Low and mid-budget equipment that works, what to look for in each, and where to get it. We do not sell any of this and we make nothing from it — it is here so you do not have to work it out alone.
Each one builds on the last. Start at the top and add as budget allows.
A lavalier microphone, a 2-in audio interface, a passive bypass switch and a phone you already own on a cheap tripod. Clean audio and one camera angle. This is a genuine setup, not a compromise.
Add a second phone or a webcam, a USB HDMI capture stick, and one LED panel. Two angles you can cut between, lit properly, with processed audio.
A camcorder with clean HDMI, a multi-channel capture card, a network encoder for the back-of-hall camera, and lighting. Four angles, no hardware switcher.
This is the section that matters most. Everything else on this page improves the picture; this improves the thing people actually leave over.
Two XLR inputs and a stereo line output. Enough to take a feed from your mixer, process it, and send it back out.
What to look for: Two XLR combo inputs, phantom power, and — critically — line outputs on the back. Some cheap interfaces only have a headphone socket, which is not enough to feed an amplifier.
Four inputs and multiple outputs. Worth it if you want to process individual microphones rather than the whole mix.
What to look for: Four XLR inputs and at least two pairs of line outputs, so you can send a processed mix to the amplifier and a separate feed somewhere else.
A manual switch between the processed path and the direct path. If the computer fails mid-service, one flick puts the sound back.
What to look for: Passive (no power needed) and the right connector for your setup — usually TRS or XLR. Do not skip this. A PA that goes silent because software crashed is far worse than a PA that was never processed.
Boring and the single most common cause of hum and crackle in a small church.
What to look for: Buy decent ones and buy spares. A faulty cable is the most likely reason your sound is bad, and it is the cheapest thing on this page.
Spend here before you spend anywhere else. A hundred on a microphone improves a broadcast more than a thousand on a camera.
Clips to the speaker. Stays the same distance from their mouth no matter how much they move, which is why it sounds consistent.
What to look for: Wired is cheaper and more reliable than wireless. If you must go wireless, budget considerably more — cheap wireless drops out, and a dropout mid-sermon is worse than a cable.
The standard for speech and vocals. Rejects room noise well, survives being dropped.
What to look for: A dynamic (not condenser) cardioid. The industry-standard models have been made for decades and clones are widely available and mostly fine.
For picking up a small group or a lectern from a distance without a body mic.
What to look for: It has to be aimed properly. A shotgun pointed roughly at a group is worse than a lavalier on one person.
Start with what you already own. This is the category where people overspend first and regret it.
A recent phone sensor outresolves a lot of what gets sold as a streaming camera. Connects over Wi-Fi with our free app, or with DroidCam or Camo.
What to look for: Use the rear camera, put it on a tripod, lock exposure and focus, and plug it in so the battery lasts.
Nothing to buy — you already own this.Fine for a single-person desk setup or a fixed wide shot.
What to look for: 1080p is plenty. Do not pay extra for 4K on a webcam — the sensor and the lens are the limit, not the resolution.
A proper zoom, a proper sensor and an HDMI output you can capture.
What to look for: The words to search for are "clean HDMI output" — it means the picture comes out without menus and battery icons overlaid. Without it the camera is not usable as a live source.
Pans, tilts and zooms on command, so one operator can cover angles nobody is standing at.
What to look for: Get one that speaks VISCA over IP or serial, which is what our software controls. Check the HDMI or network output matches how you plan to get it in.
This is the category that lets you skip a hardware switcher entirely — which is usually the biggest single line on a church AV quote.
One HDMI camera into one USB port. Astonishingly cheap and works.
What to look for: 1080p30 is what the cheap ones do and it is fine. Anything claiming 4K at this price is claiming 4K input, not 4K capture.
Four or more HDMI inputs on one card inside the computer. Every camera arrives as its own source and you switch on screen.
What to look for: This is the purchase that replaces a switcher. Check it is a PCIe card and that your computer has a free slot — this one does not work on a laptop.
Puts a camera on the network instead of running a cable. Solves the camera at the back of the hall or up on the balcony.
What to look for: Needs to output RTMP or SRT. H.265 encoders are cheaper on bandwidth than H.264. Expect a little extra delay, which matters if you cut fast between cameras and does not if you do not.
Every camera looks better lit. A cheap camera in good light beats an expensive one in bad light, every time.
One light at forty-five degrees to the speaker is the whole technique.
What to look for: Bi-colour (adjustable warm to cool) so you can match the room. Mains-powered rather than battery for a fixed installation.
Spreads the light so it does not look like a spotlight. Makes faces look considerably better for very little.
What to look for: Anything that fits your light. A white sheet works in a pinch and that is not a joke.
Unglamorous, and a handheld shot reads as amateur instantly.
One per camera. Non-negotiable.
What to look for: A fluid head if you plan to pan during the service; a cheaper one is fine for a locked-off shot.
Turns any tripod into a phone mount, which is how phone cameras stop looking like phone cameras.
What to look for: Get the kind that grips the phone rather than sticking to it.
Only if you want a virtual studio. The cloth matters far less than the light on it.
Any green cloth works. What matters is that it is evenly lit and not wrinkled.
What to look for: Bigger than you think you need. Wrinkles make shadows and shadows are a different shade of green, which is what breaks a key.
Holds the cloth flat and lets you take it down between services.
What to look for: Adjustable width, so it can be narrow for one person and wide for a group.
Prices are rough approximations to give you a sense of scale, not quotes — they move constantly and vary by country. Links go to search results at each retailer rather than individual listings, because individual listings go out of stock. We do not sell, stock, ship or warranty any of this equipment, and we are not paid by any of these retailers. If something here turns out to be wrong, tell us and we will correct it.
It is usually the largest line on an AV quote. A multi-channel capture card and software does the same job, and adds colour, audio processing, graphics and isolated recording that a switcher never had.
See what that actually savesOr $19 a month. Affordable, and everything is in it — every update in the year included, nothing renews on its own. Max, with the heavy GPU features, is $599 a year or $79 a month.
