Located northeast of Bangkok in Thailand’s Pathum Thani Province, Wat Na Pa Pong is a Theravada Buddhist monastery under the venerable Ajarn Kukrit Sothipalo who leads its monks in the Buddhawajana teaching of the Buddha. To assist with its outreach, Wat Na Pa Pong uses many modern technologies, and recently upgraded its streaming capabilities.
Websites, mobile applications, and video content allow followers and those interested in the monastery and its teachings to connect online. With analogue systems for recording and broadcasting video leaving the monastery struggling with image quality, Wat Na Pa Pong turned to NewTek and NDI.
‘When we do something about the Buddha, we choose the best thing,’ says Ajarn Kukrit. ‘When we print the book, we only use the best paper. These teachings will be passed down to people using advanced technology. We think NewTek has the best device with the best technology at this moment.
‘I am not an expert in IT and gadgets, but I can connect to the NewTek system easily,’ he continues. ‘NewTek’s design makes it very convenient to broadcast from anywhere, any time. I can give a sermon from anywhere in the world.’
ICamplus, NewTek’s partner in Thailand, worked with the monastery to design a workflow based on the NewTek TriCaster TC1 and NDI PTZ cameras. TriCaster TC1 live production systems enable creators to switch, stream and record in HD and 4K UHD 60p, while offering native Skype integration – for bringing remote callers into a video. It also enables dual-channel live streaming to Facebook Live, Microsoft Azure, Periscope, Twitch and YouTube Live.
Meanwhile, NDI PTZ cameras require only a single Ethernet connection for set-up, power, operation, and signal flow. The camera pairs with TriCaster for a configuration-free NDI experience and a ‘better than broadcast’ feel.
The NDI Video-over-IP protocol ties the system together, with all video signals being sent between devices over the network. Free-to-use NDI allows individuals and organisations to access the benefits of IP-based, software-defined visual storytelling for a fraction of the cost of other IP protocols or traditional video transport methods.
The monastery also uses free-to-use NDI Tools, such as NDI Scan Converter, NDI Studio Monitor and NDI Virtual Input allow integration between the TriCaster and personal computers – allowing creators to add media content or external video to productions. The monastery uses the NDI-HX Capture app (iOS and Android) to allow live screen capture screen from mobile devices, and the NDI-HX Camera app to add high-quality video sources to a production.
The full NDI set-up allows Wat Na Pa Pong to stream content to three Facebook feeds, three YouTube channels, and one RTMP feed each day.
More: www.newtek.com
