Virtual Option

NOTE: Scroll down to view the technical guidance/requirements for virtual hosting.

Whether you’re facing limitations on in-person events or simply want to reach an online audience, a virtual event can be a wonderful evangelistic opportunity. Several platform options are available for those wanting to host Final Empire online—our team is ready to talk with you about what would best fit your church’s needs. Give us a call at 888-856-8085 or email us at info@discoverycenters.com to learn more.

Tech Guidance/Requirements for Virtual Hosting

For your reference, listed below are some guiding technical requirements for hosts planning to stream a virtual event. You have the option of running a minimal operation, but we recommend setting up a larger operation—you’ll be investing in virtual evangelism for the future as well. Whatever you choose, make sure you have some tech-savvy help to direct and troubleshoot your whole setup, and allow ample time for testing to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Bare minimum operation:

– A computer no more than 3 years old
– i5 quad-core Intel or AMD Ryzen 5 six-core or greater CPU. We do not recommend the M1 Apple CPU at this point.
– Laptops with SSD preferred with built-in camera, microphone, and speakers. If you’re using a different camera, you’ll need a HDMI video capture card with webcam output (for example, something like this).
– 8 MB or more of RAM
– If you’re presenting the meetings by yourself on a single computer, we recommend a second HD screen so your slides can be on one screen and your streaming controls, chat, and feedback window can be on the other.

Recommended:

Basic production with 2 or more cameras:

– Encoding computer: the above computer requirements
– Media/presenter computer for slide show: no more than 3 years old with Intel i5 quad-core or better CPU, 8 GB RAM or more, SSD drive, HDMI output port
– Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini HDMI Live Stream Switcher (link)
– USB-C cable to connect encoding computer to ATEM video switcher

Advanced production with 2 or more cameras:

– Encoding computer: no more than 3 years old with Intel i7 quad-core or better CPU, 16 GB RAM or more, SSD drive, USB-C port (example)
– Media/presenter computer for slide show: no more than 3 years old with Intel i5 quad-core or better CPU, 8 GB RAM or more, SSD drive, HDMI output port
– Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Pro (link) or ISO HDMI Live Stream Switcher or better
– USB-C cable to connect encoding computer to ATEM video switcher

Note: Streaming location must have dedicated 20 Mbps internet upload speed. (This is the speed you can upload a video file to YouTube, not the download speed, which is normally higher.) Before your event, you’ll want to test your upload speeds during the times of day you plan to run your event—to make sure you actually have the speed you need to run your program.