General Assembly Video Technical Notes
Watching General Assembly (GA) Video
- List of GA events to be streamed live.
- Times listed are in Mountain Standard Time (not Mountain Daylight Time), which is the same as Pacific Daylight Time.
- Live-streaming video is best viewed with high-speed Internet; we recommend 1.5Mbps or greater download speed.
- Speakers or headphones are required for audio.
- Your browser must have Flash Player version 9.0.115.0 or higher (a free download from Adobe). Consider installing the free Google Chrome browser, which includes Flash. Be sure your browser allows pop-up windows and JavaScript from our site.
- Clicking on the screen of a live-streaming event can cause the Flash Player to pause and not re-start. Close the video window and re-open it to re-start the live stream.
- Video will be posted at least 15 minutes, and sometimes as much as several hours, after each live-streamed event (as quickly as we can process them). You can watch these any time.
Using GA Video in Your Congregation’s Sunday Service
Last year, a few congregations live-streamed the Sunday morning worship service into their sanctuaries as part or all of their own Sunday worship. This is a great way to connect your congregation with GA.
The GA 2012 Sunday Worship will be held on June 24 from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. MST. (The event starts at 12:00 noon EDT, 11:00 a.m. CDT, 10:00 a.m. MDT, and 9:00 a.m. PDT.) We hope to post the video within a half an hour, by 11:00 a.m. MST, but we can’t guarantee it.
If your service starts after 9:00 a.m. but before 11:30 a.m. MST on Sunday, the video may not be ready in time for your service. Consider some other options:
- Show the service the following week.
- Show another worship service, perhaps the Thursday morning worship, which will be on June 21 from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. MST, and should be posted sometime Thursday morning so you can review it and decide if and how to use it. There will also be shorter worship services on Friday and Saturday mornings.
- Show last year’s Sunday service, or any service from previous years. If your congregation purchased the DVD of a previous GA, the Sunday service is on the DVD.
Whatever you decide, be sure to have a backup plan in case the particular video you plan to use won’t stream, your projector’s bulb burns out, or some other technical glitch befalls you.
Using GA Video as Part of an Event
Technical problems (either at GA or at your screening) may interfere with even the best-laid plans. Test as much as possible before your event, and be prepared with a backup plan (show parts of previous events instead of live-streaming video, or plan a sing-along or other activity in case the technology just doesn’t work).
Live-streaming GA video will start on Wednesday, June 20, at 7:30 p.m. MST. Choose one or more of the events occurring before your service to test the following at the location of your service.
You need:
- A computer that can play the video.
- A projector and a film screen or blank white wall. Be sure the display is bright enough to look good in morning light (projector reviews from CNET).
- A sound system that can connect to the computer and is loud enough to project to your entire audience (PC speaker reviews from CNET).
- An Internet connection that is fast enough to receive the streaming video without a lot of “buffering” pauses (we recommend 1.5Mbps or greater download speed).
You can show:
- Last year's video. (Use it for testing, anyway.)
- The live stream. We will begin to stream video about 30 minutes before the event starts. You'll usually see a slideshow with news for GA attendees until the event begins.
- Events that are over. Video will be posted at least 15 minutes, and sometimes as much as several hours, after each live-streamed event (as quickly as we can process them).
Some very kind members of the websters email list have graciously agreed to help troubleshoot screenings held during GA. Join websters to review their archives or ask for help.
Report Trouble
If you have the latest Flash Player but are still experiencing trouble viewing or hearing our videos, please let us know. (Please confirm that there is a scheduled event occurring at Mountain Standard Time before reporting that our live stream isn't showing anything.)
For more information contact web@uua.org.
This work is made possible by the generosity of individual donors. Please consider making a donation today.
Last updated on Tuesday, April 24, 2012.
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