Do some dreaming

[JeffM]

Let's play pretend. Let's not worry about money; see why I say let's pretend? A PC working system that has Easyworship and is working flawlessly. A chance at going with Mac and switching to ProPresenter. Would it be worth the change? What would my gain be for going down the Mac highway with ProPresenter as opposed to what we have? No war on presentation software here just needing information.

[[Director] Joseph B]

Well, I don't use either presentation software. I would say that if you could go to a MAC system that daul boots so you have windows and MAC OS, that would definitely be worth it.

[Gene]

Flipping the question around -- is there something that EasyWorship isn't doing that you'd like to be able to do?

[Gracetech]

Actually you would be on the same plane going to ProPresenter on a single machine. Where Renewed Visions software really shines through is with ProVideoSync. Of course most people are not using multiple projection screens so the value of it would be based on the task. I think of ProPresenter as the Mac variation of MS or SSP. If your a mac person ,and don't mind paying a little more, then ProPresenter is for you.

crt

[waynehoskins]

For everything I can think of, it's apples-to-apples. Or apples to Apples, where you pay more money for the second hardware.

I'd like to dream (and what an appropriate day to do it) of a worship software program that will give the functionality of a two-channel CG. It wouldn't be terribly hard to write, I think. Four video outputs: ch 1 key, ch 1 video, ch 2 key, ch 2 video. And it would be wonderful if it could genlock, but I don't count on that. .. I think I'm describing an Infinit or a Duet, except built in off-the-shelf hardware and open-source or affordable software.

[shayward]

I know from our experiences at work, Macs in a mixed environment tend to be more of a chore to support. Mind you, we're using domain controllers, storage area networks, citrix/terminal services, network printing, and a whole host of other things. Our half-dozen Macs are always a bit of a challenge to get them to "play nice" when new critical software comes out for the business environment.

That said, you're not in a business environment.

My rule tends to be stay with what you know works unless there is a compelling reason to change. And if you're gonna change - go all out! Macs are decent and worth a look.

[JeffM]

Originally Posted by Gene

Flipping the question around -- is there something that EasyWorship isn't doing that you'd like to be able to do?

Here's the scoop. There is a Mac guy running our first service. He called one morning to tell me he couldn't get anything to come up on the screen. He told me he reloaded Easyworship and that didn't fix it. I walked him through some troubleshooting and found that the video switcher was on the wrong input. Nothing to do with the PC. But he got some of the boards all worked up that the hardware and software we have are junk. I think he just wants a new toy. I don't see a reason for switching but I wanted to see if it was worth fighting for or against.

[Gracetech]

Originally Posted by fredandfred

Here's the scoop. There is a Mac guy running our first service. He called one morning to tell me he couldn't get anything to come up on the screen. He told me he reloaded Easyworship and that didn't fix it. I walked him through some troubleshooting and found that the video switcher was on the wrong input. Nothing to do with the PC. But he got some of the boards all worked up that the hardware and software we have are junk. I think he just wants a new toy. I don't see a reason for switching but I wanted to see if it was worth fighting for or against.

You gotta watch out for those Mac guys... their trouble makers!

I can't tell you how many times i almost lost support for using digital consoles. It seemed that lots of things were going wrong at first and i had to keep smoothing everything over until the volunteers got the hang of it. Now my volunteers have no issues at three of my campuses but i'm still having problems at one campus... come to think of it i was having problems there when we had a analog console too. The knowledge of your volunteers will always be greater than the greatest tool. If you have a ignorant volunteer you can only expect ignorance and if you have a genius volunteer you should expect genius. The truth generally lies somewhere in between. It's up to the leaders(us) to train up our volunteers to become better volunteers at their task. Note that this doesn't always work simply because a volunteers heart is not in it or they lack the gifts to make it work. In that case the volunteers should be reallocated to a different area or just removed.

crt

[shayward]

Then you have got no reason to switch programs, let-alone platforms.

Reasons to switch include:

• Program is buggy and it impacts worship
• Program needs support but the company's support is lousy
• Program is too hard to use or too time-consuming for your objectives
• Volunteers have a hard time with it
• It doesn't have features that you know you need to use (eg: Pastor wants XYZ)

The list of reasons to switch does not include, "Volunteer can't use a video switcher and blamed the technology"

Before you go to a whole bunch of trouble examining a switch, put a log-book in the sound booth. Every time there is an issue, get the tech to write it down. You will then have an honest picture of the issues.

10-to-1 you'll never see an issue written down and the board will be able to see, by the blank pages, that everything is fine.

Honestly, PC vs. Mac can be a religion to some people. Apple coined the term "evangelist" and treated the company like a religion. The term is now used in most high-tech companies (including Microsoft).

Macs crash too... they just crash differently.

Both have their pros and cons, but it sounds like this volunteer wants his "religion" (or more to say his "familiarity") practiced. Some people invent a problem or make a simple issue out to be something that it's not.

Best wishes
- Shaun

[JeffM]

Originally Posted by shayward

Then you have got no reason to switch programs, let-alone platforms.

Reasons to switch include:

• Program is buggy and it impacts worship
• Program needs support but the company's support is lousy
• Program is too hard to use or too time-consuming for your objectives
• Volunteers have a hard time with it
• It doesn't have features that you know you need to use (eg: Pastor wants XYZ)

The list of reasons to switch does not include, "Volunteer can't use a video switcher and blamed the technology"

Before you go to a whole bunch of trouble examining a switch, put a log-book in the sound booth. Every time there is an issue, get the tech to write it down. You will then have an honest picture of the issues.

10-to-1 you'll never see an issue written down and the board will be able to see, by the blank pages, that everything is fine.

Honestly, PC vs. Mac can be a religion to some people. Apple coined the term "evangelist" and treated the company like a religion. The term is now used in most high-tech companies (including Microsoft).

Macs crash too... they just crash differently.

Both have their pros and cons, but it sounds like this volunteer wants his "religion" (or more to say his "familiarity") practiced. Some people invent a problem or make a simple issue out to be something that it's not.

Best wishes
- Shaun

Very well put.

[Sysmom]

Wow - the screen would have been blank if there'd been a Mac there, too!

It isn't like any computer can tell what a switcher is set to.

Good luck with this.

deb

[JeffM]

What a circus. I was in the meeting last night with the usual people. It never is all of the board members just the same ones. I listened to his presentation and then I asked questions. There never was a real issue with the current hardware or software, only what ifs. Bottom line they are going to go with Mac's and ProPresenter. I'm not against either but I wanted to send our sound people to training for $200 and they didn't have the money.
My words come out of my mouth and go about 12" and die. I had the current PC's donated by my work, I shopped in eBay for the video card and capture card. Found everything I could to save money since that is all I heard.
I was told I'm not over the technology part of our church after doing it for 15 years. What bothers me is they have yet to tell me why and who is in charge. I'm ready to move on somewhere else it's just I was baptised and married there.