YouTube Live at a Funeral
I live streamed my first YouTube, the day after lockdown. It happened to be a funeral. I was committed. The family was relying on me.
Wow, no pressure then.
During ‘rehearsals’ at St Thomas Church in Wells, Somerset (home of a magnificent cathedral) I met one of the church assistants who gave me access to their broadband and so I could set up the best camera angles. He was clearly interested in what I was using.
To be honest I was taking my lead from Justin Brown from Primal Video and a Zoom Q2N camera for the static feed via OBS software.
Now perceived as an expert, I’ve just received an email asking for advice.
We’ve been running some streaming from St. Thomas using a Q2n. However, I don’t feel the video quality is as good as the test ones you provided. My guess is that the settings or mode we’re using are not the best options.
Currently we’re using the device in Webcam setting via the USB port through to a windows laptop which has the Q2n Webcam driver installed. This is then being streamed live via Zoom.
An expert on live streaming I am not but this was my reply.
Streaming through Zoom is not the same as streaming Live (although it may appear so). Effectively your digital signal is being compressed by Zoom so the image is degrading. I think I’ve given the correct explanation here but I certainly wouldn’t stream via Zoom when better options are available.
OBS is the most common open source (free) software — which is what I was using the first time I live streamed. Takes a bit of getting used to but everyone recommends it. https://obsproject.com/
I’m told that StreamLab is easier to grasp and the preferred option for beginners (although I haven’t used it yet). https://streamlabs.com/
I’d recommend you follow Justin Brown on YouTube and this beginners guide is a great start.
However, the software my friend will want to move to for greater functionality, once he has the basics sorted, is StreamYard and for Mac Only Ecamm Live.
Hey, this is so new, we’re all learning from each other, but now is a great time to get into video marketing, be it live streaming or any content creation. Me, I’ve found Interviews to be most enjoyable and especially valuable for everyone with a story to tell in their business. And everyone has a story to tell.
This has been my story of how a request to Live Stream a Funeral has led to a tremendous increase in visibility even during lockdown.
