A Complete Guide On How To Live Stream A Funeral (2024)

It can take impressive videos ranging from high-definition to ultra-definition.

• Camcorders have impressive built-in zoom functions including calibrated lenses that will always focus better than “autofocus” on other types of cameras.
• Camcorders have built-in omnidirectional microphones that can pick up all types of environmental sound and they have strong audio inputs.
• It will fit very comfortably in your hand as it comes with a strap. They also come with a swivel attachment that allows you to view the screen when taking video.
• Camcorders often have hand-shake detection and stabilization software to prevent shaky video.

In low light, a camcorder is going to be outperformed by a DSLR camera just simply because the camcorder has a smaller lens.

• Camcorders have built-in hard drives so if you want to take a lot of high-definition video, you may run into storage problems.
• While camcorders can capture still photographs, these will never measure up to professional cameras like a DSLR.
• They eat up the battery really quickly unless you turn off the LCD screen attachment. However, you can get a higher-capacity battery version if your camcorder has an open-back design.

A webcam is extremely easy to set up and use, you simply attach it to your computer and install the software.

A webcam is quite inexpensive to purchase, and it is very small in size.

It allows for face to face communication, even over long-distances.

There is a ton of variety out there to buy.

The resolution of a webcam is quite low compared to handheld cameras & they rely on there being internet for a connection.

They are not very secure and can cause both security and privacy issues as they are easily hacked.

The available positions that a webcam can be at or angles is very limited, requiring you to mess around with it to ensure it is at a flattering angle.

Webcams can be extremely dark in their video feeds if there is poor lighting in the environment. If there is too much lighting, the feed can look washed out.

Webcams can require a lot of bandwidth and data to run, which may result in dropped feeds or dropped frames, if there is too much traffic.

Obtainability. Smartphones are an already widespread commodity, so they are easy to obtain and, chances are, you already have one on hand. This means you can get started using it right away without the need for purchasing more equipment.

Backward Compatibility. Newer smartphones are constantly being released and while this usually means an inflated price tag, it also means being able to get your hands on an older phone that can capture footage.

High Quality Footage. Smartphones are surprisingly powerful and, with a little skill, can easily capture high quality footage that can match most camera equipment. Plus, you can add on some inexpensive accessories to increase the quality of your footage.

Portability. Due to its small size, a smartphone is easy to transport. The most you’ll need is a small bag to carry any accessories, or the phone if you don’t have any pockets.

Usability. Smartphones have a very intuitive design, so they are easy to pick up and start filming with almost right away. If you run into any trouble, a simple tutorial can show you what you need to know in a matter of minutes.

Battery Usage. A smartphone’s camera uses much more power than say, browsing the internet, thus it drains the battery much more quickly. This can be countered with short filming sessions and investing in external power sources.

File Size. Video files are quite large on their own, so your phone’s storage may fill up quickly. You can avoid this by making videos short, having more internal storage, adding external storage if it’s an option, or making sure to transfer video files off of your phone as soon as possible.

Lack of On-Hand Control. Many stock camera apps don’t have a lot of options integrated into the app, and instead keep these options hidden in settings. This means you may have to download a third-party camera application in order to have the on-hand controls you may need.

DSLRs have huge sensors which convert light into video. These larger sensors provide high-quality and sharp imagery while having a very shallow depth of field. This also means that you can shoot great footage in low light conditions.

They have a “film like” quality to them and for their price range, this is an incredible deal/investment if you are planning on shooting a lot of high-resolution video. They get this cinema-like quality due to their frame rates of 24-60 frames per second.

They focus quickly and have minimal shutter delays, ensuring that you do not miss out on the image you are trying to shoot.

They have manual overrides for most functions including color balancing, temperature, flash output, autofocus modes, and more.

They have continuous shooting, so you can see the live image through the viewfinder without delays.

They have a wide range of lenses, filters, and flashes that you can add on to customize the shoot.

DSLRs shoot in a high compressed format, so the file sizes of your videos will be relatively small.

While DSLRs were built for still shots, their video capabilities have come a long way and are now one of the highest on the market with regards to quality. Unfortunately, their audio capabilities are still pretty crude. This means that you will need to buy a portable audio recorder that can be plugged into the microphone that you are using.

You may end up with shaky footage if you do not use a stabilizer or tripod, as DSLRs can be pretty light in weight.

Because DSLRs shoot in a high compressed format, you cannot heavily color grade your footage without pixilation as too much luminance data is dropped.

You must be flexible in your video range, as most lenses that come with a DSLR are not zoom lenses. You will need to get comfortable with the feel, angle, and distance.

They will not work with a standard XLR microphone.

Resolution changes with frame rate which can cause mismatches during the editing process.

Using the embedded microphone on your smartphone can capture you some great audio if you optimize the microphone and have the right environmental factors on your side.

You can change the audio quality to “lossless” so that it comes out uncompressed. This gives you much better audio sound but takes up more storage.

You can also set your phone on the “do not disturb” setting and no notifications will interrupt your audio session. Plus, you can download a voice application to get better quality as well.

Using the built-in microphone on a camera is fine when you are taking short clips of audio in unprofessional settings like on vacations or in your backyard.

You wouldn’t have to purchase an external microphone to add to your camera.

The negatives though are that you must keep your phone steady otherwise you might get broken sound, you must minimize environmental noise, and you need to get as close to the sound source as possible.

Unfortunately, if you really want professional sound quality, the built-in microphone in a camera is going to be inadequate. It really should be a last resort choice, as it will be very small and omnidirectional, meaning that it will pick up all ambient sounds in a 360-degree radius.

This means that it is sensitive to breathing, sounds in the immediate vicinity, and wind which will drown out any speech.

They are extremely affordable as most of them come at no cost to you.

They are extremely flexible and come with a ton of built-in features like switching capability, effects, overlays, and multiple feed broadcasting.

You can customize the bitrate and encoding type.

They work only as good as the computer that runs them. If you have a low-end CPU, you’re going to have a tough time getting a high-quality stream.

They have slower encoding capability which means higher latency.

If you are multitasking or have a lower-end computer, you are not going to get great performance.

You will get fantastic performance even if you are streaming in really high-quality.

They have one purpose, to encode, which means you will get reliability.

You will have lower latency as the hardware can encode at a higher speed.

They will run you a couple hundred dollars to pick one up.

They have one function, so you will need additional gear for other areas of your stream.

They very rarely upgrade themselves. You would need to buy the newest version outright instead.

Periscope is free to use, is available on Google Play and IOS App Store, and it allows viewers on PC to see your stream whether they have an account or not.

Those with Apple TV can stream it on their television and you can save your broadcast on the platform for as long as you want.

There is also a chat feature/interaction and you can stream without sharing your location.

You will get constant notifications pop up on the smartphone you are streaming with as people interact with you.

There is no censorship in the chatline.

There is only 24-hour playback of a stream.

Facebook Live is free, it is as easy as just hitting the button to go live, and it allows you to download the video to save to your computer.

Facebook Live does have an interactive chat and an emoji system, but you may want to turn this off for a funeral service.

This platform works really well for memorials or funeral services if the majority of those who cannot attend, have a Facebook account.

You can make the stream open to the world OR you can set your settings so that those with a link are the only ones who can watch.

Youtube offers a chatline with interactive chat and has its own encoding.

The broadcast can be saved, embedded, and shared across your Youtube channel, blogs, or other social media platforms.

Clunky sharing during live streaming and latency issues.

If you want to share your live stream content during the live stream, you will need to share it on other platforms which is done by opening up a new window. Doing this will pull you out of the live stream.

You may also come across latency issues as you will need to prioritize either video quality or real-time engagement.

The higher the quality, the more resources needed which may lead to some delay or buffering.

A hardwired ethernet has greater bandwidth than any other type, allowing for it to support multiple networks within large companies, schools and organizations.

It also has much faster speeds with lower latency, allowing for multi-channel communications.

A hardwired connection can be better managed and protected by firewalls.

There is a lack of mobility with ethernet as it is a wired connection.

It can be more costly as you may need to install new jacks, run cables, and drill holes for said cables.

Ethernet does not work in computers that do not have any ports.

If you are using multiple devices on the wireless network, you can run into a slower connection as a finite amount of data can be sent through the network at one time.

WiFi itself is also slower than an ethernet connection in general, making it less stable to use.

While you can set passwords for your internet network, failure to set one leaves you open to intrusion.

WiFi is not recommended for streaming due to how slow the connection is.

5G will be 100 times faster than 4G networks with transmission speeds up to 10Gbps.

It will have 10 times less latency than current technology.

It will increase how many devices can communicate with one another through the connection without slowing down the network.

There is lack of information surrounding the infrastructure required to make 5G a reality.

The area covered by individual 5G coverage will be less as it uses millimeter-wave range.

There may be more security threats with more people transferring high-quality data across the network.

5G will have much faster speeds than the current 4G networks, meaning that it could definitely be used for live streaming.