Church Tech Weekly Podcast - The Color Purple

It was a pleasure to be invited by Mike Sessler to participate in his Church Tech Weekly podcast this week.   It was even better that my good friend Mike Paschal was able to particpate as well.

This weeks discussion was about the importance of professionally calibrating your IMAG control room projectors and projection screens for a consistent image throughout your video system.

I had an opportunity to help Mike Paschal and Port City Community Church early in September.  On the Podcast we review the process and the results.

Go ahead and take a listen here http://techartsnetwork.com/updates/church-tech-weekly-17-the-color-purple/ .  

If you have any questions about display calibration, give me a call, I will be glad to discuss with you.

Geek blast from the past

This is a picture of a Migent Technologies 1200 baud, Hayes compatible, computer modem.   They called the product the Migent Pocket Modem.

   

Go ahead and laugh!   Pocket Modem???   It would have had to been a very big pocket.  

  

The reason I took this photo is because in 1986 I was fresh out of college and living in suburban Chicago with a few other guys who attended college with me.

 

When we saw this,  we thought that this company had just achieved the unachievable.    They had taken a 1200 baud modem which typically weighed in at about the weight of the average laptop computer today and made it weigh just about 1/2 a pound, and fit easily in your briefcase (if not your pocket).

 

We were so impressed that as unwitting noobs in the world of stock market trading we decided to buy a few shares of stock in this upstart company that about to change the world.

  

Then a funny thing happend.   The investor relations department called us and asked if we would like to attend their annual shareholders meeting in Lake Tahoe, NV.    Well as young college grads we really couldn't afford that, but then the company offered to pay for everything on our trip except the airfare!   Wow - that was cool.

 

 

When we at the shareholders meeting Migent showed off something else that we just knew would change the way computer applications are written.

Migent was introducing a database software system that stored the data on one computer and ran the application user interface on another computer.

 

 It was in 1988 that I first heard about "client-server computing."   Today almost computer application you use a work, or on the web is a descendant of the thinking that went into this software.   The people at Migent Technologies were pioneers in several areas of computing, ways of thinking that we all take for granted today, but were revolutionary in 1986.

After the annual shareholders meeting we came back and took our whole savings and bought into Migent Technologies in a big way.

 

Then - the unthinkable happened.   I remember it well,  Monday, October 19th, 2007.   Commonly referred to as "Black Monday."   Our investment in Migent disappeared in one day.  It seemed like the whole world was in a fog, and being investment newbies we cashed out and took a huge loss.

    

Over the next few years Migent and its products sort of disappeared.    That was almost 25 years ago.

 

It would take way too long of a blog post to go into what happened to Migent.  However, earlier this month I was attending a meeting at Northpoint Community Church.   I sat at a table and didn't know anyone else at the meeting.   At the meeting each person introduced themselves.   The gentlemen sitting to my left, Carl,  said that he had worked at Lotus Development Corp. in the early 80s.    My ears perked.  I knew that alot of the guys at Migent had come from Lotus.   After the meeting I asked him if he knew anyone at Migent.   I was shocked when he said that actually was the CEO of Migent!

 

Wow - isn't that a small world experience.    Thursday Carl and I had another meeting, and he brought an actual working Migent Pocket Modem (serial #26).    I couldn't believe that I was seeing this 25 years later.    Carl has let me talk with him about business and Next Creative Media and where God might be taking me.  I am grateful that God reintroduced us 25 years later.

   

You never know the road God is going to take you on.  It reminds me of a bible verse that I had adopted as my "life" verse back when I was in college.  1 Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."

Sometimes I start to think that I am in control of my life, but then God does things that completely turn me around and reveal that He is totally in control, and that He loves me in ways I will never understand.

Projection and Virtual Teaching

Yesterday I had the opportunity to conduct a demonstration of a Digital Projection Lightning 40isx+ projector for one of our clients.

Our client is a new breed of church that uses video based "virtual teaching" for the sermon each week.

What is unique about this church is that it is not just another "campus" of an existing church.  It is an independent, self-sustaining church that just happens to use video teaching for its messages.    This means that it stands or falls all on its own.   There is no "mother-ship" financing the effort.   They either attract a large enough audience that buys into the vision and supports it financially, or they close the doors.   

The staff at this church is a team of some of the most creative leaders you will find on the planet and their church has been growing steadily since it started.   They know that using video to reach the current generation works, and they also know that an audience is aware when the presentation isn't up to par with cultural norms.

When they started out several years ago, the financial resources were limited (remember, no main-campus to lean on for finances) so they did the best they could in the projection world.    But over time it became clear that their "pastor" needed an upgrade so that the presentation of the teaching would connect in more powerful way with the audience.

After evaluating their current screen size, and considering their plans for a future facility expansion Jeremy and I suggested that they look at the Lighting 40isx+ from Digital Projection.

Yesterday we spent the day installing the projector and hooking up to their video teaching playback system (ProVideoSync from Renewed Vision).    

Once the projector was fired up it was clear that upgraded projector was exactly what was needed to enhance the sermon experience for the audience.   

We will be installing the new projector/preacher next week.  

I was thinking that the important part of yesterday wasn't the cool, big, bright projector.   The important thing was that the church's leadership knew exactly what it takes to connect with their audience.   They realized that they ARE a video church, not just an overflow room.   While most people would have said that their existing projector was "good enough," they knew the importance of connecting with their audience in a powerful way and that "good enough" isn't.   That made yesterday a very encouraging day!

This is going to get nasty

Many church production managers and staff thought that all they had to worry about was replacing their old 700mhz wireless systems.  Then all we had to deal with was devices that might interfere with us in the "white spaces" or the frequency spectrum located between the space used by Over-the-Air (OTA) broadcasters.  

Well the latest news is that this may have only been the first hurdle of many for users of wireless microphones and IEMs.

In December of last year the FCC opened up for public comments on a complete re-allocation about 800 megahertz of spectrum below 1Ghz.   That is the space currently being used by digital TV broadcasters (the same folks who voluntarily gave up several Mhz of spectrum and spent billions on the DTV transition) and wireless entertainment devices (mics and IEMs).  You can see the FCC notice here. 

The FCC is wondering "what would happen if we ditched broadcast TV altogether (and the entertainment devices we use) and let all of that spectrum be used by high-speed wireless broadband data services.

Companies like AT&T, Microsoft and Dell and organizations like the Consumer Electronics Association are urging the FCC to promote more spectrum available to broadband data.    The National Association of Broadcasters of course wants to protect the spectrum being used by OTA TV.      Thankfully wireless microphone manufacturers like Shure and Sennheiser are pitching in to represent the users of their equipment.

The public comment period on this noticed closed on December 21st, and the FCC is working on preparing a National Broadband Plan recommendation.  

One this is sure, there is simply not enough spectrum available to support all the possible uses for broadcasting, wireless mics, and high-speed data.    Something is going to have to give in the coming years.    My prediction - it will be pitched battle of this publicly owned asset.   Stay tuned for more to come.

Wireless Mic License Protection

It is almost impossible to imagine church production without wireless microphones.   Over the last several years there has been much publicity about the changes in the radio frequency spectrum used by wireless microphones in the broadcast and entertainment industry.   The same wireless frequencies used by churches around the world for their regular services.

You probably already know about the recent FCC directive for anyone using wireless systems in the 700mhz band to stop doing so by this summer.   Most readers of this note probably have already replaced their existing 700mhz wireless microphones and In Ear Monitor systems.    The question to be asking now is,  is that enough?

Even if you are now operating in a different band,  unless you are a licensed broadcaster, motion picture or television program producer you will be operating without a license.   While operating wireless microphones without a licenses is not necessarily illegal,   it does mean that unlicensed operators do so without any protection form current or future interference from other devices operating in the same bandwidth.   

Well, the FCC has recently indicated that it is considering expanding the granting of licenses for wireless operation to churches and other organizations in addition to those already eligible for licenses.   This is good news.    If you would like to add your comments on why churches should be considered for licenses and the possible protections that licensed operation can provide send and email to wirelessmicrophones@shure.com  and ask for the free information kit on how to contribute your comments for consideration.