Closed circuit video and HD recording setup

Last October, ORBC began recording all of their Sunday AM and PM services as well as any special events that they had. Paul was asked to recommend what equipment to purchase. They needed something that could be operated with minimum personnel and lowest intrusion. The first purpose was to record all of the services to DVD. The main reason for this was for distribution to church members who couldn’t come to services regularly due to health reasons or age. This way they could still feel a part of the congregation and keep up with what was happening without actually attending services. The second purpose was for future expansion of an extension service in another room. At the time, the auditorium was getting very crowded for Sunday services, and they needed a way to get people to be a part of the service as much as possible without actually being in the sanctuary. Here’s what we recommended:

Canon XHA1 HDV camcorder
Canon Console software
Gefen component extender
Bescor motorized pan/tilt head
Wall-mounted fixed camera support



We chose the Canon for it’s stunning image quality. For the extension service, we wanted to be sure that the people that had to watch the screen would get the highest quality image possible. Poor image or audio quality would be distracting and result in the audience losing interest and not being involved in the service.

Canon’s Console software is a great addition to the A1, G1 or H1. It allows Windows computer control of any of these cameras in almost every aspect. Console can record an HDV 1440x1080i M2V file, and it offers options for SD as well. The services are recorded in HDV to get the best image quality in the final output.

We chose the A1 because it offered the features we needed at a reasonable price. It supports XLR audio-in which enables us to get a direct feed from the sound board if desired. The Canon optics are superb as one might expect, and the custom functions available on the menu are second to none when it comes to customizing the camera to our needs.

The Gefen component extender is a pair of boxes that converts a component video signal to cat5 and vice versa. This allows us to send a component video signal up to 300’ on a single network cable. The fellowship hall is almost that far from the auditorium.

The Bescor is a low-priced, wired remote head that is compact in size. A very simple option, it allows for smooth pan and tilt of a mounted camera up to fifteen pounds. Although it has a wide-ranging speed control, it does not allow for smooth starts and stops. This results in a somewhat jerky image at times, but with experience can be used effectively.

Our resulting system can be summarized like this. The camera is mounted to the wall at the back of the auditorium just behind the sound and lighting booth. It is right about eye level with someone standing behind the pulpit on the platform. All of the control and signal cabling run behind the wall, under the booth floor, and up to the counter. There is a Windows computer and external monitor in one corner of the booth that can be controlled by a single operator. The camera is focused and exposed before each service, and the HDV M2V file is recorded directly to a compact 250GB external USB hard drive. The operator uses the joypad-like control for the pan/tilt head, and the mouse can be used for zooming during the service. Paul takes the hard drive home each week and mixes the audio from the camera microphone (for congregational singing or where ambient audience noise is best) and the audio recorded from the board.

The resulting final edit has a great sound and image that fulfills the church’s goal well. Once the church reaches a point where they need the overflow room, we’ll be able to transport the video signal to the projector in the fellowship hall for viewing.