TROY, MI – Kensington Community Church, a nondenominational church with about 10,000 worshippers per Sunday at its five campuses, needed switchers for its growing video production needs that would also be user-friendly for the volunteer teams who run them. Advanced Lighting & Sound provided FOR-A HVS-300HS HD/SD digital video switchers to meet the church's needs. Kensington Church currently has five campuses in Michigan: Troy, Rochester Hills, Clinton Township, Birmingham, and Lake Orion. Three of the five campuses use the HVS-300HS switchers, with one of those currently using the FOR-A gear in a multi-camera setup that includes the JVC GY-HD250 camera. Plans are in place to implement additional FOR-A switchers at the other campuses this fall. One of the fall implementations is going to include Kensington's first national campus in Orlando, Fla.
At each location, one switcher uses a traditional, full-sized control panel, while the second switcher is controlled through a compact panel attached to the front of the rack-mounted main unit. "We have two different well-produced, switched feeds going on at the same time," said Jeff Reynolds, video operations director at Kensington Church. "The main switcher is used to feed the screen on the stage. The smaller, in-rack switcher is secondary and is used to feed the building."
Production at each of the campuses varies, but usually consists of between one and three on-stage projection displays with a modulated feed that ties into the building's RF network for remote viewing in other areas of a particular campus. Kensington Church currently produces its video coverage in standard definition, but Reynolds said the campuses will be ready for the eventual move to HD with its FOR-A switchers.
Each switcher's configuration can be saved to a USB flash drive, so if there's a mishap on a Sunday morning, the original configuration can be easily recalled. "Among the different campuses, everyone is working off the same configuration, so the support of the product and systems have been straightforward, since everything is standardized and easily maintained," said Advanced Lighting & Sound's Bob Sullivan.
During the school year, the video systems are stored in trailers during the week. "Considering they are bounced in and out of trailers in road cases every Sunday, we're very impressed with the integrity and consistency of the FOR-A gear," said Reynolds. "The HVS-300HS switchers are very solid units."
With the HVS-300HS, Kensington Church has been able to physically downsize its video systems while increasing its technological capabilities for special projects, such as holiday services. "Christmas and Easter services take it up a notch compared to our normal service," said Reynolds. "Having these switchers has enabled our teams to respond to those creative needs much more easily."
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