I'm trying to design an improved set up for my church with which I hope to be able to use the video camera as an input (background) in Easyworship whilst recording the video combined with an audio output from the sound desk.

I intend to buy at least:
- a relatively cheap HD Camcorder with HDMI output (Under £150)
- a Blackmagic Intensity Pro PCIE card

What is the cheapeast, stable way of recording services as described above?

- Can I buy a second, cheaper PCIE capture card and split my camcorder HDMI output so that one output goes to each capture card (is this possible? Will this reduce the video quality?)?
- Can I record using the camera record functionality and use the audio input on the camera (I'd like to avoid this option unless there are no viable alternatives?
- Is there any 3rd party software or (cheap) hardware that I can "route" the video input through that will record video and then output something that will "mimic" a video input that Easyworship will recognise?

Are there any other alternative solutions?

Regards,
Calvin

Hi!

I would suggest contacting a company that sets up sound and recording for churches they may be able to give you the information you are requesting.

I'm confused...if your goal is to record video with the sound from the board what's wrong with using the cameras audio input? That is the cheap way to do it. What does EW have to do with the equation? Are there other goals here like putting the video online or overlaying lyrics on the video?

I am now using a PC for video mixing from 5 HD cameras all sitting on remote pan and tilts and all able to be remotely zoomed.
I drive the whole mixing system each week using VMix as my mixer. Vmix can also capture the desktop (EW output) of the main PC and add that to the mix either as a full screen or as a picture in picture.

The cameras are all HD handi cams on Bescor MT 101 pan and tilts. Two are directly connected via HDMI cables into the Intensity pro or Averkey capture cards. Two others are coming in via HDMI over Cat 6 cable with infra red capabilities to operate the zoom and the fifth camera is coming in via a wireless HDMI sender/receiver.
The main PC output (From EW) is captured via the desktop capture utility of VMix which allows me to include the preachers PowerPoint or other output from EW into the recording.
Simple system and easy to use. Will record at whatever resolution you choose and also live stream at the same time if required.

If a green screen background is used in EW, you can chromakey out that background in VMix and the words can then be overlayed onto whatever background you wish or used directly from EW with the EW generated background and outputted via VMix to the projector.

Vmix can also capture several other PC /Mac screens via an Ethernet switch (I have had 6 at the same time when experimeting!) and even captured via wifi!