5 Tech Tips to help you return to church after Covid-19

Carl Lukings • June 9, 2020

Tech tips that can help your congregation make the transition back to church successfully

Canadian churches have been away from their church buildings for months throughout the Covid-19 epidemic. Now that churches are starting to get back into the physical worship space there is a lot of questions as to how this is going to happen.

Here are some technology tips that can help your church make the transition successfully. 


1 - STREAM WITHIN THE BUILDING

With reduced numbers of people allowed in one room you can use the church’s streaming system to stream your service online and then, using a computer or smart TV in a separate space, you can stream the service to others in the building. This can be done a few ways including on your existing building network or using the Internet.


2 - MAXIMIZE YOUR PROJECTION SYSTEM

As contact with physical hymnals and paper bulletins is being questioned by many, your church may want to consider using your projection system for more content than in the past. If you don’t use a projector regularly this may be a good time to look into that.

3 - TWEAK THE LITTLE THINGS TO MAKE IT MORE ACCESSIBLE
As you may be required to spread out your congregation throughout the room allowing for more space, many people may be required to sit further away from the stage and any video projection screens. Increasing the size of font on your slides and using less lines of text can always help make it easier to read. It’s a quick and easy fix that can have a big impact.

4 - TREAT THE CAVERNOUS SPACE

Less people in a large room may expose acoustic issues in the space. That might seem like a weird thing but people absorb sound and are part of the acoustics of a room. With less bodies there is less absorption. Considering acoustic treatment may be wise to help with controlling the sound and improve intelligibility. The catalyst for this change may be less people in the room but the long-term addition to the room will be appreciated for years to come.


5 - USE UV-C TECHNOLOGY TO CLEAN YOUR SPACES

We all know that keeping public spaces clean is super important right now but it’s not always easy. Technology like UVC Light has been proven to break down bacteria and viruses on surfaces. Using this sort of technology as part of your cleaning cycle can not only provide a deeper clean but can also provide patrons and parishioners with peace of mind. There are limitations and safety protocols to consider but, when implemented properly, UVC is a good tool for disinfecting spaces.


Need help with navigating how to use technology for your worship space or gathering area? 


Horizon Solutions has been working non-stop throughout the Covid-19 epidemic with churches across the country. Contact us and we will work with you find solutions  for you to have a successful return to church.


For close to 40 years Horizon Solutions has provided clients with solutions to their technical needs.  We have been working with churches since the beginning and we understand how churches work better than most.  We understand this is a tough time for churches and we're here to help.

By Carl Lukings November 19, 2024
When it comes to procurement for professional audio, lighting, and video services, is it possible to balance the “best price” and “best service”? We think it is! Below are some insights that may help you navigate this challenge. The Challenge of Price-Driven Procurement Many municipalities and organizations are required to purchase from the vendor offering the lowest price. But is this approach always the best? As taxpayers, we want assurance that public money is being spent appropriately, and that there’s no room for favouritism or backdoor deals. The intent is good, but in practice, this system often results in a “bare bones” solution. The theory behind it is to guard against preferential treatment or collusion, ensuring that public funds are used responsibly. However, focusing solely on the lowest price can often result in solutions that are less than ideal.
By Jordan Elgie November 19, 2024
Essential Tips to Enhance Your Audio Experience – From Training to Equipment Upgrades
By Duane Myers October 8, 2024
Upgrade Your School's Audio and Stage Systems for a Superior Experience
By David Brown July 29, 2020
It certainly has been different times dancing on Zoom for over 2 months. Now we are coming up on a new dance season. Everybody has different levels of confidence in returning to activities and that is perfectly fine. Some kids can not wait to get back in the studio. Some want to continue but would like to do so from home. Of course, depending on class size there may be a rotation where you spend two weeks in the studio and one week at home. Maybe you will dance in the studio like normal (with new physical distancing guidelines) but want to practice at home. With these new situations Rosco has made a kit version of their popular dance floor called the Marley Mat . The floor that is used in the Rosco Marley Mat is a lighter weight version of Adagio floor that we use in our studios. That makes it perfect for dancing at home for all types of dance including ballet, jazz, acro, lyrical and even tap . It will have the same feel and “speed” of the studio floor. Being a lighter weight material allows the floor to be rolled up when not in use and unrolled and used immediately. The Marley Mat kit can be purchased for $ 149.00 (price current as of July 2020) plus shipping and tax. The package comes with a 5’ 3” by 6’ section of black or grey floor, and a roll of tape that would allow you to lay down and tape the floor 5 times. Additional tape can be purchased. You can find and purchase the kit from StageStore at the following link. StageStore is a great supplier in Ontario of theatrical type products. https://www.stagestore.ca/product/rosco-marley-mat-kit/
By Carl Lukings July 27, 2020
Redefining the microphone for the meeting space
By Carl Lukings May 25, 2020
Even with the proliferation of wireless systems, our entire industry runs on wire.  Miles, or should I say kilometres of wire. But the truth is that we use a lot less than we used to. Back in the 1980’s we didn’t have digital audio snakes or DMX cables for lighting. And every video line was a coax cable or multiple coax bound together. A simple audio snake could be an inch in diameter for just a couple dozen channels. But that was then. We’ve come a long way in the last 30-40 years, but we still run a lot of wire. It’s just different now. So, how much wire does go into a world class theatre? For the last six months Horizon Solutions’ crew has been pulling wire into the new Tom Patterson Theatre in Stratford, Ontario to support the new Audio and Video systems. There is a lot of wire there. To be clear this wire does not include the lighting systems, nor does it include the cables that plug from plates into the pieces of equipment. Those are a completely different story.
By Carl Lukings May 15, 2020
New Acoustic treatment in Chatham-based CMHA
By Carl Lukings April 29, 2020
As a kid we moved around a lot.  My parents liked the change and my father was often looking for a new challenge with his work in IT. One of the things I have always remembered whenever we moved into a new home was how the house felt so hollow with no furniture, justblank walls and floors. It was even more noticeable in an empty bathroom. I remember my brothers and I standing in an empty bathroom hollering at the top of our lungs, listening to the echo. Although I had very little interest in sound or audio at 12 years old, I understood something about acoustics. When the shower curtain and bath towels were hung, the bathroom quickly went from being a cavern to a small room. The principals haven't really changed much over the years. The fact is, some rooms, for numerous reasons, have acoustic characteristics that make them much more reverberant than others. Sometimes it's the hard uncovered surfaces. Or it could be a tin-pan ceiling. More often than not it's the physical dimensions of the room, allowing for some frequencies to reflect for a long period of time before diminishing. One way to determine and quantify the "issue frequencies" is to play a frequency sweep within the space and then record the playback with a microphone in the room. What this does is provide us the ability to "hear" and analyse how the different frequencies are responding in the space. Using a measurement referred to as the RT60 we are able to determine which frequencies and to what extent each frequency is a problem. From there, we're able to take that information and determine how much acoustic treatment is required to bring the RT60 reverberation time down to a reasonable level.
More Posts >
Share by: