TNoB video

Live video production

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On today’s Tech, No Babel: Live video production

Creating live video is different than creating preproduced video. The final product might look similar, but the biggest difference is time. You may go back in and tweak a video that was recorded live, but when the event is done, the video is mostly done.

What are the differences between live video and preproduced video? What are some things to keep in mind? Take a look here to find out:Click To Tweet

So, with a live video, you have to be very careful to make sure it’s right the first time.

Not all live video is the same, either. The audience really matters. I could be that you are doing IMAG (image magnification). In that case, you’ll want your video to show mostly details (and occasionally, sight lines, when something is not in a usual place, for example).

By contrast, video created for a remote audience must include both details and context. It’s fine to show a close up of the pastor, but a wide shot of the congregation also helps the viewer feel like they’re part of things.

While live video can be very stressful, it’s really a great tool for your church to use.

For more information on these ideas, watch the video above.

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About this show:

If you do video or graphic design to advance your church’s mission, this show is for you.

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Troubleshooting Techniques: Putting it all together

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On today’s Tech, No Babel: Troubleshooting Techniques: Putting it all together

When you’re troubleshooting, you may come across the answer very quickly. Most of the time, though, it will be a process where you ask a lot of questions, whether remotely or in person. It can take some time, but don’t give up.

Troubleshooting can be a process that takes many steps. Don’t give up. Here’s how to put it all together:Click To Tweet

Ideally, you would start with the scientific method, and then devise tests to prove or disprove your suspicions. Sometimes those test will be the “short-leash” test, or just simpling it down. Sometimes, it will be just as simple as rebooting a computer or recognizing that the problem is one inherent to digital technology.

Don’t give up, though. It’s worth the trouble of putting all the pieces together to arrive at the solution.

For more, watch the video above.

If you’d like to chip in a few bucks, anything you do is appreciated. Just click this link to donate.

About this show:

If you do video or graphic design to advance your church’s mission, this show is for you.

How to Subscribe to the show (for free):

Subscribe on YouTube

For more questions, comments, or snide remarks, comment below or contact me at:

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Troubleshooting Techniques: Reterminating Cables

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On today’s Tech, No Babel: Troubleshooting Techniques: Reterminating Cables

All things being equal, cables tend to have problems before hardware. Beyond that, the ends tend to have problems before the middle of a cable. So, reterminating cables will fix problems more than almost any other solution.

Cables tend to break before other hardware, especially their ends. Here’s what to do about that:Click To Tweet

This happened to me just last Saturday. I had just done some cleaning and rearranging of my office, moving the router from the far wall from my desk to one of the sides. In doing so, the whole system initially worked, until I moved the cables to make them neater.

After checking the obvious things (everything was plugged in and I restarted the router and the cable modem), it still didn’t work. Then I asked, “What changed?” The only thing that I had done was move cables. That told me I probably had an intermittent short.

Knowing that cables tend to break at the ends and not in the middle, I decided to reterminate the cable. I cut off the end that was most likely to have moved during the move and added a new end.

After testing, I found that I’d fixed the problem. Troubleshooting doesn’t go like that very often.

For more about reterminating cables, watch the video above.

If you’d like to chip in a few bucks, anything you do is appreciated. Just click this link to donate.

About this show:

If you do video or graphic design to advance your church’s mission, this show is for you.

How to Subscribe to the show (for free):

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Troubleshooting Techniques: Using a Fox and Hound Tool

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On today’s Tech, No Babel: Troubleshooting Techniques: Using a Fox and Hound Tool

One of the great things about troubleshooting is that you don’t always have to rely on tests you devise to figure out what’s wrong. Sometimes, there’s a tool that will help you.

That’s what today’s show is all about. A fox and hound (also known as a tone generator and probe) is a tool that helps you find cables. You may know where each end is, but not know which end on one side goes with what cable.

Sometimes, you can use a specially designed tool to take the trouble out of troubleshooting. That’s what a fox and hound tool does:Click To Tweet

Basically, it’s pretty simple. You connect the fox (tone generator) to one end of the cable and use the hound (probe) to test to find out which cable it is on the other end.

This is especially helpful in situations where the cable runs through a wall or conduit. Really, all that matters is that you know where both ends of the cable are. Once you know that, you can connect (or reconnect them correctly).

Here are a couple of examples of this tool (affiliate links) if you need to buy one yourself:

Triplett fox and hound

Triplett home version of fox and hound (less expensive and not as durable)

Another inexpensive fox and hound tool

Watch the video for more on how you use this tool.

If you’d like to chip in a few bucks, anything you do is appreciated. Just click this link to donate.

About this show:

If you do video or graphic design to advance your church’s mission, this show is for you.

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Troubleshooting Techniques: Using a Multimeter

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http://TrinityDigitalMedia.com/tnb

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On today’s Tech, No Babel: Troubleshooting Techniques: Using a Multimeter

Electricity is generally invisible in most electronics applications. If something goes terribly wrong, you’ll see a spark, but that generally lets the “magic smoke” out. Then it won’t work at all

Troubleshooting Techniques: Making the invisible visible

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On today’s Tech, No Babel: Troubleshooting Techniques: Making the invisible visible

Most of the time, electricity is invisible. If you see a spark, something has gone really wrong, except in rare exceptions. So how can you tell if electricity is flowing? You’ve got to figure out a way to make it visible.

If electricity is mostly invisible, how can you see if it’s flowing? Try these tips:Click To Tweet

Sometimes it’s as simple as using a special cable. There are cables that light up or have LEDs at one end or the other to show you they’re getting or sending power.

If you’re testing an IR remote, try pulling out your smart phone and shooting the beam into the camera lens. While in camera mode, most of the time, if it’s working, you’ll see blinking on the screen.

Finally, you can use a multimeter to see more information. With the first two tests, you could see if there was electricity, but with a meter, you can see how much, polarity, etc.

We’ll talk more about these devices next week.

If you’d like to chip in a few bucks, anything you do is appreciated. Just click this link to donate.

About this show:

If you do video or graphic design to advance your church’s mission, this show is for you.

How to Subscribe to the show (for free):

Subscribe on YouTube

For more questions, comments, or snide remarks, comment below or contact me at:

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Church tech questions on ProPresenter import, mass conversion, and messages in Pro6

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On today’s ChurchTechCast.com Q & A, church tech questions on: ProPresenter import, mass conversion, and messages in Pro6

Here are the latest questions:

Shonita Lewis on YouTube

Can you take songs from Easy Worship and import them to ProPresenter?

—

Do you have church tech questions on ProPresenter import, mass conversion, and messages in Pro6? Click here for the answers: Click To Tweet

Shonita Lewis a follow up on YouTube

+Paul Alan Clifford Can I convert to text in Easy Worship in mass or will I have to do it song by song?

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Lloyd D on TrinityDigitalMedia.com

Hey Paul, in this post https://www.youtube.com/watch?… you showed how you sent a message from another computer and even your iPhone, then you stated that one could send messages using an Android phone too, is this correct as I can’t seem to get it to work on my Samsung, but I can on my iPhone.

The other issue we’re having is that when we send a message from another computer or iPhone, it only stays on the “Pro Presenter computer” for about 5 seconds before disappearing, so if the “Pro presenter operator” doesn’t click it in time or there’s a prayer on or something, then it’s gone after 5 seconds, can one lengthen the time it stays?

If you’d like to chip in a few bucks, anything you do is appreciated. Just click this link to donate.

About this show:

This show is meant to help church techies the world over get their questions answered. Paul Alan Clifford specializes in video, graphic design, social media, new media, and the web. If there is something you want to know that’s outside these areas of expertise, given some time, he’ll do his best to find the answer from other experts he knows.

If you do tech at your church or you use computers to advance your church’s mission, this show is for you.

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Troubleshooting Techniques: Troubleshooting Remotely

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On today’s Tech, No Babel: Troubleshooting Techniques: Troubleshooting Remotely

1. Ask a lot of questions. Questions are your life line. The more you ask, the more information you’ll have.

2. Look for evidence to rule out your hypothesis. It’s easy to jump to conclusions early. When you do so, though, you may miss the actual solution.

3. Devise tests. How can you prove a problem or narrow down which one it is? Figure out a way to test and you’ll see.

4. Use the best communications medium you can. If it’s text, it’s text. If it’s voice it’s voice. If it’s a video chat, use that. Try and choose the best medium for the situation.

Sometimes you’ll need to troubleshoot remotely. If so, keep these things in mind:Click To Tweet

5. Get the person on the other end to describe it to you like you can’t see (because you can’t). When you can’t see, get the person you’re working with to describe, in vivid detail what they see and prompt them where to look.

6. If the person doesn’t believe you, devise a test to show them. They might be right and you might be, but figure out a way to show it for sure.

7. Don’t tell them they’re wrong; help them realize it themselves. Show them the evidence and let them realize it for themselves. Don’t belittle. Make them feel important and smart, even if they’re not.

Troubleshooting techniques: Paying in time and trouble

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On today’s Tech, No Babel: Troubleshooting techniques: Paying in time and trouble

Most people only think of things costing money, but there are other costs.

Consider:

-how much something costs to replace.

-how often you replace it.

-how much maintenance does it require.

-does it require more people to operate?

-does it add unnecessary frustration to someone’s life?

A lot of people think money is the only way to pay for things. Not true. Click here to see how else you’re paying:Click To Tweet

Should you just replace it?

-How much is the person who has to deal with it being paid to do so?

-Are maintenance costs making repairs more costly than new?

-Does a new one bring additional benefits that add to the calculation?

For more on this, watch the video above.

If you’d like to chip in a few bucks, anything you do is appreciated. Just click this link to donate.

About this show:

If you do video or graphic design to advance your church’s mission, this show is for you.

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Troubleshooting Techniques: What to do with bad information

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On today’s Tech, No Babel: Troubleshooting Techniques: What to do with bad information

Troubleshooting Techniques: What to do with bad information

How to know you have bad information:

-The problem doesn’t make sense.

-Fixes don’t seem to work

-The piece doesn’t normally break this way

-The symptoms seem odd

Troubleshooting can sometimes be hard, but when you get the wrong information, it’s much harder. Here’s how to fix that:Click To Tweet

How to clear up bad information:

-Ask about the location of the gear (is it close, is it in a well-lit area?).

-Ask for a description of the problematic piece, including any displays, or UI.

-Go back to basics, eliminate everything you can from the situation (aka “simple it down”)

Look for anomalies:

-What is present that shouldn’t be?

-What’s missing that should be present?

-What’s it doing that makes some of the information you’re getting wrong?

Design a test to figure out what is happening.

-How can you prove that the information you’re getting is bad?

-If you’re talking to someone else, how can you help them save face, while getting the right information?

For more, watch the video above.

If you’d like to chip in a few bucks, anything you do is appreciated. Just click this link to donate.

About this show:

If you do video or graphic design to advance your church’s mission, this show is for you.

How to Subscribe to the show (for free):

* Subscribe on YouTube

* RSS feed

* iTunes one-click subscription and don’t forget to rate the show there as well.

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For more questions, comments, or snide remarks, comment below or contact me at:

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More video can be found on YouTube.com

Also check out my Google+ page