Video Projection System Guidelines
Video Projection System Guidelines
In 2016, new audio and visual projection systems were installed in the church sanctuary and we have a state-of-the-art (for Spruce Grove, at least!) system to work with. We are pleased to offer you the use of the projection and audio systems for a slide show or movie for your funeral or wedding. However, our system and the people who work with it have limitations and the primary point of this page is to make our expectations known at the outset.
At the heart of the church’s presentation system is a fast and functional Windows 10 desktop computer, running Microsoft Office and many audio-visual software programs that will accommodate most needs. The computer has a fairly reliable Wi-Fi connection to the church’s LAN and the Internet. This computer is interfaced with the house sound system and the video output goes to three large projection screens in our sanctuary: two in the front and one at the back, facing the altar. The main purpose of this last screen is to project to whomever is facing the congregation.
It is currently not easily possible to “patch in” another computer or system into ours, so bringing a laptop or tablet computer with your presentation is going to be a non-starter for us. Sorry. What we need is one or more computer files containing the necessary visual and audio components of whatever you want us to play. Optimally, these files will be given to us on a USB flash drive, which we will expect you to retrieve from us after the presentation. Alternatively, with suitable arrangements being made well beforehand, such files could be emailed to Ian Bowden or the church minister, or placed on an accessible cloud-based resource, such as OneDrive or Dropbox.
While our church services are regularly presented using PowerPoint, that is actually our least-preferred format for your presentation. Noting the chart below, we can accept anything listed in the first row without hesitation. Anything listed in the second row would need to be tested on our system at least three days prior to the event.
We presume that whatever you provide to us will run automatically. That is, it will be a file like an MP3 music file that will run in a player program. By default, PowerPoint slides do not run automatically and we prefer that such files have been configured to be “autoplay,” so that nobody must manually advance each slide through the presentation.
Important Note: It’s possible to add a background “soundtrack” to a PowerPoint presentation consisting of one or more audio files and to then configure it to run automatically. It’s also possible to actually save/export a PowerPoint presentation as an MP4 file – which is exactly what we prefer! However, I’ve recently learned, through a nerve-wracking experience, that such presentations are not saved with the soundtrack intact! Microsoft is probably thinking you’re illegally distributing commercial music files embedded in self-made MP4s and refuses to allow it to happen. So, in summary, PowerPoint files with embedded soundtracks are a no-go.
Head spinning? Flabbergasted?
Our church’s webmaster, Ian Bowden, is also quite knowledgeable about our AV system. Contact him with questions or to arrange a phone chat.