LIVERPOOL METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL INSTALLS PANASONIC PTZ CAMERAS TO LIVE STREAM MASS

Bracknell, UK. 3rd August 2020 – Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral has installed Panasonic’s PTZ camera system to live stream Sunday Mass to its audience of 5,000 per week. With the coronavirus pandemic and continued social distancing restricting worshippers attending mass, Panasonic AW-HN40 PTZ cameras with optical zoom capability and NDI/HX output have been installed to provide worshippers with an innovative live streaming solution.

Panasonic partner Adlib, a leading audio-visual solutions company with a longstanding relationship with the cathedral, initially provided a temporary solution to address the aftermath of the lockdown but after a successful pilot recommended Panasonic AW-HN40 PTZ cameras to be permanently installed as a discreet, easy to use and professional quality system. The optical zoom capability of the cameras was particularly important for the installation. A single Panasonic PTZ camera has the flexibility to be used for a wide shot that shows off the entire Cathedral, or an extreme close up of the Priest or readers, using a selection of pre-set camera movements. The second camera is similarly versatile, being used for wide shots of the Choir, close-ups of the Organist and a variety of shots looking into the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.

“Initially, there was some concern that the cameras would be too conspicuous but a demo quickly showed that the cameras were very discreet and their availability in both white and black to suit different parts of the Cathedral made them blend in even better” said Tim Robinson, Adlib Installation Project Manager. “Ultimately, the Dean and his staff were so taken with the shots we could get from a central position, they asked that the camera be installed in an ideal location that we never would have thought possible.”

Panasonic PTZ cameras provided the correct combination of cost-efficiency, quality and service for the cathedral’s needs and the new system has been so successful that the Cathedral now plans to live stream more services to its socially distanced congregation.

“The Cathedral finds it an easy solution to work with and they have been getting an audience of more than 5,000 people per week for Sunday Mass,” added Tim Robinson, Adlib Installation Project Manager.

“The system is so easy to use, said Katie Lucas, Cathedral Event Manager. “We’re not technically minded, however we managed to stream our first mass all by ourselves, with a member of the Adlib team sitting next to us, just in case.”