be good for the baptisms? 

[Alancj23]

13 hours ago, Floyd said:

I have Zoom 5.6.3 and don't have the video option. Is it something that has to be enabled on the account?

It's only available on subscribed accounts. Or if you are appointed co-host under a paid account, then the Video option will also be available. 

[WilliamChew]

1 hour ago, Alancj23 said:

It's only available on subscribed accounts. Or if you are appointed co-host under a paid account, then the Video option will also be available. 

I have a free zoom account and I am able to get the video option when clicking on the share screen button.

[felito]

Me too !!!!