Streaming a funeral... how?

Forums › Off topic › Streaming a funeral... how?

frankv

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#205830 28-Nov-2016 21:08

Hi all,

I did look for an appropriate forum, but this didn't quite match up with any of them.

A close elative has died, and relatives are overseas and unable to return to NZ for the funeral (Friday). As the family geek, I expected that the funeral director would be able to organise streaming video of the funeral. Alas, although familiar with the concept, she hadn't done it, and din't have any equipment. Worse yet, the church doesn't even have WiFi. (I feel like I've moved back to the Stone Age!)

I have an Android phone, 4G coverage, and 5GB of data. My plan is to set this up as a WiFi hotspot. I'm guessing that the camera & mic on the phone isn't going to cut it, indoors and handheld. What am I looking for to produce decent video & audio coverage of the funeral, that I can get up and running, reasonably cheaply, in a couple of days? I know it's a tall order, hence asking for help! Is it even possible?

I can lay my hands on several kinds of hardware (laptops, Ipads, a Raspberry Pi 3 with attached standard Pi Camera). Is any of those going to be suitable? What software am I looking for? I guess I want a tripod... I want to be a family member, not a camera-man.

Thanks in advance,

Frank

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#1679142 28-Nov-2016 21:43

You could do it on YouTube, set to unlisted

You would need to use a software like "Open Broadcast Software", You probably want to turn the quality down to make the most of your data

chevrolux

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#1679145 28-Nov-2016 21:49

If it's just a one-off would facebook live work? Not sure how that works permission wise. Or even just Skype? Seems simple but simple is always good.

I've recently just dealt with a funeral home (for voice/broadband services though) and they were using 'One Room'. Seems to be a very well thought out system. They basically just use IP cameras that record back to their custom CMS that allows funeral directors to set up 'events', it sends the invitations, sets up user accounts, etc etc. Like I said, seems really well thought out as requires no technical knowledge to run.

plod

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#1679147 28-Nov-2016 21:55

FB live?

sdavisnz

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#1679148 28-Nov-2016 21:59

facebook live, take a spare powerbank, cos it eats.

Voice gives context

Geektastic

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#1679163 28-Nov-2016 22:57

The funeral home did this when my father died in the UK. In the end, I decided I did not really want to watch it in any case!

sonyxperiageek

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#1679165 28-Nov-2016 23:11

Churches usually have a second level seating up above, perhaps you could set up a webcam with a tripod (something like this) up there and laptop connected to your 4G, streaming to YouTube while making sure it's 'unlisted'? And just share the link. It also depends how big the church is because sound may be a bit quiet if they're far away and not using the sound system to talk.

Sony

lxsw20

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#1679166 28-Nov-2016 23:22

I wouldn't go facebook live unless you want to broadcast to all of your friends. Private Youtube Channel. Or alternatively record it and upload it to youtube after the event. Less chance of things going wrong that way.

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sonyxperiageek

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#1679181 29-Nov-2016 00:47

Providing the 4G coverage is good and enough data, live YouTube stream should be fine. And yes IMO better than Facebook Live. If you were to go Facebook Live, you might as well go live on Instagram.

Sony

gzt

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#1679213 29-Nov-2016 08:16

Try recording a church service in the same building to get an idea of the outcome. Camera near the podium is safest then you are covered for sound system failures etc and get a good view of the speakers.

YouTube live you could send the link in funeral notices. Imo record at the same time because so many things can go wrong with live streaming. If it fails badly, then upload the camera recording from your laptop after the service and achieve an hour delay.

Phone camera and sound quality can be very good. Try it out and consider strapping it to a tripod for streaming and running a conventional camera for recording alongside.

Users finding the full screen button on YouTube that's another story. Ideally a page with a large size player.

spearsniper

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#1679215 29-Nov-2016 08:33

www.oneroom.co.nz

gzt

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#1679220 29-Nov-2016 08:43

Btw my phone camera is 1080p/30fps. Playback on the phone does not look great. Playback on the tv or computer looks great and sounds pretty good, it's hard to believe it came from a phone.

Edit: I keep it as still as possible when recording to avoid challenging it's little encoder. The quality achieved is related to that technique.

afe66

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#1679269 29-Nov-2016 09:37

How important is it to be streamed live? Ie if timezones mean it's in the middle of the night for your overseas relatives (especially if they are on holiday without instant access to internet).

You could record using normal camera then upload to YouTube when home and have WiFi etc. Or upload the finished video over 4g.

Check sound quality as most devices seem to do better video than audio. ? Dictata phone sitting on rostrum from where speaker stand as backup ?

A.

Coil

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#1679295 29-Nov-2016 10:16

I would just record it on a tripod with a camera or phone and upload to youtube.
One thing to make sure of is not invading peoples personal space.
Some people wont want to be filmed at a funeral or think its ethical to film the process so maybe aim the view at the presentation rather than a crowded area and be a little discrete. Make sure the funeral home allows this and doesnt force you to use a service of theirs.
I had that complication for off shore family members wanting to view the service but others at the service not agreeing with filming so i didnt end up recording anything.

Cheers

Wheelbarrow01

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Chorus

#1679318 29-Nov-2016 10:51

A couple of years ago I had the same conundrum - my brother was not able to make it from Canada for our mother's funeral, but the church she had prearranged did not have broadband. I briefly considered using my work know how to get a temporary VDSL connection in place, but I realised I would end up expending more physical and emotional energy on it than I could afford.

In the end I got a family friend (who works in the tv industry) to film the funeral with his work gear, and he uploaded it to vimeo within 2 hours of it ending. Although it was not live, my brother still felt like he had been included.

Funerals are pretty stressful enough, especially if you find yourself stage managing the whole event (as I did). Choosing not to pursue the live stream allowed me to relax a little bit more and take in the whole reason I was there.

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Chorus NZ Ltd

Rickles

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#1679346 29-Nov-2016 10:59

A friend once used Skype for a wedding, using a laptop, but an internet connection was readily handy.\

Considering time differences in varying parts of the globe, why not simply get a good video and make it available (Cloud etc) as soon as services finished?

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