chooses Streamit video-STL

This March, the Salvation Army in Almere (the Netherlands) started with live streaming of their Sunday church services for the residents of the local care center, Buitenhaeghe. The service can be seen live, every sunday, in the recreation room and on the internal cable network of the care center. The broadcasts are made possible with the Streamit video-STL solution.

The residents of care center Buitenhaeghe can attend church services in ‘t Klankbord by using a shuttle service. ‘t Klankbord is located more than 20 km away from the care center. That is not exactly next door. Traveling for the elderly who are ill, disabled or less mobile turned out to be difficult. That is why the Salvation Army decided to start with the Streamit video-STL solution.

In the church ‘t Klankbord are three cameras installed with a switchboard. The audio installation is also connected there. The Streamit Maven video-audio encoder is connected with the switchboard and sends the video and audio signal from the church via internet directly to care center Buitenhaeghe in Almere Buiten. The Streamit David video-audio decoder is located in the care center. The David is connected to the internal cable network of the care center and makes sure the video and audio signal is available on the internal TV channel.

The residents of the care center have the option to follow the church service on a beamer in the recreation room but also in their own room via the TV. Residents no longer need to use the shuttle service to the church in order to follow the church service. This is particularly helpful for people with reduced mobility, who are disabled or ill. Previously they could not attend the church service at all. This way the church visits them.

Official Streamit dealer, Proficam, delivered and installed the Streamit video-STL solution at the Salvation Army Almere. “The broadcasts of the church services are internal and only intended for care center Buitenhaeghe. That is why we have chosen to use the video-STL function of the Maven.” says Marcel Cools, co-owner of Proficam.

It is possible to establish a direct connection between the Maven and the David with the video-STL (Studio Transmitter Link) function. The common connection to the Streamit AVplatform is not made, since it’s no public broadcast that also should be viewable on the internet.

Marcel Cools: ”We were one of the first users of this new feature in the Maven. We needed occasional help from Streamit with the implementation of the video-STL. Streamit is the perfect partner. They act fast, are always available to offer support and they try to resolve problems as quickly as possible”.

It is great of course that everything works well technically but how do the elderly, for whom the video-STL solution is meant, experience everything? “The elderly didn’t like it at first. All that technical stuff. The nurses also had a bit of trouble with it in the beginning because they have to switch the devices on. And what if someone accidentally touches one of the buttons?”, says Marcel Kools. “Fortunately the nurses soon discovered that the video-STL solution is very easy to use and that it simply has no buttons that can be tampered with. The elderly are used to it by now and they understand and love the benefits it offers them. They are very happy that they can attend the church service again and find it especially very easy”.