Seeing is Believing

The truth is, even with over 25 years experience in the House Of Worship Video industry, we don’t really know how a projector or camera will look in your space.

With variables like ambient light, site lines, screen surfaces, and the subjective nature of “good” picture quality, there is just no way to know for sure without seeing the equipment in your space.

We offer, what we believe to be, the best solution for you and your church – FREE on site consultation and demo.

Of course, there is a small catch. The program works like this:  You pay a consult fee (usually $1000) plus travel costs. We will come to your facility with all the equipment so you can see exactly how it looks and works in your space. We will counsel you regarding proper location placements and installation options. We can even make formal presentations to your leadership team, decision board, or entire congregation. We will provide a detailed equipment list and line- item price quote for the gear you need.

Here’s the “free” part ---- we apply the consultation fee 100% towards your system purchase.

Interested in scheduling one for yourself?  Call or email us today to see some available dates.

The Age-Old Argument

Mac or PC – Which Should You Use?

Let me cut to the chase: this is a debate that is just too hot to touch. You already know the common arguments:

·        Mac’s are more stable.

·       PC’s are more common / more comfortable for average volunteers.

·       Mac’s are more intuitive for creative design.

·       PC’s cost less.

Bottom line, it really depends on which presentation software you run. Easy Worship and Media Shout users prefer PC, while ProPresenter, quite frankly, works seamlessly on Mac or PC.  The only exception is when displaying for Environmental Projection, which requires some ProPresenter modules that are only available on the Apple platform.

I said EP, not ET

What is EP?

 No, not ET. EP.

EP (Environmental Projection) may just be the biggest buzzword and most significant advancement in a church’s use of technology these days. 

In a nutshell, EP is the art of using video projectors to display images on your walls, not necessarily for reading / viewing but rather to enhance the mood and create the optimum environment for the worship element at the moment.

There was a day when the church worship space was known for displaying the finest art from the top artists who wanted to honor and bring glory to The Creator. These days, most of our church sanctuaries are not much more than big, boring, beige boxes. EP lets you, with a few keystrokes, totally change the look and feel of your space.

Here are some pictorial examples of EP systems we have designed in partnership with Camron Ware at VisualWorshiper.com :

Yes, it works even if your room has some windows.  Yes, we can project on any wall surface.  No, it’s not that expensive. 

And the best answer we can give you is YES, we can help you and your church design an EP system for your space.  The easiest first step is to send us some pictures of your sanctuary.  We will send back some photo mock-ups (there is no charge for this service) to illustrate what EP would look like in your room. We will also provide a “ball park” price quote.

Simple Projector Lens Math

A common question we get from customers completing a self-install is “How far away should I mount my projector?”  While we are always happy to supply the answer, here is the math equation so you can figure out the proper throw distance yourself:

A lens (standard or long throw) will always show the minimum and maximum throw ratio; it looks something like “Throw Ratio = 1.5-3.4.” Once you know this, you can plug that into this distance formula:

Screen Width x Min Throw Ratio = Min Distance

Screen Width x Max Throw Ratio = Max Distance

So with the example TR above, lets assume you have a 12 ft wide screen. Accordingly:

12 x 1.5 = 18 ft (Min Distance)

12 x 3.4 = 40.8 ft (Max Distance)

Now, don’t you wish you had paid more attention in Mrs. Jones’ Algebra class?

Stop Doing the Remote Dance

How you should be turning your projector on:

Does your tech team do the “turn on” dance each Sunday morning?  You know the one – where they move all around the room with the projector remote held high in the air aiming for just the right spot so they can turn the projector on for the worship service?

While I’m not opposed to Christians dancing, this is one that I am taking a stand against.  It’s time to stop the madness.  It’s just too easy of a problem to solve.

Almost all pro-grade projectors today offer hard-wired remote capability.  All you have to do is run a cable (usually 1/8” stereo) from the projector to the remote and your remote works perfectly from the tech booth. No dancing required.