Gently down the stream
Published: WORSHIP
As director of marketing at Seattle-based Streambox Inc, Ryan Davis is charged with the development and management of marketing and brand strategies at Streambox, a company specialising in video transport over IP. The manufacturer’s products enable users to enhance their video acquisition, video management and video playout to streamline all aspects of their delivery. He has been at the company for the last five years and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Washington.
We asked him to place this exciting new technology into the right context for house of worship volunteers and other worship users with an eye on the future…
What does ‘video over IP’ mean?
Video over IP refers to the process of encoding video into a digital format and transporting it over a computer network that uses Internet Protocol (IP). Examples of IP networks that can be used include LAN/WAN connections, Wi-Fi, 3G/4G cellular networks, satellite networks, or any other IP network connection.
What does ‘point to point’, ‘point to multi-point’ or ‘multicast video over IP’ mean?
Point-to-point video transport allows video to be encoded at one location and sent to a secondary location where the video can be decoded for playout. Missionaries sending video over IP from a location anywhere in the world back to their main congregation is a good example of a point-to-point House of Worship application.
‘Point-to-multipoint video transport allows video to be encoded and sent from one location to multiple secondary sites using an additional management server. Growing Houses of Worship experiencing an overflow of members can take advantage of a point-to-multipoint application by sending video from the main congregation to multiple overflow locations simultaneously.
Multicast video over IP also allows users to send video from one location to multiple locations. However, instead of using a management server to route the video as a point-to-multipoint application, the video is sent directly over one dedicated IP network that all locations are connected to.
What are the considerations in deciding between these options?
When evaluating any video over IP solution, it is important to first consider where the video is originating. The quality of the video is based on the type of network being used to transport the encoded video stream. If the video is being captured where only low-bandwidth connections are available, for example missionaries in a third world country; reliability of the video transport stream is of higher priority than the video quality.
‘However, if the video is being captured in a location with an ideal network connection, video quality and latency is of utmost importance for a solution. Another point of consideration is selecting the proper display device for the size of the viewing area, and with adequate quality not to distract viewers that may encounter compression artefacts if the network being used is not robust enough to output a very high quality video signal.
How does video over IP prepare a house of worship for the future?
As society becomes more dependent on technology as a means of communication, video over IP technology will assist houses of worship in extending their message to reach a wider audience. Networks are becoming more and more reliable, and transmitting video to anyone, anywhere, will be a great tool in the future for staying in touch with congregation members that are constantly on the go.