Michael Henry's blog

I was asked a couple of years ago for my perspective on streaming events for the university; they were hosting a panel discussion in our large lecture hall (200 stadium seats) and were dissatisfied with the streaming options available. This advice applies, however, to any event from 5 to about 300 people, and so it may help others.

The current system in our classrooms is a webcam that’s wide enough to see most of the front of the classroom and an omnidirectional microphone mounted on the ceiling, halfway back. It’s an ok solution for students who need to watch a class remotely; they can see and hear things usually. It doesn’t provide very clear audio of the presenter (no lapel mic or other direct audio input), and doesn’t have any zoom or close-up capabilities (so the writing on the whiteboard needs to be large). For an automated solution that doesn’t require anyone to control it, it works. In a larger room – like the aforementioned large lecture hall – it barely is sufficient.

It’s also definitely not the best option for a planned live stream of an event, where online attendees expect more zoomed-in, ‘normal’ video and clearer audio. So, how do we fix these issues?

There are many ways to fix this, depending on your requirements, funding, and staff. I’ll outline three main approaches: (1) single webcam, correct positioning; (2) single camera, multiple audio inputs; and (3) full production.  All three of these approaches will use a dedicated laptop as the streaming platform so that the streaming can be controlled separately from whatever event/presentation is occurring, and can be used for streaming outside of a classroom (a tour of campus, or an event in the lobby, as examples).

(1) single webcam, correct positioning

This is the simplest and cheapest approach. Buy a high-quality webcam (the Logitech Brio is decent if you can afford it), get a tripod, and place the webcam front-and-center on the tripod. By getting it closer to the participants that improves the video quality (as it is more ‘zoomed in’), and audio quality (as the microphone is closer to the presenter). Set it up before the event, start it, and let it run. Maybe $200 + laptop.

(2) single camera, multiple audio inputs

This is the middle option. Get a real video camera with a clean HDMI output (the Sony mirrorless cameras are nice, or a PTZ camera if you want to get fancy), an audio/video capture device for the laptop (HDMI to USB), and some lapel microphones for the presenters, ideally with wireless audio packs to get back to the camera. It probably requires a staff person to set it up and make sure everything is working, but it gives a lot more flexibility. You could have someone operate the camera and audio during the event to increase production quality if you wanted, or you can set it up and let it run. Much better audio than previous methods, somewhat improved video (especially if someone is operating the camera during the event). Maybe $1500 + laptop + staff costs.

(3) full production

Multiple cameras, multiple audio sources. Input them all with a video switcher (like the Blackmagic ATEM Mini Pro). You’ll definitely need a staff person for setup and operating it during the event, but your stream can look professional; a camera for each panelist, a camera for a wide shot. Good angles, good audio quality, the whole deal. Lots of work, and somewhat expensive relative to the other options, but the most powerful. It can also scale up to use for larger events; probably up to 1000 people, depending on which lenses you get for the cameras and how long your cables are. Maybe $4000 + laptop + staff costs, depending on how many cameras you buy.

Any of these options can work; they’re all improvements over the current ‘webcam and microphone on the ceiling’ approach. They require increasing budget and staff and training, but also increasing quality. All three of these options will need some software on the laptop; they can all use OBS, which is free and connects to Facebook/YouTube/Twitch/whatever.