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Have you ever been watching a live video and then had to wait while the stream buffered? Nobody likes this. If a stream is sent over an insufficient internet connection, however, buffering is likely to occur for viewers. This is why it is imperative that, when you’re the one streaming live videos for other viewers, you have a sufficient internet connection.

Below I will outline a few ways to stop buffering before it starts. We’ll talk about matching stream quality to upload speed, streaming on a closed network, and bringing your own portable Wi-Fi connection.

More and more churches are livestreaming their worship services as a way to reach people. Much like sermon podcasts, church livestreams let you reach curious new attendees, distant friends and family, and long-time members who can't always make it to Sunday services. But unlike sermon podcasts, livestreams let these people engage with the service in real time (as well as afterward, for that matter). Livestreams also share more than just the sermon — viewers get to participate in the prayer and worship music too.

But that's the why, and we've already covered why to livestream your church services. Today we're talking about the how: how to livestream your church services — and how to do it for free.

Let’s face it: If a video doesn’t look great, you tune out. Good lighting is one of the key components to creating better-looking video. If you shoot without thinking about lighting, the end result can be full of contrasting colors, shadows, and a range of other lighting problems.

To give you an idea of what I mean, here is what Switcher's studio looks like before and after we add lights:

Whether you're an active livestreamer or just learning about livestreaming, you may have seen the term RTMP and not known exactly what it means. Don't let the acronym intimidate you — RTMP is easy to set up. 

Before we set up an RTMP stream, however, we need to understand what RTMP actually is, what it connects with, and how it works.

Going live on Facebook is an amazingly fun way to connect with your friends and followers, but if you've never done it before, you might not know what to expect. Here I'll walk you through the two simplest ways to go live.

Switcher Studio's iOS screensharing feature has infinite use cases, expanding what's possible in your productions. Basically, if you can show something on your iOS device, you can show it in Switcher just by connecting your phone or iPad as a video source. From green screen and scoreboard apps to system setups and video games, the sky's the limit for what you can screenshare into your productions. 

Literally — because today we're talking about drones. Sorry, I had to.

Going Live on Facebook or YouTube is easier than ever using your phone and a 4G or LTE cellular connection. But if you are streaming from work or home and relying on WiFi your networking equipment could be holding you back. 

When making a live video using your phone you have a direct connection to your wireless carrier. However - cellular data connections aren't always reliable, especially in areas with poor coverage, in large crowds or during inclement weather.

Using WiFi or ethernet can be a good solution for having more control over your networking  but there are a few things to take into consideration.

For example: If you are connected to a WiFi network, your iPhone or iPad has to communicate with a router before accessing the internet.

In some cases if you have a poor "internet" connection you may be unable to stream.

Likewise, if you have a poor connection between your "router" and your iPhone or iPad the quality of your live video may suffer.

Here's an overview of how to go live when using WiFi.

Checking your internet speed

Internet is required to stream a live video. Speedtest.net is a commonly used service for checking your internet speed. There are two results you will get back when running a speed test.

Recommended Budget Router:

A quick way to add production value to your livestreamed videos is to add a countdown to the beginning of your stream. A countdown will say something like “Broadcast will begin in 30 ... 29 ..." etc. It makes your streams looks professional and also gives viewers a chance to get settled before the show starts.

Here is an example of a countdown video intro we've used in Switcher's in-house livestreams: 

To see more of our videos, check out Switcher Studio's YouTube channel.

So let’s look at creating a countdown for your livestreams. I have added a couple of free download links to get you started.

When setting up video productions using iOS devices, it is important to choose the best device for the situation. Here are some pointers to help you make the correct choice.