Whether you're a small parish streaming your Sunday service for the first time, or a large congregation running multi-camera broadcasts to thousands, Magewell has a solution that fits — and ForeFront Imaging can help you specify it correctly.
The most common challenge we hear from houses of worship: "We want broadcast quality, but we don't have a broadcast engineer." That's exactly what Magewell is designed for — professional results with minimal technical complexity.
One camera, one operator, YouTube Live or Facebook. The simplest possible setup.
No laptop in the sanctuary. One box handles everything — perfect for volunteer-run services.
Multiple cameras around the building, all feeding over your existing network using NDI.
Not necessarily. The Ultra Encode AIO streams independently — plug in a camera, configure via browser, press go. Ideal for volunteer-operated services with no IT support.
Yes. The Ultra Encode AIO supports simultaneous dual-destination streaming — YouTube Live and Facebook Live at the same time, from one device.
Use Pro Convert HDMI TX units to convert each camera to NDI over your existing ethernet network. All cameras then appear in vMix or OBS without running new video cables.
Start with USB Capture HDMI Plus (£175–200) and OBS (free). This gives you 1080p streaming to YouTube immediately. Upgrade to the Ultra Encode AIO when you're ready to go cable-free.
We've helped dozens of houses of worship build their streaming setups. Tell us your building, your cameras and your budget — we'll design the right system, free of charge.
The right product depends on your workflow. For the simplest standalone streaming with no PC required, the Ultra Encode AIO or Ultra Encode HDMI Plus is ideal — connect your HDMI output from your camera or switcher, configure once via the browser interface, and it streams to YouTube and Facebook every week automatically. For multi-camera production with a touchscreen interface, the Director Mini gives a single operator full switching, graphics, and streaming in one device. Contact us and we will specify the right setup for your venue.
Yes. The Ultra Encode AIO streams to up to six destinations simultaneously, including YouTube Live and Facebook Live at the same time. You can also stream to your church website via an RTMP server concurrently. The built-in scheduler means you can pre-program service times so streaming starts and stops automatically each week without manual intervention.
The Ultra Encode AIO has a 3.5mm analogue audio input. Connect your sound desk's headphone or auxiliary output to this input. Alternatively, if your camera or video switcher mixes the audio before the HDMI output, the embedded audio in the HDMI signal is captured automatically — no separate audio connection needed. Magewell encoders support up to 8 channels of embedded audio.
For 1080p streaming to YouTube at 6Mbps (standard broadcast quality), you need a stable upload speed of at least 10Mbps to give headroom. For dual-platform streaming (YouTube + Facebook), allow 15–20Mbps upload. The Magewell Ultra Encode AIO can encode at up to 32Mbps per stream — ensure your internet connection can support the bitrate you configure. A wired Ethernet connection is strongly recommended over Wi-Fi for reliability.
Most houses of worship use one of: a USB Capture card feeding OBS on a laptop (simplest, lowest cost), a Pro Capture card in a desktop streaming PC (higher reliability, multi-camera), or a Director standalone switcher (all-in-one without needing a separate PC). The right choice depends on budget, technical capability of volunteers, and production complexity.
Yes — particularly with the Director range, which is designed for single-operator use with a touchscreen interface. For PC-based setups, OBS with a Magewell capture card is learnable in an afternoon. We can advise on the simplest setup for your situation.
Use a Magewell Ultra Stream or Ultra Encode device, which support simultaneous RTMP output to multiple destinations. Alternatively, OBS with a Magewell capture card can stream to multiple platforms using OBS's multi-RTMP plugin or a restreaming service like Restream.io.