The objective of this resource is to create a comprehensive library of information that is for novices and industry veterans alike. It covers the information that both “10,000-foot perspective” leaders and “in the trenches” IT team members are considering. We’ll go over the basics and dive into the details (all in order so you can find precisely what you need as we go along). We’ll also link out to additional resources that go into more detail when we can so that you can chase whatever leads you need to finally solve that problem that’s been plaguing your live stream or VOD (Video on Demand) setup for ages.

Broadcasting in various forms has become a normal part of life. From remote events to hybrid conferences to online church, the cultural shift that has taken place since the pandemic has redefined life as we know it. 

While audiences are used to tuning into things, though, many organizations are still struggling to put their best foot forward when it comes to the actual creation and distribution of online events. 

This is especially true in the non-profit and faith spaces. 

Mission-driven organizations are focused on their work and their impact, but they aren’t necessarily able to channel that into being mission-driven broadcasters. They might have an idea that will change the world. But how can they communicate that in a way that will have people leaning in to see what’s next?

Orchestrating complex online broadcasts is hardly at the top of their to-do list. And this is where the problem arises.

Anyone who wants to have an impact at scale must lean into the broadcasting element. Like it or not, they must learn how to set up complex equipment and scale their setup as they find success and gain momentum. 

In short, broadcasters have become an integral part of running a successful, mission-driven organization. If a non-profit is hosting an event, chances are they’ll want to broadcast it for a larger viewership. For instance, churches of all sizes are accepting that, even if they crave community, attendees don’t always attend consistently in person. When they can’t come, they want to tune in online, and they expect the experience to still be a good one.

This resource is for those mission-driven teams that feel caught between the demands of post-pandemic culture and the inefficiencies of their current broadcasting setups. 

At Sardius Media, we’ve seen it all. Our team of veteran broadcast specialists has helped run everything from basic church live streams to one-off multi-million dollar faith-based events. We’ve developed software to simplify the process and empower broadcasters, and we have the deep knowledge required to navigate complex situations.

The objective of this resource is to create a comprehensive library of information that is for novices and industry veterans alike. It covers the information that both “10,000-foot perspective” leaders and “in the trenches” IT team members are considering. We’ll go over the basics and dive into the details (all in order so you can find precisely what you need as we go along). We’ll also link out to additional resources that go into more detail when we can so that you can chase whatever leads you need to finally solve that problem that’s been plaguing your live stream or VOD (Video on Demand) setup for ages.

From streaming software to live apps, hardware to content distribution, we’ll break down what it takes to create a killer broadcast. No matter where you are in your broadcasting journey, we’ll help you up your game, meet your audience’s needs, and keep your organization moving on the straight and narrow path to success.

As a final note, before we get started, if you have any questions or need clarifications about broadcasting, our team would love to help. We can talk about our broadcasting tools and services later, but for basic Q&A insights for your existing and future broadcasting studios, feel free to reach out to our team using a form or the email and phone options listed here.

Alright, let’s get started.

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Chapter 1: What Is Broadcasting?

Before we look at how to broadcast, let’s consider the essential question: what is a broadcast in the first place? If you can answer this question in your sleep, feel free to skip this part. For many, though, the concept of a “broadcast” is relatively new. 

So, what is a broadcaster? Sure, we know what a live stream is, but it’s hard to see the path that led from a Walter Cronkite report in the mid-20th century to hundreds of thousands of people around the world tuning in to a Sardius-Media-powered Global Leadership Summit feed via an online portal a quarter into the 21st century.

Let’s start with a basic broadcaster definition and go from there. Strictly speaking, the definition of the term “broadcast” can mean a few different things. The one we care about most here is “to send out or transmit (something, such as a program) by means of radio or television or by streaming over the Internet.” A broadcast differs from common communication in the sense that it isn’t intended to function as a private signal for an individual receiver. It is a mass communication tool for large groups of people.

Before we nod in obvious agreement and move on, though, we want to highlight another primary broadcaster meaning. To broadcast something means “to make widely known.” In agriculture, it means “to scatter or sow (seed or something similar) over a broad area.” 

In other words, the concept goes beyond the function of broadcasting. It also considers what is broadcasted, whether that’s seeds for a farmer or information for a non-profit organization.

This is an important perspective to maintain when creating a broadcasting studio or setup for your organization. You can buy hardware and install software all day long, and you can end up with a killer product with incredible capabilities. But is it serving your primary goal? Is it making your message “widely known”? 

That right there is the key to a successful broadcast.

Questions to Ask When Broadcasting

A great broadcast has one goal: to reach your audience with your message.

With that in mind, here are a few questions to ask yourself before you begin investing time, energy, and resources into this area of your ministry or mission: 

• Who are you trying to reach with your broadcast?
• What are the key demographics of this audience?
• Where does this group (or groups) of individuals congregate online?
• Is your target audience tech-savvy?

By considering questions like these, you can make sure you’re not just building a better broadcast. You can ensure that every service, event, and piece of content you push out to your people is serving the larger goals of your organization.

A Brief History of Broadcasting

If you want to be technical about it, you could say broadcasting started the first time an ancient orator like Cicero got in front of a crowd and belted out a speech or made an announcement. Modern broadcasting, though, started in the 1920s with radio broadcasts, while audio/visual broadcasting kicked off about a decade later with the advent of television.

In the 50s and 60s, cable and satellite increased the number and quality of broadcasts available. These mid-20th century decades are the early ages of modern broadcasting. Once the Internet entered the scene at the end of the century, concepts like video-on-demand and live streams began to proliferate. 

By 2005, YouTube was empowering everyday folks to upload videos, and ten years later, Facebook Live made the concept of a live feed that wasn’t on a cable network commonplace. These were fun developments, primarily reserved for unique situations. 

Then the pandemic struck, and every aspect of life suddenly found itself utterly reliant on the remote power of the 21st-century broadcast. At first, it felt like an anomaly. Then, the in-person restrictions began to lift, and it became clear that the “remote” concept was here to stay.

Even in the few years since that time, the quality and capability of modern broadcasts have continued to improve. Our own state-of-the-art broadcasting suite of software is a perfect example of that upward evolution in action. We are constantly tinkering with our broadcasting tools and looking for ways to add new features we might not have thought of were the whole world not suddenly so reliant on this form of public communication.

Okay, that’s how we got to the here and now. But how can you set up a good piece of audio/visual content that is meant for more than an individual recipient? How can you create and distribute a broadcast to a big crowd?

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Chapter 2: What Does a Broadcaster Setup Look Like?

A broadcast is only as good as the setup it comes from. Let’s run through some of the most common components of a good broadcasting studio, starting with hardware and then looking at the software elements you want to consider.

Broadcasting Hardware

Here are the “in the flesh” pieces of your broadcast setup that you want to invest in.

A Computer

This is ground zero for a good streaming setup. The most important thing about your computer is that it meets your streaming software’s minimum requirements. 

For instance, at the time of this writing, vMix, one of the most common streaming solutions, requires a 2Ghz Quad-Core Processor, 4 GB DDR4 Memory, and a Dedicated DirectX 10.1 Compatible Graphics Card. 

That’s the minimum. Ideally, you should have more firepower — and if you are running a bigger or more complicated setup, you definitely want more.

While we’ll save the more nuanced specs for a different resource, understand that you don’t want to short-change your broadcast with a weak computer. This is going to be one of the more expensive parts of your setup, which is why you want to make sure you do your homework before you make a purchase. 

Also, as a final note on computers, if you have team members with the capability to build a computer for you, that opens up the doors to upgrade individual components over time as needed.

Cameras

There are two aspects to any broadcast that you need to capture at the source: audio and video. Your camera addresses the audio, and it’s one of the most important pieces of your entire setup. If you can’t get a clean shot, your audience will notice.

Fortunately, these days, you can get a good camera for a decent price, usually in the range of a few hundred dollars. If you need more than one shot, keep that in mind as you shop, too. Make sure to get mounts and tripods that go with your cameras, as well as power cords, as most cameras these days don’t ship with them.

Microphones

Quality microphones are another key element of a good broadcasting setup. The good news here is that if you’re capturing a performance or service, chances are, you already have a nice audio setup for your organization. Make sure everything is in working order. Invest in quality headphones, too.

As with most of these items, the kind of stream you’re setting up will make a big difference in what kind of mics and lights you buy. That’s where you’ll want to talk to someone with experience so you don’t go too big or small with your setup.

Lighting

Lighting is a major element of a good livestream production. You want your audience to see everyone in your shot clearly.

If you’re running a larger broadcast, consider using a three-point lighting setup to soften shadows and help your subjects pop from the background.

Internet

It’s obvious. It’s everywhere. Don’t take it for granted, though. Make sure you have a strong, dedicated signal coming from a direct line that isn’t shared with other devices or public WiFi networks. This ensures you have plenty of bandwidth and the most reliable direct connection throughout your broadcast.

Mixers

This can be both hardware and software. In either case, you want to have a mixer to manage the level and clarity of each individual audio input into your broadcast.

Keep in mind that mixing audio for broadcasts is not the same as with video. If you only have one option, we suggest getting a mixer with an aux output and a pair of decent headphones. That way, you can use the headphones to mix the broadcast sound through the aux connection.

Encoder

This is a key tool that converts raw audio and video data into a digital format for rapid, efficient, and effective storage and transmission. Technically, an encoder can be a piece of hardware or software. Sardius Media’s software platform, for instance, automates encoding to make it easier to maintain smooth and effortless streaming.

Video Switcher

Again, this can be both a piece of hardware or software. In either case, it enables you to switch between video inputs for more dynamic broadcasting productions.

Recorder

Yep, you guessed it. This one is just like it sounds — a device to capture and store broadcasts for future VOD playback and archiving.

Broadcaster Software

Once you have your hardware in hand, it’s time to set things up. Here are some key pieces of software that help with that process.

Streaming Software

This is the video recording software that generates your live stream. There are several major brands out there offering video capture software, such as vMix, OBS, and Wirecast.

Sardius Media Platform

The Sardius Media Platform is an industry-leading suite of live-streaming tools. This brings together all of your video and audio feeds into a single stream and seamlessly pushes that stream out to a variety of endpoints based on your needs.

Often, this process requires multiple pieces of software. Sardius is a one-stop shop that simplifies and streamlines the entire broadcasting process.

A Website

While not necessary, a website can function as a home base for your broadcasting needs. You can treat it as a crossroads or hub where you can store links to VOD libraries, additional resources, social media, and other content.

On Screen Graphics

You don’t have to restrict Livestreaming to a basic video feed of a stage. Many modern video switchers have graphics capabilities built right in, and software often comes equipped with on-screen graphics that can improve quality, encourage engagement, and enhance audience experiences, 

Social Platforms

Social platforms can be key to both viewing a live stream and promoting it after the fact. Make sure you are plugged into the social platforms that your target audience prefers to use.

Email Platforms

Email lists are a great way to connect with your audience. If you have a recurring broadcast, they are also a good way to deliver viewing options directly to their inbox.

Podcasts

Many broadcasters repurpose live events and audio/visual experiences into podcasts. This is an easy way to repurpose content with minimal effort.

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Technical Specifications to Consider

As you parse through the hardware and software elements of your setup, there are several key specifications you want to consider. We already touched on things like minimum requirements for running streaming tools on a computer. Here are other specs to keep in mind.

• Graphic Design: The fonts, colors, and layout of your production matter. Even the placement of graphics on your screen. Create a vision for your broadcast first, and then make sure your setup is capable of executing the look and feel of that vision.
• Resolution and Framerate: The resolution (number of pixels in your display) and framerate (number of frames per second) can affect the smoothness and quality of your stream. Everything doesn’t have to be a 4K, 60 FPS production, but make sure you can maintain quality content.
• Encoding and compression: Your system’s ability to encode and compress (i.e., remove redundant or unimportant data) quickly is central to a dependable broadcast.
• Streaming protocols: The standards your broadcasting setup uses to deliver content in real-time matter. For example, along with RTMPS and SRT, the Sardius Platform uses HLS (HTTP Live Streaming), which allows for adaptive bitrate streaming based on network conditions on the viewer end.
• HLS entry points: These are the gateways on your end where data is requested and distributed based on user requests and network conditions.
• CDN: A content delivery network (CDN) is a distributed network of servers that delivers data to users from servers closest to their geographic location.
• Integrations: The ability of your setup to integrate all of your third-party tools is critical to a smooth, hassle-free broadcasting experience.

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Chapter 3: Setting the Stage for Your Broadcast

At this point, you have your hardware and software set up, and you’ve considered the key factors that you need to address to maintain an uninterrupted, high-quality stream. Now, let’s put everything together in real time by setting the stage for a hypothetical event.

You can break down the process of online streaming into a few sections.

1. Plan Your Content and Program

The first step is understanding your actual event. 

What is the content you’re trying to make? Is it a live conference? A recurring live stream for Sunday service? Will the event be hybrid or fully remote? What is your broadcasting schedule? Will there be a VOD component during or after the event? 

Always take the time to fully capture the vision of your event before you prepare for the actual broadcast.

2. Prepare Your Production

Next up, you want to go over the practical workings of each element of your broadcast that are required to turn vision into reality. 

Are lights set up? Is each aspect of your audio live, loud, and clean? Is your streaming software working, and is your video switching setup clear and organized? Have you run a system-wide quality check before going live?

This ensures that you aren’t dealing with unnecessary issues or failing to take advantage of ways to improve your broadcast experience.

3. Review Your Video Feed

This is often added in production as its own step. It isn’t in reference to the initial feed but rather the output of the production after adding overlays and or switching between cameras.

Make sure to test your video feed and ensure it is ready to go before pushing it out to a live audience.

4. Check Your Encoder

Once you have your setup ready and you know you have a clean product in-house, it’s time to make sure your system is set up to transmit that content to your remote audience.

This is where your encoder comes into the picture. It is the magical spot where your raw data will be converted into packages of information that your audience can request across the World Wide Web.

Consider how your encoder is set up. Are you using a single bitrate direct stream, like SRT or RTMP/RTMPs, that requires transcoding to an HLS, CMAF, or DASH format in the cloud en route to the end user?

Ideally, your software will automatically prepare the data in an HLS format (pre-set chunks of 2-10 seconds stored at multiple bitrates) so that viewers can request and view a seamless live stream, regardless of their local network conditions.

It’s a lot to take in, but the key takeaway here is that you want to be aware of what your encoder is doing and know what to watch out for to prevent hiccups in your broadcast.

5. Address Storage and CDN

Once captured, you want your audio/video files stored properly for distribution. Make sure you have a durable, reliable, and fast location to store your primary files. 

Also, make sure you have a solid CDN (content delivery network) plugged in so that you can push your stream out to your regional, national, or global audience as efficiently as possible.

6. Consider Your Media Player

The way you present your broadcast to your audience matters. You want to have a quality video player option available so that everyone can access it from a variety of circumstances.

Consider the details of your video player display and user interface. Does it accommodate a variety of options, such as desktops, smart devices, or a mobile live stream app? Does it have automatic translation and transcription options? These are the added flourishes that may not feel like a big deal when you’re setting things up, but trust us. They can take a broadcast from good to great.

At this point, you’ve created the setup, set the stage, checked everything, and you’re ready to hit that big “go live” button (whatever it looks like in your particular situation). 

It’s exciting stuff, but don’t rest on your laurels. You aren’t done yet. Once your broadcast is live, you need to take care of a few things as you go along.

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Chapter 4: Broadcasting and Beyond

Once you go live with your broadcast, keep paying attention to the little details that turn a mediocre broadcast into an exceptional one. We won’t go into the details of things like lighting and sound mixing here (that’s a topic for a dedicated post). However, here are a few broadcast-related tips to keep in mind both during and after your event.

1. Establish Statistics

Analytics are your investment in the future. You can’t learn much from past broadcast experiences if you don’t have data to analyze. 

If your broadcasting setup is able to collect data (this is an integral part of the Sardius Media platform and many others), make sure you have everything firing on all cylinders during each live stream and video playback experience.

2. Manage Your Broadcast

Once you’ve reviewed, tested, and launched your broadcast, it’s time to manage the content that it’s creating. Change views consistently to keep things interesting, and make sure your stream is reaching all of its intended distribution points. (Again, with the Sardius Media platform, you can see all of this from within your dashboard.) 

Take the time to add metadata to the video to help others find the content and understand what it is that they're engaging with, too. 

3. Repurpose Your Content

Once your broadcast is complete, it’s time to repurpose it. Remember, a completed broadcast still has a ton of untapped potential if you’re willing to unlock it.

One way to do this is by extracting the audio and turning it into a podcast. Loading sound bytes and short clips to social media is another great way to increase awareness and isolate top moments from an event. Gated content and email campaigns are also an option here. Be creative!

4. Study the Right Metrics

After an event, when you have your analytics in hand, take the time to check the metrics that matter. A few of these include:

• Quality of service: Was there a lot of buffering or a high frequency of error rates in your broadcast?
• Playback locations: Did your stream reach every destination you needed it to without issues?
• Devices and browsers used: Did your target audience have a preferable device they used to access your broadcast?

Looking at these metrics and others like them can provide insights and help you improve moving forward. For instance, if your quality of service was low, it could prompt an investigation into your internet connection or bandwidth. If the majority of your audience used a mobile device, it could help you brainstorm engaging elements to add to the mobile experience next time.

5. Monetize Wisely

Finally, if you’re running an event that you intend to monetize, make sure that you’re thinking of your monetization strategy early and often. 

Sponsorships can take months to line up. Pay-per-view events, selling tickets, and setting up subscription-based VOD libraries are all complex processes. Donations and crowdfunding require effectively getting the word out and having instruments ready to receive and process gifts.

However you plan on monetizing your event, make sure to have a solid plan in place and people tasked with that part of the process from the creative phases right through to the post-event analysis.

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Chapter 5: Broadcasting Best Practices

At this point, we’ve walked through every stage of a top-quality broadcast. However, no resource of this nature would be worth its salt if it didn’t come with an additional smorgasbord of industry tips and best practices. With that in mind, here are a few final thoughts to take with you as you prepare to launch your broadcast.

Software vs Hardware Encoding: Which One Is Better?

Encoders can translate your raw data into a digital format in multiple ways. As previously mentioned, some encoders are pieces of on-site hardware. Others are woven into software systems. So, which one is better?

As you might expect, there are pros and cons to both. Hardware encoders will deliver the fastest and best encoding experience. However, they tend to be very expensive and are limited in the sense that they are on-site and must be accessible.

Software encoders naturally exchange quality (not necessarily in a dramatic way) for affordability and accessibility. They integrate into your software setup without the need to maintain physical hardware.

Audio vs Video: Which One Should You Prioritize?

As you set up audio and video for your broadcast, you want both to be perfect. When it comes time to launch your live stream or VOD content, though, you want to ensure that video is firing on all cylinders. 

The reason for this is simple and practical (and will doubtless have professional musicians and recording artists rolling their eyes). The truth is, the average attendee at an event won’t be listening for or noticing incredibly crisp audio quality. As long as the audio is of average quality, they won’t notice anything.

Video, though, can quickly look degraded to most people if there is a significant drop in resolution. This is why you want to make sure you have good cameras (not all are created equal) and that you don’t mix and match brands. Also, make sure you have that dedicated internet line and a solid bandwidth to accommodate your stream from beginning to end.

Audio Mixing for Broadcasting

Audio is the most important part of your broadcast. With that in mind, make sure you invest in solid audio quality.

It’s also important to remember that venue audio and broadcast audio are two very different processes. You don’t want to send a mix perfected for an in-house audience to your live stream feed. Always mix separately.

Streaming on Multiple Social Media Sites

Social media sites like Facebook, X, and YouTube have varying levels of quality. Each one requires specific settings, too. If you use a single encoder — even a hardware one — it will limit the quality of your stream to the least common denominator. This sacrifices quality for other streams that can handle a higher quality stream.

The Sardius Media platform solves this by offering multiple forms of encoder support. Our automated encoder solution has evolved from Haivision Makito to Elemental encoders and continues to remain a best-in-class solution that enables distribution across multiple sites, all at 

the highest quality bitrate.

Copyrights and Licensing

Finally, it’s well-known advice but still worth mentioning. Always check your copyrights. Never publish songs, words, or other content that you don’t have the right to distribute.

Along with lawsuits in more serious cases, the use of unlicensed content can lead to strikes and bans on various sites. This can make it difficult to reach your audience and can leave your brand looking unprofessional.

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Engaging in Mission-Driven Broadcasting

Broadcasting has never been more accessible. Nor has it ever been more complicated. There is no end to the number of brands, components, and events you can integrate into a broadcast. Even more exciting is the fact that you can reach regional, national, and global audiences with ease.

However, you want to make sure you’re creating your broadcast in a manner that can maintain quality at scale. Bookmark this guide so that it’s close by as you invest in your setup. 

And remember, if you have questions or are looking for a state-of-the-art broadcasting solution that focuses on serving mission-driven organizations, Sardius Media is here to help. 

We would love to serve your organization and help you create a setup that can broadcast and amplify your mission to the world. Let’s talk!

Broadcaster’s Glossary Quick Guide: Top Broadcasting Terms

While the history of broadcasting is a short one, it is just getting started. One major development that we’ve noticed at Sardius Media is that as capabilities continue to exponentially increase, so do the complications. 

So, let’s look at some of the nitty-gritty elements of a good broadcast. Here is a quick glossary of the top broadcasting terms you want to be aware of as you navigate the process of improving your organization’s broadcasting capabilities.

• Audience / Viewers: This is the group (or groups) of people you create your content for. They receive and consume that content on the far end of your broadcast feed.
• Bandwidth: This is the maximum rate that data can transfer across your broadcasting network. Being aware of your bandwidth can help you avoid lag, latency, buffering, and other common delays during a broadcast.
• VOD (video on demand): This is a system (such as an online library or streaming site) that allows users to select and watch video content at their own convenience rather than during the strict schedule of a live broadcast.
• CDN (content delivery network): A CDN consists of a distributed network of servers that optimize performance by delivering content to users based on geographic location. The Sardius platform, for instance, delivers a variety of viewer journeys across multiple CDNs.
• Encoding: This is the process of converting the raw audio and video signals at your point of origin (such as on a stage at a church or event) into a digital format. This allows for the efficient transmission of that information while streaming as well as easy storage for VOD content.
• Workflow automation: This is the act of using technology to optimize and streamline repetitive tasks to improve productivity and consistency in user experience.
• Streaming: This refers to the continuous transmission of audio, video, or audio/video content over the internet for audiences to experience in real-time, not after the fact.
• SimLive: This combines VOD and streaming by publishing a previously recorded piece of content in a live-event format and setting. It can be purely pre-recorded or blend live and prepared elements.
• Redundancy: This is the establishment of multiple solutions for a broadcasting activity to ensure continuous operation in the event of a single piece failing.
• OBS software: This is a form of streaming software. The acronym stands for Open Broadcaster Software. If you’re wondering how much OBS is or if OBS cost money in the first place, the answer is no. It is free to the public. However, using this kind of solution on its own means it will not be tailored to a mission-driven organization’s needs and will not have support.

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