Today I’m going to show you how to configure an affordable live stream setup for churches…step-by-step.
This live streaming setup completes the trifecta:
Let’s dive right in.
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Let’s begin with the cheapest overall option:
It starts with your mobile device.
Using just your phone, you can stream directly to platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
But that’s just part of the story…
Because with a few additional tweaks, we can dramatically upgrade this setup.
The first issue we need to tackle is audio. The video quality coming out of your smartphone is pretty good – the audio quality, however, is not.
Consider this:
The mic within your phone is only passable for dialogue as long as you keep the phone within an arm’s reach of the speaker.
But this is not manageable in a church setting. And that doesn’t even take into account the band and the worship music.
My preferred solution?
The RODE Wireless GO mic system [$199 USD].
Here’s how to set this up:
Now that we’ve upgraded the quality of our audio, the last thing we’ll need to consider is stabilization.
Here we’ll use the Xuma Smartphone Mount [$10 USD] paired with a WindTech M-12 Microphone Stand Thread Adapter [$4 USD] to secure our mobile device to a mic stand.
And voilà! Now we have a stable shot, with quality video, and audio. The overall cost? Just about $250.
Of course, this does assume you already have the phone, and a mic, and a soundboard, and a music stand – most things churches do already have.
Let’s explore a second option now.
Because if you’re willing to spend a bit more, you can dramatically improve the quality of your church’s live streams.
Which makes this also a great time to talk about the word I’ve chosen to use in the title of this post – “cheap.”
Bottom line? It has never been a better time to be creating content online. Camera manufacturers are racing to outdo each other with their products – pushing limits to make gear more capable and affordable. Who benefits from this? You and I.
And there is no better example of this I can think of than the setup I’m about to show you right now.
Let’s begin with the camera: the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K [$1,295 USD].
The BMPCC 4K is – in my opinion – the ultimate video camera for churches. Why? Because it excels in both live production and cinema-style videos. So it’s a 2-in-1 camera.
To equip the BMPCC 4K for live streaming, we need to connect this camera to a computer.
That way we can send the video being captured by the camera to our computer to then upload to the Internet for live streaming.
Here’s how to do that:
Follow each of these three steps, and now, your BMPCC 4K will appear like a webcam. You can now stream from the BMPCC 4K directly to platforms like Facebook or YouTube. Or, you can upgrade your setup even further by using a free tool like OBS Studio or a paid tool like Ecamm Live.
We’re not quite finished with this setup though.
Because again, we need to consider audio.
Now, the BMPCC 4K does have a 3.5mm audio input – so you could use the RODE Wireless GO mic system again here.
But I would not recommend that. Because the BMPCC 4K also comes with a mini XLR input – a more desirable option.
Here’s how to set it up:
Finally, let’s talk about lenses.
The BMPCC 4K comes with a Micro Four Thirds mount – but does not come with a lens.
My recommendation? The Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 [$897 USD]. This lens will excel in lower-light situations due to its maximum aperture of f/2.8. And is the ideal lens for a church live stream setup where the camera is set up between 20-60 feet from the stage.
So what is the overall cost of this configuration?
Well, again, assuming your church has a computer, soundboard, and microphone, this setup comes in at about $2,500. So about 10X the cost of the previous option. Which may not qualify as “cheap” or affordable for you – but will for others.
What’s truly amazing is that the quality of live stream this setup can produce would have cost considerably more just a few short years ago.
Lastly, I’ve got one more option for you.
And this truly is the cheapest option for live streaming.
…don’t live stream.
Instead, take advantage of the YouTube Premiere and Facebook Premiere options.
Hosting a mock live stream using YouTube Premiere or Facebook Premiere is lower stress. And cuts down considerably on cost.
The tradeoff is that it’s more work ahead of time with editing, and filming, and exporting. But if you are looking for the cheapest option – this would be the one.
There you have it!
Affordable options for live streaming at your church on a sliding scale from $0 all the way up to about $2,500. Importantly, each of these setups will look good and sound good – and none of them are overly complex.
Ready to dive even deeper into live streaming at your church? Here are a few of our most popular resources:
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