Honoring Departed Loved Ones in a Technology Age: Using technology for your time of grief or struggle

Let’s face it: Losing a loved one is an unfortunate reality of life, and it is not always possible for every person who wishes to honor a life to physically join in the Celebration of Life or Memorial Service. The expert design-build integrators at Sound Planning understand the delicate balance that many people have had to walk, especially in recent years, so here are some discrete ways to use technology to create a comfortable, accessible option for your church or house of worship members. 

Memorial service capture is one of the many benefits that become available to you when you invest in a professional sound system or AV system installation. “Capture” or “capturing” means that you are recording an event with the intent to keep it recorded or, as is more and more common, share the event via livestream. Memorial service capture is the thoughtful, mindful recording of a memorial service or celebration of life that helps transcend the limitations of your church or house of worship by sharing a professional, organic, live recording to one or more audio-visual platforms or direct video feeds. As a service, memorial service capture is just another tool in your tool kit to help your members stay connected with one another and with your organization! Let’s explore how livestreaming, simulcasting, and the professionals at Sound Planning can help you achieve professional livestreaming results for you and your congregation.

First, let’s talk about what options you can offer with some simple upgrades to your existing audio-visual sound system. If you don’t have a sound or audio-visual system installed, consider reaching out to Sound Planning today to explore ways to get (and stay!) connected. The greatest concern for most people who are exploring options to share a memorial for a dearly departed loved one is space. In addition to general occupancy restrictions, mourners might also be dealing with concerns about spreading illness or city or state restrictions. Livestreaming a memorial service capture is a great way to ease the worry about how many people and who will be able to attend. 

As shown in the figure below, using the professional livestream results achieved with your professionally installed audio-visual system to connect people remotely can be achieved in two ways. First, consider upgrading your concept of ‘overflow seating;’ adding elegant digital signage and overflow simulcast capabilities to a different room (or rooms) in your church or house of worship can help people feel connected without feeling left out or punished for being encouraged to view the service through memorial service capture instead of in-person. If you’re concerned about mourners or family members being forced to watch the memorial service capture on a grade school tv cart, forget it! Sound Planning understands that no one wants to be confronted with out of date or clunky hardware at such a time. Your professional livestream results deserve quality, elegant digital signage to make the most of the overflow simulcast that you will be able to provide. Elegant solutions for difficult moments is the least that Sound Planning can discuss with you!

“Overflow Simulcasting and Remote Livestream” by Alex Womack  

​In addition to on-site, elegant digital signage and overflow simulcast, livestreaming can also help connect remote  mourners, family, and friends to the memorial service. Remember that professional livestreaming results aren’t just achieved overnight; understanding why you need to livestream an event is only the start of the process. However, whatever your needs, Sound Planning is here to help! Putting your faith in the experts at Sound Planning can help you find the confidence to ask for (and receive) the professional livestreaming results that your members will appreciate during events like a memorial service. High quality equipment, such as PTZ cameras that are controlled remotely, and custom programming for your hardware and software can take your livestream to the next level– and create a comfortable, immersive experience for mourners, family, and friends in their time of greatest need.
​
If you or your organization are interested in exploring upgrades to make livestreaming events possible, don’t wait– contact Sound Planning, Chicagoland’s premier church and house of worship design-build integrators today!

CONTACT US TODAY