In this article, we are going to show you the new system we just deployed here at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Napa, California. We have two LED screens: one that is stage right and another that is stage left. This is a unique situation regarding the rigging, as we are doing a combination of flying these screens as well as wall mounting them. This approach was necessary to make these screens work in this space.

As you can see, this is a very traditional worship space with beautiful stained glass and traditional architecture. Despite this, we were able to deploy cutting-edge technology with Altitude LED panels. The panels we deployed here are the Cloud panels. The Cloud panels are the thinnest panels we make, and they are great for a deployment like this, especially when flying them. Since this is a permanent install, these panels do not need to be portable or taken down; they are fixed in this position. They are super thin and front serviceable, so the backside looks clean without visible cabling. This is important as the backside is usually visible to the pastor or choir, maintaining a clean appearance.

Installation and Aesthetics

The Cloud panels are excellent for both flying and wall mounting. They are so thin that if you mount them to a wall, you don’t lose any stage space. In my opinion, LED technology is modern-day stained glass. Stained glass has been a powerful visual tool to tell the gospel story for centuries. It’s really cool to see actual stained glass in this room combined with the stained glass image displayed on the LED screens. I took a simple camera photo of their stained glass, loaded it into ProPresenter, and created a custom background for them to display on their LED screens.

If you’re in a traditional space and worried about having black LED screens when not displaying content, you can throw up a custom image that fits the aesthetic of your space. With technology like AI image generation, you can create images that blend seamlessly with your church’s architectural design. You can load a photo of your church and instruct the AI to create an image that looks good on your LED screen.

Rack Room and Video Processing

Here we are back at the rack room, where we have our VX 600 processor by Nova Star. This processor takes the video feed we want to send to the LED wall and distributes it to all the panels. Each panel requires two CAT cables, so we have four cables total running to the panels. When you remove the front LED modules, you’ll see the cabling underneath where the data and power connections are made. This processor is the brain for the panels, and once configured, it remembers the settings for your particular setup. You don’t have to think about it once it’s set up.

Right below our video processor, we have our ATEM video switcher. The ATEM switcher has six outputs and can route video to different destinations. We have our ProPresenter computer graphic screen outputting through the DeckLink on the back of the xMac Mini server. The video goes out over SDI into our video switcher, one of the inputs. This input can be used for our live stream feed and also has its own unique output to the processor, ultimately displaying on the screen.

Video Workstation and Flexibility

At the video workstation, where they cut video for the live stream, we set up a Stream Deck. This allows us to switch between different video outputs for the LED screens. For example, switching from computer graphics to a clean feed from a camera or the program feed that gets sent online. These integration solutions provide flexibility for displaying content like backgrounds, lyrics, sermon slides, announcement slides, and IMAG (Image Magnification).

For instance, during baptisms, they can zoom in on the baby being baptized and display it on the screens so everyone in the back can see. The same applies to baptisms at Baptist churches, where they can show adults being baptized.

Conclusion

Well, that wraps up this case study of the Altitude LED system at St. John’s Lutheran Church. Make sure to check out the links below this video if you want to reach out to the Altitude LED team. We would love to work alongside you to build a custom LED system for your church, whether it’s going to be flown, wall-mounted, or ground-supported. We have our Cloud panel and Apex panel, and you can learn all about them on our site. Don’t hesitate to reach out for a quote today. Subscribe to the channel, and we’ll see you next time.