Nothing sends a church staff scrambling for the “panic button” faster than when the time comes for a video to be played in a Sunday morning service and all the audience sees is a blank screen. The pastor shifts uncomfortably, the crowd begins to whisper, and whoever is manning the media computer stares in horror at a frozen screen, a blue screen, or the Spinning Hourglass of Death. If anyone on your church staff is apprehensive about incorporating video into your service to begin with, mishaps like the one described above will do little to assuage their doubts.
At the same time, very few churches can afford to get a new, top-of-the-line media computer once the old one starts to lag, so such mishaps may seem unavoidable. Because the use of media in worship services should always enhance the experience and never distract from it, here are a few tips to get the most out of your current media computer while you save your pennies for a new one. With any luck, your panic button will soon be gathering dust.
Close All Other Applications
In a perfect world, your computer would be able to run every application all the time without any hiccups, but most applications are designed to hang on to some of the processing power. When running video, your presentation software will need as much of the computer’s resources as it can get, and even having extra windows open on the desktop can draw memory and processing speed away from the one application you need to run at the top of its game.
Get the Latest Software and Hardware
Many times software companies are unaware of bugs or deficiencies in their software until they start getting reports back from actual users. Most companies are pretty quick about fixing issues and getting new updates out to correct bugs or update codecs in order to make sure their software runs well. It’s important for you, the end user, to constantly check for those updates to make sure you’re using the most optimal version of your presentation software, especially if you have had problems with your software freezing up.
Along those same lines, keep in mind that media producers are trying to get the high-quality imagery to their clients, and High Definition content is already hitting the screens in churches. This means that computers need to be able to handle what is being asked of them. One way to minimize issues is to have a well-thought-out upgrade path for your presentation system. Purchasing RAM or even periodically upgrading the entire computer should assist in keeping the presentation aspect of the service running smoothly. This isn’t necessarily something that should supersede stewardship, but it should never be completely overlooked.
Unplug the Internet Connection
Depending on how secure your computer is and the update settings you have, there is a slight chance your computer could suddenly begin updating itself or beeping during a service. This might never give you a problem, but it’s good to make sure you understand your computer’s habits. Decide for yourself whether or not you think this would be a good idea for your setup.
Keep A Clean Computer
Your presentation computer should be used exclusively for presentations. Installing a lot of extra software on this dedicated computer could slow down the system or even cause conflicts with your presentation software. It’s also possible that viruses could enter the picture and render the computer useless the day before the big service. No one wants to stay up through the night reinstalling software, right?
Restart
Most computers these days are designed to run for extended periods of time. However, when these computers stay on for a while, they start filling up their cache with all sorts of things. When your cache begins to fill up, your computer’s performance might suffer and cause problems while playing back media. Many times, restarting the machine will clear the cache and fix this issue.
Do a Test Run
It’s always a good idea to check microphones and lights before a service, so it should go without saying that a video should be tested on the system—start to finish—before it’s played live. But remember, just as microphones can suddenly go haywire or lights can blow right in the middle of a service, computers can have sudden problems too.
Making a concerted effort to eliminate computer issues before your service will cut down on the potential number of disasters you experience during your service. When your media presentation goes smoothly, odds are that your audience will be talking about the message instead of the mess-ups.
Trent Armstrong is a video producer for Igniter Media. Trent is also the host of The MannersCast, a podcast on manners and etiquette.