Joyfull Creations

Recently, I’ve been working with a couple of churches to help them get their church services online. They wanted suggestions on what kind of equipment they should get to help them record their services. I googled around to find an video podcasting equipment list that I could send them. Surprisingly, I didn’t find much with specific suggestions. So, I’ve put together the following video podcasting equipment list that may be helpful for others.

The equipment list is pretty straight forward. You need a video camera, a tripod, an audio input or microphone and a way to edit the footage and upload it. When looking for the specific items to put on this list I wanted equipment that would be easy to use and reasonably priced. I’ve listed B & H as my supplier, but these items are available at many retailers.

The Camera
Sanyo Xacti HD1000 HD Camcorder
I really like this camera because it natively records in the MPEG4 AVC/H.264 format. This makes it a perfect companion for people editing their podcasts in iMovie. Another great feature about this camera is that it records directly to high capacity SD cards, eliminating the need for capturing your footage. Just plug the camera into any USB port on your computer and drag and drop the footage.

You can go with less expensive camera options that record straight to a memory card, but the Xacti has a mic input, key to getting great sound. For the best results, I highly recommend placing the camera so that you can get an audio feed direct from the sound system. If that isn’t possible, get a shotgun microphone place it on a stand. Whatever you do, don’t rely on the on-board mic.

The Battery
You might consider an extra battery for your camera. I have been saved more than once by having a fully charged extra on hand. DB-L50AU Lithium-Ion Battery

The Memory Card
Sandisk 16GB SDHC Card
The Sanyo Xacti will let you record video and still photos right to a standard SD or SDHC Memory Card. A 16GB SDHC card will give you almost 3 hours of 1080i high-definition video. Not bad.

The Card Reader
Some of you may want to use a card reader to transfer the video files instead of connecting the camera to the computer. AAn inexpensive reader is the MicroMate.

The Tripod
Typically for a simple video podcast of an event like a church service you’re going to want to set up the camera and let it record the entire event without moving it. This requires a tripod. There are a lot of tripod options out there. I particularly like the ones by Manfrotto.

The Editing Software
One church I did this research for uses Apple computers. I recommend using iMovie since it comes on the mac and is very easy to use. It has preset export options for video podcasting. For more professional installations, you might consider Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro.

That’s the list I’ve come up with. There are a lot of different options out there, but this seemed to fit the bill for my clients and I hope you find this useful as well.