FamReynaBrain/projects/livestream_video_generation_process.md

---
Date: 2026-06-20
Author: Hermes
Tags: [project, media, livestream, video-generation, church, ai]
---

# Livestream and Video Generation Process

## Purpose
Document the Reyna / church media workflow for livestreaming and AI-assisted video generation so it can be reviewed with an important media producer and improved based on their advice.

## Current Goal
Prepare for a meeting with a media producer by capturing:
- The current livestream setup and responsibilities.
- The current video generation / post-production workflow.
- Pain points and quality gaps.
- Questions where expert feedback would be most valuable.
- Follow-up actions after the meeting.

## Known Context
- Adolfo has prior church media experience with [[Technology for the Kingdom of God]], OBS, Subsplash, ChatGPT, Meta AI, and livestream workflows.
- Prior AV/media planning from [[kenya_trip_2026]] included multi-camera recording, dedicated internet for streaming, audio interface usage, and livestream quality/reliability concerns.
- This project should become the central working note for documenting the current process and producer feedback.

## Current Media System Assessment Report Draft - 2026-06-27

### Report Type
Current-state AV / broadcast media assessment, combining:
- AV / broadcast current-state assessment.
- AV system as-built documentation.
- Site survey / technical discovery report.
- AVIXA-style performance verification framing.

Reference: AVIXA `Audiovisual Systems Performance Verification` standard, Document 10:2013, describes a framework for determining audiovisual system elements, verification timing, criteria/metrics, and reporting procedures.

### 1. Executive Summary
_To be drafted after interview._

Capture:
- What the church currently does for media and livestream.
- Main platforms used.
- Current goals: livestream quality, reliability, clips, archiving, volunteer sustainability.
- Top 3 pain points.

### 2. Ministry / Use Case
_To be documented._

Questions to answer:
- What services/events are streamed or recorded?
- How often does media production happen?
- Who is the intended audience: in-person overflow, online members, archive viewers, outreach, social media?
- What outputs are expected: livestream, full sermon archive, short clips, reels, podcasts, thumbnails, announcement videos?

### 3. Current Signal Flow
_To be documented._

Audio chain:
`Microphones / instruments → soundboard → livestream audio feed → computer / encoder / OBS → streaming platform → recording / archive → editing / social clips`

Video chain:
`Cameras → switcher / capture card / OBS → graphics / slides → encoder → Subsplash / YouTube / Facebook`

### 4. Equipment Inventory
_To be documented._

| Category | Item | Model | Location | Purpose | Notes / Problems |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cameras |  |  |  |  |  |
| Lenses |  |  |  |  |  |
| Tripods / mounts |  |  |  |  |  |
| Audio console |  |  |  |  |  |
| Microphones |  |  |  |  |  |
| Audio interface |  |  |  |  |  |
| Computer / encoder |  |  |  |  |  |
| Capture cards |  |  |  |  |  |
| Network gear |  |  |  |  |  |
| Lighting |  |  |  |  |  |
| Cables / adapters |  |  |  |  |  |
| Storage drives |  |  |  |  |  |
| Software subscriptions |  |  |  |  |  |

### 5. Software / Platforms
_To be documented._

Include:
- OBS or other switching / encoding software.
- Subsplash.
- YouTube.
- Facebook.
- ProPresenter / EasyWorship / slides / lyrics tools.
- Editing software.
- AI tools.
- Transcription tools.
- Storage / archive tools.

### 6. Internet / Network
_To be documented._

Capture:
- Wired or Wi-Fi connection.
- Upload speed.
- Backup internet.
- Dedicated media network or shared church Wi-Fi.
- Known dropouts.
- Router / switch location.
- Whether the stream computer is hardwired.

### 7. Livestream Workflow
_To be documented._

Before service:
- Turn on gear.
- Check audio.
- Check camera framing.
- Start OBS / encoder.
- Confirm stream destination.
- Test recording.

During service:
- Monitor audio.
- Switch cameras / scenes.
- Watch stream health.
- Operate slides / lyrics.

After service:
- Stop stream.
- Save recording.
- Upload / archive.
- Clip sermon.
- Post to social media.

### 8. Team / Roles
_To be documented._

Roles to identify:
- Livestream director.
- Audio operator.
- Camera operator(s).
- Slides / lyrics operator.
- Stream monitor.
- Editor.
- Social media / posting.
- Backup people.

Note whether roles are volunteer-dependent and whether too much depends on one person.

### 9. Current Quality / Pain Points
_To be documented._

Audio:
- Mix quality.
- Room noise.
- Vocal clarity.
- Music balance.
- Stream mix vs house mix.

Video:
- Camera angles.
- Resolution.
- Lighting.
- Focus / exposure.
- Movement / shot variety.

Reliability:
- Internet.
- OBS / software stability.
- Audio sync.
- Power / cable issues.

Workflow:
- Manual steps.
- Lack of checklist.
- Volunteer training difficulty.
- Difficulty creating clips afterward.

### 10. Recording / Archive / Post-Production
_To be documented._

Include:
- Whether there is a local recording.
- Recording resolution and audio settings.
- Where files are stored.
- Naming convention.
- Backup process.
- How sermon clips are made.
- Captions, thumbnails, titles, descriptions.
- How long files are kept.

### 11. Desired Future State
Draft framing:
> We want a simple, reliable, volunteer-friendly workflow that captures services, streams them consistently, archives them cleanly, and makes it easy to create useful short-form content afterward without overwhelming the team.

### 12. Questions for Ari / Sardius
- What are the top 3 improvements you would prioritize?
- Is our biggest bottleneck audio, video, internet, workflow, or staffing?
- What should we standardize first?
- What should we avoid buying too early?
- What would a sustainable small-church media workflow look like?
- How should we think about archiving and metadata from day one?
- When is OBS enough, and when should we consider a dedicated encoder/platform?

## Current Livestream Process
_To be documented._

Suggested areas to capture:
- Platform(s): Subsplash, YouTube, Facebook, Zoom, other.
- Production software: OBS or other switching/encoding tools.
- Cameras: number, models, placement, operator roles.
- Audio chain: house mix, audio interface, microphones, monitoring.
- Internet: upload speed, wired/wireless, backup connection.
- Graphics: lower thirds, scripture, sermon title, worship lyrics.
- Recording: local recording settings, backup recording, storage location.
- Team roles: director, camera operators, audio, slides, stream monitor.
- Pre-service checklist and post-service checklist.

## Current Video Generation Process
_To be documented._

Suggested areas to capture:
- Source material: sermon recordings, livestream downloads, clips, photos, scripts.
- AI tools used: ChatGPT, Meta AI, image/video tools, transcription tools, editing tools.
- Editing workflow: clipping, captions, color/audio cleanup, branding, export presets.
- Output formats: short clips, reels, sermon excerpts, announcement videos, thumbnails.
- Publishing flow: platform, cadence, approval, descriptions, hashtags, metadata.
- Archiving: where original files, exports, and project files are stored.

## Pain Points / Open Questions
- What parts of the livestream currently feel least professional?
- Are audio levels, room sound, or mix quality limiting the final video quality?
- Is the camera setup strong enough for both livestream and edited clips?
- Should we optimize for live quality, post-production quality, or both?
- What is the best repeatable workflow for turning one service into multiple short clips?
- How should branding, thumbnails, captions, and intro/outro templates be standardized?
- What tools or roles would make the biggest improvement without overcomplicating the volunteer team?

## Questions for Media Producer
- Based on our current setup, what are the top 3 improvements you would prioritize first?
- What should a small church media workflow look like if it needs to be sustainable for volunteers?
- What minimum equipment or process changes would noticeably improve livestream quality?
- How would you structure a repeatable sermon-to-social-clips workflow?
- What examples should we study for livestream quality, editing style, thumbnails, and short-form clips?
- What metrics should we track to know whether media quality and reach are improving?
- What should we avoid spending time or money on right now?

## Meeting Notes
_To be filled during or after the producer meeting._

## Sardius Media Research - 2026-06-20
Context from Adolfo: During time in Kansas City, the family met one of the co-founders of Sardius Media. Adolfo confirmed the person is **Ari Burt**, listed on the official Sardius site as Co-Founder.

### Prior Mentions in Brain
- Search of `~/brain` for Sardius, Sardius Media, Art Burt, Ari Burt, and Kansas City found no prior direct mention of them.

### Company Snapshot
- Website: https://sardiusmedia.com
- Focus: live and on-demand broadcast workflows for mission-driven organizations.
- Positioning: "Simplifying live and on-demand workflows for mission-driven broadcasters."
- Based in Kansas City, with team members across North and South America.
- States 10+ years of media delivery experience for web, mobile, and TV.
- Contact listed on site: 816-727-3487; sales@sardius.media; info@sardius.media.

### Leadership Listed on Official Site
- Jason Shore — Co-Founder & CEO
- Ari Burt — Co-Founder
- Mike Read — Co-Founder & CTO
- Jono Hall — COO
- Joshua Ruff — CDO

### Ari Burt Research
- Identity confirmed from the official Sardius Media About page: **Ari Burt — Co-Founder**.
- Publicly visible official bio detail is limited; the site lists his role but does not provide a long personal biography.
- Official site context implies he is part of Sardius' founding leadership team for a Kansas City-based, mission-driven broadcast technology company.
- LinkedIn company page context for Sardius Media: Online Audio and Video Media; company size 11-50; privately held; founded 2014; specialties listed as live streaming and video on demand; primary location listed as 1401 E 104 St #103, Kansas City, MO 64131.
- LinkedIn company updates mention **Jason Shore + Ari Burt** speaking at a Backblaze + Qencode panel at NAB Show 2026, tied to media workflows, cloud storage, AI media, video AI, streaming, and media delivery.
- This suggests Ari is not only an owner/co-founder but also involved enough in industry-facing strategy/partnership conversations to speak publicly with infrastructure partners.
- Public sources found so far do **not** confirm a separate personal LinkedIn profile, education history, church affiliation, or detailed career history for Ari. Avoid over-assuming beyond official/company pages.

### How to Talk With Ari
- Treat him as a broadcast workflow/platform strategist, not just a camera/video person.
- Ask about process, reliability, automation, archival/search, content reuse, and sustainable volunteer operations.
- Since he has industry context around cloud storage, encoding, AI media, and delivery workflows, ask him to separate what a small church should do now from what enterprise broadcasters do at scale.
- A useful framing: "We are trying to design the simplest workflow that reliably captures a service, streams it well, archives it properly, and turns it into useful short-form content without overwhelming volunteers."

### Ari-Specific Questions
- From your experience building Sardius, what is the first workflow mistake churches usually make with livestream/media?
- If you had to design a low-complexity but future-proof setup for us, what would you standardize first?
- What should remain manual for a small volunteer team, and what should be automated?
- How should we think about archiving, metadata, and AI search from day one?
- What is the line between "good enough OBS workflow" and "time to use a dedicated platform/encoder system"?
- What would you recommend we measure: stream health, engagement, watch time, clip performance, volunteer load, or something else?
- Are there tools or purchases that churches commonly buy too early?

### Relevant Capabilities
- Broadcast platform for live, simulated-live, and on-demand media.
- Automated encoder management and calendar-driven broadcast workflows.
- Integrations/compatibility mentioned: AWS Elemental MediaLive Anywhere, Haivision, SRT, RTMP, HLS, CHOP, Resi.
- Distribution workflows to YouTube, Facebook, broadcast partners, websites, apps, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, iOS, and Android.
- AI-powered discovery/metadata: auto transcription, keywords, summaries, searchable content, and video-library search.
- Live subtitles/translations, multi-language experiences, multi-track interpretation support.
- Analytics dashboards and API access.
- Live event support, including on-site support for complex events.
- Pulse product for multi-site/campus monitoring, rapid review, auto-archiving, quality control, and feedback.

### Why They Matter for This Project
Sardius appears to operate at a higher scale than a simple OBS/YouTube church livestream setup. Their useful advice will likely be around workflow design, reliability, automation, archive/search, multi-platform distribution, and how to make volunteer media operations sustainable.

### Strong Questions to Ask Them
- If you saw our current church livestream setup, what would you improve first: audio, cameras, lighting, encoding, internet, workflow, or team roles?
- What is the minimum sustainable broadcast workflow for a small/medium church volunteer team?
- When should a church stay with OBS/YouTube/Facebook versus using a managed platform or dedicated encoder workflow?
- How should we structure sermon archives so they become searchable, reusable content instead of just stored videos?
- What is the simplest repeatable process for turning one service into sermon clips, reels, quote graphics, and announcements?
- What AI transcription, metadata, captioning, and translation workflows are actually worth using now?
- What standards do you recommend for audio loudness, camera framing, lighting, graphics, encoding bitrate, and backups?
- What equipment or software purchases should we avoid until the process is better defined?

## Advice Received
_To be filled after the producer meeting._

## Action Items
- [ ] Document the actual current livestream hardware/software setup.
- [ ] Document the actual current AI/video generation workflow.
- [ ] List recent examples of livestreams and generated videos to show the producer.
- [ ] Capture producer feedback and prioritize next steps.
- [ ] Convert advice into a repeatable checklist or SOP.

## Related Notes
- [[Technology for the Kingdom of God]]
- [[kenya_trip_2026]]
- [[Family Timeline]]