Camera Recommendations/Suggestions

[dvdgarofalo]

We are considering changing our auditorium camera. Are there any good quality cameras that will run off PC software instead of off a controller? Any suggestions?

TIA

[jwhess]

Did you consult with you LDC brothers?  they usually have the types and models that fit the Theocratic requirements.

[Jarred]

We went with what the branch recommended and it was a USB camera for under $100.  It's been working well for many years now.

[dvdgarofalo]

Thanks for the comments. I have only viewed the documentation. We have 2 LDC brothers in our congregation I'll be asking.  I'm looking just to see how many have more basic cams. Ours is over complicated and has no pc software that I can find.  The joystick controller is failed and we are running off the remote only. Anyway, trying for something more simple.

[Qapla]

Don't the recommendations include that the camera should be "static" and aimed to cover the parts of the stage that would include the area used for the MWM as well as the WT Study without needing to be moved?

 

A USB camera should be Windows compatible for focus, color/contrast and composition (zoomed in correctly). It should not need to operate remote control movement of the camera.

 

[dvdgarofalo]

Part of our decision making will be because we have a PTZ cam that is on the back wall of the auditorium. This was set up prior to the pandemic and zoom. So if we go with the usb web cam, we will end up having to move the camera and do the whole setup. I may experiment with some software first to see if we can find a software controller.

[foghorn]

17 hours ago, Jarred said:

We went with what the branch recommended and it was a USB camera for under $100.

Same here. The branch-selected device with an additional high-quality 50-ft USB cable has worked flawlessly. The camera has a manual zoom lens that makes it easy to establish the needed framing. The hardware includes a nice device that easily mounts the camera directly to the ceiling grid.

[molnarj]

We have a PTZ Optics 20X NDI™ Camera. We control it from our PC with the supplied software. Works perfect. We can control it with the PC for the Video Operator as well as the Laptop for the audio Operator.

 

 

Edited September 7 by molnarj

[Myew]

21 hours ago, dvdgarofalo said:

We are considering changing our auditorium camera. Are there any good quality cameras that will run off PC software instead of off a controller? Any suggestions?

TIA

I would like to get one of these for our Zoom setup. I don't have personal experience with it, but I have watched many comparisons and reviews. It has all of the features that can be controlled from the PC, so you can for example switch between focus on the whole stage, just the speaker, or demonstrations. https://www.amazon.com/OBSBOT-Lite-Tracking-Streaming-Microphones/dp/B0CZ6XY78Y/

Edited September 7 by Myew

[Qapla]

2 hours ago, Myew said:

you can for example switch between focus on the whole stage, just the speaker, or demonstrations.

 

My understanding of the directions from the Branch are that we are to leave the camera static and NOT switch, zoom, pan or otherwise change the view/framing of the camera.

[foghorn]

2 hours ago, Myew said:

so you can for example switch between focus on the whole stage, just the speaker, or demonstrations.

Yes, those features do sound very useful for some situations. However, they are contrary to the guidelines expressed in S-261 Audio/Video Instructions for Hybrid Meetings, Section 8:

Quote

USE OF A CAMERA AT THE KINGDOM HALL 8. A single camera showing a wide shot of the stage is sufficient. The audience at the Kingdom Hall should not be shown to those connected to the videoconference. The camera can be mounted to the ceiling or simply placed on a tripod near the audio/video desk. While the exact position of the camera may vary according to local circumstances and equipment, endeavor to obtain a shot similar to that depicted below. [Shows full wide view of stage with WT reader, podium, sister's table]

We have used the basic setup described above ever since resuming meetings after Covid. This static view of the stage works very well; all participants are easily seen and heard. Honestly, there is no need for a PTZ system. The simplicity and consistency of the static view just works.

[Myew]

My copy of the S261 is a couple of years old, but says the same thing. I don't read that to mean we must leave it static or as contrary, though I agree it's not necessary to adjust it on the fly, just a nice to have. Things can sag on their own over time, though. We've had to adjust ours time to time and can't get it just right when we've tried to physically adjust it. I was asked by an elder to look into cameras that could show just the speaker like at the convention, and I was interested in them for that purpose. It's been a while since I've re-read the guides since I'm not an MS, I'm just the IT guy who handles the PCs. We'd prefer a new camera regardless to clean up some of the issues we have with our image quality/orientation/white balance blowing out and other settings, and this is what I find to be the best in terms of value and price. You don't have to use the PTZ functions to change it if you don't want to.

Edited September 7 by Myew

[gusdn1]

7 hours ago, foghorn said:

Yes, those features do sound very useful for some situations. However, they are contrary to the guidelines expressed in S-261 Audio/Video Instructions for Hybrid Meetings, Section 8:

We have used the basic setup described above ever since resuming meetings after Covid. This static view of the stage works very well; all participants are easily seen and heard. Honestly, there is no need for a PTZ system. The simplicity and consistency of the static view just works.

 

This is also the set up in our current hall. But the other hall that have a sign language congregation is completely different.

Edited September 8 by gusdn1

[Pabo]

We use a PTZ that has NDI inbuilt, which allows us to just use a single CAT6 cable connection that can transmit and power the device at the same time and also provide the video feed, as long as you have a PoE eabled network switch that it connects to. Its make installing much easier as you only have to get that CAT6 cable to it instead of having a power supply, a video feed line and also a controller connection.

 

We also use OBS software which allows us to not only feed the camera view, but we have installed a PTZ plugin which allows us to control the camera and have about 15 preset camera position settings. This allows us to control the PTZ camera much easily, but also have the transition of the pictures/videos that are projected to the stage monitors and the camera feed with the click of one click. So OBS does all the visual control of the feed into Zoom.

 

Whilst this is out of normal LDC guidelines for AV, but we have varying circumstances that we have to contend with. Firstly, this is mainly due to our KH stage being very wide (and shallow) that we cannot have the householder table near the center of the stage, thus we cannot have the whole stage view within the camera view without having the audience also in the camera viewing angle. Secondly, we many who have poor vision and that the temporary setup up just with a webcam (whilst our PTZ was being ordered) which they found it hard to focus on the meeting. Also having brothers with extreme heights variances, we had to adjust the camera view up and down as well. They found that seeing the close up view of the brother (and sisters doing their parts) much more easier to pay attention, very similar to how you see the "morning worship" videos. So we had to go with something unique to suit our circumstances.

 

Many visiting brothers that either are part of our local LDC or who given public talks at our KH are somewhat bedazzled that a "country congregation" have such a high tech system compared to what their congregation setup is in the city, but also found how simplified we configured it to be that only we use one brother to do all the AV/Zoom.

[Myew]

NDI certainly is nice. In my cong's case, I don't think I can recommend an NDI camera considering the 10x cost of devices... It'd be cheaper to do a USB over Ethernet/Network setup than that. We could probably make a 20m active USB 3 cable work like this one OBSBOT sells for their camera. https://www.obsbot.com/store/products/20m-65ft-usb-a-to-usb-c-3-cable?product_id=e6096d4a4e614 That reminds me though, I remember watching tutorials on using OBS NDI plugin to send OBS feeds from one computer to another without needing a capture card, just over ethernet... but that'd require a mini pc up in the ceiling next to the access point and camera...

Edited September 9 by Myew