New System..Need Help

[hsvclubsportr8]

Hi all,

The church that I work for just recently bought a new building, and have left me in charge of setting up a projection system, including Broadcast Cameras, Digital Mixers, Recording Equipment and a VPS System.

What we had been using previously was very basic, and i'm not sure about what exactly ill need and how to set it up correctly.

Can anyone here help me?

Greatly Appreciated,

hsvclubsportr8

[AlexH237]

So what do you mean? Like how to connect the cameras to the mixer? Or a layout?

[Sysmom]

Have you considered getting professional help to spec out your system and your needs under the specific circumstances you'll be using it in in that building?

We had a pro do our new sanctuary, and they were able to engineer the audio and video for the room, pull the package together, design all the cabling needed and diagram it during construction, install all of it, train us and bunches of other things. And it still came in under budget.

The projectors are awesome, the video switchers are terrific, we're still learning the potential of our new digital soundboard, and we're planning to purchase phase two of the rest of the setup next year.

deb

[dmurphy]

I've gotta agree with sysmom. If you don't spend the money on a competent consultant now, you're going to spend a lot more later on replacing gear because it's the wrong thing... and it probably still won't be right.

[kbob]

I'll join in on the consultant idea. In addition, though, try giving us an idea of the building parameters, size, number of seats, ambient light (will you be able to block any windows during services, making it easier to see the projected images), etc.

Also, some idea of how much you can spend, and the goals-live IMAG, broadcast tv, special projects only, etc...

Worship style?

[hsvclubsportr8]

Well, this new building will eventually seat 450 people and our budget is about $60,000 AUD, not the largest of churches and not a great amount of money for a project like this.

There wont be any windows within the auditorium, just stage lighting.

It will all be live imagery.

Thanks for all your help,

Nathan.

[whzkid]

60K wont go very far. Last August we put in a 22 foot screen (diag corner to corner) and a 10k lumens projector and did all the work ourself and we were out about 24k.


Best,

Rob

[Sysmom]

We skipped the screens and put some special paint on the walls. I know it isn't recommended, but the projectors are high lumens and we put the money elsewhere. It was perhaps the ONLY corner we cut, and the only people who would know the difference are pros, or an artist who actually worked on the images. And I'm the only one of those.

I'll get you the name of the company where we got our video stuff when I get to work in the morning; they have offices in Australia, because our tech was Australian, working up here in the States for a while out of the LA Office. My mind has simply BLANKED on their name right now.

deb

[kbob]

you have a huge advantage on the av side with the lack of windows.

what are the dimensions of the room, closest / farthest that the congregation will be viewing the screen from (distance to the screen, not the pulpit)?

by digital mixers-meaning audio, or video?

[tootallll]

Does your budget of $60,000 AUD include sound equipment too? I would also recommend an a/v consultant or knowledgeable a/v contractor. When dealing with a/v contractors I think you'll find that most will be able to accomplish what you want to do within the budget you suggested if it is just for projection, broadcast and recording, but there will be trade offs on which equipment/features you would like to spend more money on. When contacting a/v contractors ask if they have installed systems in the area similar to what you are requesting and if you could see those systems. Make sure the users of those system are happy with the system design/equipment/installation/service.

Perhaps you can design some of the new buildings interior space so it would benefit your a/v installation and enhance your congregations worship experiences. I would recommend engineering rear projection into your stage plans if possible. This would make the most efficient use of projector brightness and your $$$ spent on projection lumen's. Projector costs rise significantly as the need for more lumen's is required. I'm sure you have plans already in place for your interior space and hopefully you included a/v system functionality into your design. But, if you have not, perhaps a few interior design changes would help you get the most "bang for your buck" with regards to your a/v budget.

Plan ahead when getting bids from a/v contractors. Detail IN WRITING exactly what you want to accomplish with your new system, pass this information along to the contractors, and make sure contractors know exactly what you want/need, and make sure their bids include everything you requested. Get bids from at least 3 different contractors...the more bids the better. In my experience the more bids I received the more I learned about what I needed and which contractors I thought would provide the best system. (I am an old sound dude and knew nothing about projection systems when I started)

There a number of people in this forum who can give solid advice as they did to us when we installed our first projection system last year. You will receive the most advice from forum members by providing as much information as possible and asking many questions. Our church's projection system took about six months of research, and getting bids. That project was a combined effort of much research on the internet (largely in this forum) and bids from area a/v contractors for fully installed systems. I learned enough to design and install our system myself, which saved about 25% of our budget and we were able to put that savings into new equipment purchases. We spent around $21,000 AUD on our system sans the Broadcast Cameras, switcher/scaler, Digital Mixers, Recording Equipment and VPS System.




Blessings!
Mike

[Lucas]

[quote=whzkid;186272]60K wont go very far..../QUOTE]

I wish I had even 1K over here.

60K-AU admittingly is a tad on the small side but it can go a long way if you go in stages

[hsvclubsportr8]

Thanks all for your help, I've gotten in touch with a consultant and should have the quotes by the end of the week.

I have another problem, which is that im not sure what should be connected to what to make the whole thing work. When we started it was simply a projector and a laptop.

The equipment that is currently under consideration is a Switcher, a Scan Converter, Preview Monitor, Recording Equipment (VRC or DVD most likely), 2 Broadcast Cameras, a Computer with Worship Software, and possibly a dual globe projector (fingers crossed).

Does anyone know of a plan or schematics as to what is connected to what?

Thanks again,

Nathan