Case Study: AREC and Houses of Worship - Finnish Experience

Dear ADENA Partners, we start this year with a case study from a beautiful and modern Espoonlahti Church in Finland. Completed by our partner F-Musikki, this project highlights how AREC systems can be used to record and live-stream religious ceremonies and concerts.

Espoonlahden Kirkko, or Espoonlahti Church as it is known in English, is a Lutheran church that is known for its unique floor design. During church services, the sun shines on the altar wall and produces a spectacular visual effect. The church is also known for its organ, which was used several times for Kesäillan Urkumusiikkia, a series of organ concerts. These and other qualities of Espoonlahti Church made it an important landmark not only for the residents of Espoo, but also tourists. As such, it didn’t take long for the church to get renovated when signs of damage appeared.

The church’s audiovisual systems got an uplift as part of this renovation. Pandemic restrictions and the growing popularity of streaming made it clear that audiovisual systems are required for the growth of the church. Thus, the officials decided to obtain a streaming system and a set of network cameras to use for Sunday services, events, and organ concerts. Thanks to the advice of our partner F-Musikki, the church selected AREC for all its streaming needs.

Specifically, LS-860N Media Station was the chosen model. It is a four-channel device that is able to mix, record, and stream up to 4 video sources at the same time. This model is powered by NDI|HX, a technology that allows connecting all kinds of devices via the network with minimal latency. Through NDI, the Media Station is connected to the PTZ network cameras that were also installed for the church. LS-860N is able to receive their audio and video outputs, as well as control them. What makes the LS-860N particularly appealing to the church is just how user-friendly it is. Officials do not need to manage the device themselves since it automatically picks up events from the church’s schedule. In cases when they do want to manage the process, it is easy to navigate the menus and control the device via on-screen GUI and free-to-use software.

Newly renovated and technologically upgraded Espoonlahti Church is already streaming its events and ceremonies, involving both local and remote attendees. Is your church looking to upgrade its AV setup? Contact us at www.a-dena.com and we will find the right solution for you!

AREC is nominated for a prestigious AV award in Germany

We are pleased to announce that AREC LS860N was nominated in the Collaboration & Conferencing section of The AVard - The PROAV Award Germany.

The ceremony is dedicated to the best professional AV products of the year and the winners are decided by user voting. Many prominent AV manufacturers are present in the 2022 shortlist, including Crestron, Kramer, Shure, Atlona, and AREC of course.

Voting closes at the end of August, so make sure to cast your vote for AREC through this hyperlink and commemorate all of the AREC partners and users and the great job that all of us did. Special thanks to our German partner Videlco for their input.

Text: Anastasia Yakimenko

ADENA Hack: How to use NDI with AREC installations?

AREC currently has two models (LS-US2N and LS-860N) that support NDI-HX protocol - a low-latency protocol that elevates live video production by connecting every device via network. To start using NDI on these stations, firstly, toggle the NDI switch in the “Administrator” web page of your station, “Video” tab -> “Server” subpage. Once it is on, your station will be able to add and be found by other NDI devices. Doing just this will already allow you to connect, record, and stream NDI cameras, computers running NDI Tools, and mobile devices running the NDI-HX camera app, all via network.

But there are more ways in which you can use NDI-HX with AREC! If you want to bring the mixed video produced by AREC stations into video conference applications like Teams, Zoom, and others, you can install NDI Tools on your computer and select AREC Media Station as your audio and video source. This is particularly useful for hybrid education and workplace settings since it is very easy to set up and doesn’t require converters and cabling. Instead of showing a simple camera feed and sharing PC content, with AREC as your source you will be able to fully employ the convenience of source switching through preset themes, showing content coming from document cameras, computers, tablets, and other devices. If you would like to know more about our solutions with NDI-HX, please contact us at a-dena.com and we will be happy to assist you.