Worship Software
reviews, tutorials and news
Welcome To Worship Software
15 Aug 2009
It was not long ago there were only a few worship software products available. Most Church worship teams used PowerPoint from Microsoft to get the job done. Now there are mountains of choices and some offer more then others in features and ease of use. The price ranges are dramatic as well. So it is important to know what is what and decide the best worship software for your Church and budget.
To narrow the list ask yourself a few questions:
- Do I want motion backgrounds
- Worship lyrics over live feed (worship band playing live)
- Bible verses to appear on screen
- Alert system
- Multiple monitor support
- On screen spanning support
- 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio support (HD or SD)
- Sermon presentation support
- Mac or PC support
These are just a few requirements to check with your Church and worship team and it will help to greatly shorten the list. It’s best to keep as many features in one application so there is no switching applications during service.
Popular software like MediaShout, Easy Worship, SundayPlus, SongShow Plus, Pro Presenter, PowerPoint and others. Each one has a unique set features. We help you find the right one.
Worship software is the technical corner stone to having a great and smooth worship service. Ease of use and outstanding performance is what you want to look for during your search. That is where this site comes in handy. I review each worship presentation software on the market and let you decide from there. If you have questions along the way please just ask me. Bless you for your ministry in worship!
Worship Motion Loop Sizes & Formats
26 May 2010Common questions around the right motion format or size to use with your worship presentation software come my way weekly. My hope is this brief explanation will help you make the right choices when selecting your motion backgrounds to use.
Get more information on choosing backgrounds here.
Motion Background Sizes
There are two common sizes used for motion loops. These sizes have become the unwritten standard in the worship community.
Widescreen 720p
This is a newer size used in Church projection today. The format is for wider 16:9 projection screens and allows for more horizontal real-estate. This is also the HD format for mini movie clip playback as well. The resolution is 1280×720. A common encoding is MOV format to maintain resolution. However, the new features in WMV allow for 2-pass VBR to deliver high quality Windows native encoding.
Standard 480p
Still popular in Churches around the world and for more years to come. This size is more of a square design 4:3 aspect ratio. The motion video resolution is 640×480. Common encoding for this format is MOV and WMV.
Formats
MOV is native to Mac OS X and H.264 encoding. You can use K-Lite codec for MOV use on Windows operating systems. Used in ProPresenter natively. EasyWorship and MediaShout with K-Lite Codec.
Installation tutorial on installing K-lite codec here.
WMV is native to Windows and with 2-Pass VBR maintains high quality HD video. Used in EasyWorship and MediaShout.
MPEG-1 is an older interoperable encoding but lacks quality and is slowly phasing out.
ProPresenter 4 Now On Windows
30 Apr 2010This is indeed great news! ProPresenter (Renewed Vision) has released a beta version of their ProPresenter for Windows. This ProPresenter release will be supported on Windows XP, Vista and Win7. I personally installed the beta on a Win7 OS and it was seamless. The provided the codec “Microsoft Expressions Encoder 3.0″ needed to use h.264 motion loops. Also, using “K-Lite Mega codec pack” I was able to view and play other video formats.
Great work Renewed Vision! I’m excited and looking forward to the production release.
If you want to get the beta you can sign-up for it here:
http://forums.renewedvision.com
If you purchase a site license for ProPresenter 4 (Mac version) today you can use it on your favorite Mac Apple OS X and when the Windows version is released you can use the same site license. I like this license model because it allows for cross platform assurance.
To get your copy today go here:
Purchase your site license here
To get more information on ProPresenter you can visit this link:
http://www.worshipmediapro.com/products/propresenter/
The Windows version will have the same features the Mac version has today.
The minimum system requirements are:
Processor: 2.0GHz Core Duo or above
OS: Windows XP, Vista and Win7
RAM: 2 GB RAM
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 6600 or higher that supports dual display (Min. 512MB VRAM & PCI Express or 8X AGP that supports DirectX Version: 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c) or higher)
Stage Display: Additional output required for stage display function (third video out – PCI or USB)
NOTE: For heavy or advanced use of video (i.e. multiple video clips per slide, HD content, etc.), a faster system is advised.
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- Tags: ProPresenter 4, ProPresenter for Windows, Vista, Win7, Windows, XP
ProPresenter 4 Mac OS X Just Released
18 Feb 2010The long awaited release of ProPresenter 4 is finally here.
Now before I touch on the new features keep in mind that ProPresenter has been around for 10 years. This is a very mature worship presentation software and highly admired in the large worship center communities around the world.
You can get a bundle deal from various worship resource sites including Worship Media Pro. They are offering all of their backgrounds (Motion, still etc) with your purchase for free. Here is the bundle offer link.
Here is a glimpse at ProPresenter’s new features.
1. Enhanced Interface – Movie controls and audio bins help keep your media organized.
2. Multiple Libraries – Create libraries for sermons, songs, video, music etc.
3. Web View – Queue web sites for presentation
4. Library Sync – Sync libraries over a network
5. Countdowns and Alerts
6. Custom Templates
7. Presentation Layers – Overlay live feed, text and motion video to a projector.
8. Import PowerPoint – Directly into the application verses the old manual process.
9. Stage Display – Use a simple USB video adapter
10. Presentation Views – See all slides in your schedule to know what is coming up next.
MUCH MORE!
Don’t forget about all the core features that has made ProPresenter so popular for over 10 years. Text over motion (now HD), Video Jockey (Mini-movie playback), Bible Engine, and more.
ProPresenter Worship Software
22 Jan 2010Are you looking for a Mac OS X based worship presentation software? If so here is the only worship software I would recommend. ProPresenter (Currently ProPresenter 3) is a powerful presentation software built for the worship community who will not part with their prized Macs.
Since it is built on a very reliable platform the software is flawless in operation and plays stunning HD mini-movies and motion loop backgrounds.
The interface is like other presentation software with a smooth flow of scheduling, queuing and ‘go live’.
If you want to get more details of the features and take advantage of bundled backgrounds check out Worship Media Pro’s website for a ProPresenter bundle here.
Please let know your personal experience with ProPresenter and how you use it.
Blessings,
Tony
EasyWorship 2009 Tutorials
4 Sep 2009If you looking to explore EasyWorship 2009 and all it has to offer I suggest you look at Worship Media Pro’s online tutorials. They cover each aspect of the worship software in small lessons. Pretty much teach yourself EasyWorship 2009 in a day if you wanted to.
View EasyWorship 2009 Tutorials
There are some new features in EasyWorship 2009 that I discussed in a previous article. Make sure to check it out.
Let me know your thoughts on EasyWorship as well.
EasyWorship 2009 Release
29 Aug 2009EasyWorship has been an excellent resource for worship leaders around the world. For several years and many Windows operating systems SouftTouch has managed to maintain a stable and powerful worship software.
In September 2009 SoftTouch releases EasyWorship 2009 version of the worship software with some amazing key features. From listening to their community of EasyWorship users they have assembled the ultimate worship software tool kit for our new multimedia venues and audience.
Some new features in EasyWorship 2009
- Full 1080p video background playback
- Foldback (Stage Display)
- Video Jockey Live Background Switching
- Audio Integration
- Web Display
- Integrated Media Store
- Updated User Interface
- Back End Retooling
To get more information on what’s to come you can view the official EasyWorship 2009 announcement blog.
If you are looking to purchase EasyWorship 2009 I recommend getting it through Worship Media Pro. They have a worship software bundle that includes their entire collection of worship resources when you order EasyWorship 2009 from them. Worship Media Pro is also launching a training series on EasyWorship 2009. Should be some good stuff. You can get details and ordering information here.
Worship Software Video Cards
25 Aug 2009
Video cards can make or break your worship software capabilities. If you use the wrong the video card you limit yourself to low quality video play back. To get the full power of your worship software and the ability to play HD video and high quality video transitions I recommend NVIDIA GeForce cards. The Windows drive installation is easy to do and the expanded desktop application for your video card makes it easy to configure.
Caution: Stay away from the NVIDIA Quadra chipset because of known support issues with worship software like EasyWorship.
Here is a list of good NVIDIA GeForce cards that work on all Window’s based worship software:
- 7600, 7800, 8400, 8600, 9400, 9500
- HD Support 8800, 9600, 9800
You could also use some basic NVIDIA cards like 5500 or 6200 but I would check your worship software website to ensure these basic video cards work.
Capture Cards
Capture cards are used to get live camera feed from stage cameras to project through your worship software. The biggest challenge is delay of capture to presentation on the projection screen. As an example in EasyWorship you should set the capture setting to 640×480. This is great for projection quality. You would not want to record at this setting due to quality.
Some recommended capture cards for Window’s machines:
- KWORL X-Pert VS-L883D (5 volt PCI)
- ViewCast Osprey 100 (5 volt PCI)
- AverMedia EZMaker (5 volt PCI)
- ViewCast Osprey 230 (Universal PCI)
- KWORLD PlusTV PVRTV-PE360-A (PCIe x1)
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- Tags: AGP, capture cards, NVIDIA, PCI, video cards, video codecs, worship software
PowerPoint And Video Backgrounds
20 Aug 2009PowerPoint has been a great tool in worship services for several years. Not only worship service but sermon presentations as well. Many Churches still use PowerPoint as the preferred presentation software. The thing about PowerPoint is lack of simplicity. It’s a great tool and perfect for those who are trained in PowerPoint application creation and presentation. But most have been educated by force only because there was no other solution out there 6-7 years ago and the newer solutions are expensive.
One draw back is text over moving backgrounds. There has been no support for this feature and no roadmap from Microsoft regarding text over moving backgrounds. This is the focus of my blog today. What can we do about this setback using PowerPoint. There is some good news. Third party companies have developed plugins for PowerPoint which allow for moving backgrounds (video backgrounds) to play in a PowerPoint presentation with text overlay. The last problem is the price. I’m convinced they have no idea who their customers are or who their customers can be. If they priced this right it would ’sell out’. Maybe one of the companies just might read this blog.
Where to get your moving background plugin
The best price is from 123PPt but it is not very user friendly. The best all around plugin is from Crystal Graphics but it is a little more expensive.
The moving background file codec is WMV used in Windows Media Player. PowerPoint is very stable playing 4:3 640×480 size video.
To sum it up you can play moving backgrounds in PowerPoint but you need a plugin to get it done. If you have not started using worship software in your Church I highly recommend you check out software specifically designed for worship (EasyWorship, MediaShout etc.).
Worship Software Video Codecs
19 Aug 2009There are several forums and posts with this one question regarding video formats or codecs. Depending on your worship software you can use a few different formats. Most worship media sites include (.mov .mpeg & .wmv). This is because they cover a wide variety of worship software and the compressions are high quality.
What is a Codec?
Codec (enCOder/DECoder or COmpressor/DECompressor) is used to reduce size of audio and video. Find out more about Codec here.
EasyWorship Reviewed
16 Aug 2009
EasyWorship is a powerful worship presentation application and one of my personal choices in worship software. The navigation is simple and the entire application is easy to use. EasyWorship has done a great job in making this affordable and powerful at the same time.
Key Visual Features
- Supports HD 720p with a 16:9 aspect ratio (1080p support in EasyWorship 2009)
- New version provides a broadcast quality output with alpha channeling
- Place text in a specific area over live camera feeds*
- Use video backgrounds with text overlay. The text is anti-aliased for smoothing.
If you have not acquired all your worship lyrics using other worship software you can use EasyWorship’s SongSelect. All you need to do is subscribe with CCLI and you can integrate SongSelect into EasyWorship pulling your favorite christian worship songs into EasyWorship with copyright information and header tags into your worship songs library.
PowerPoint worship slide show merging is possible with EasyWorship. If you have already used PowerPoint in the past and would like to import all your work from PowerPoint you can with EasyWorship.
To get more information about EasyWorship you can visit them here: http://www.worshipmediapro.com
EasyWorship 2009 is going to be available in the coming months so keep an eye out for this feature rich new media platform that will change worship and worship software forever.
* A side note on text overlaying live camera feeds. This is a great tool for sermons too. You can reference bible verses from EasyWorship’s Bible library and project them on a specific location over live camera feed of the sermon. Nice feature!
About this blog
Want to find out which worship software is best for you and your worship service? This site reviews all worship software to help you decide.
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- Tony: Hi Sinatra, You can try Foldback display in EasyWorship. Let me know if this is what you were looki [...]
- Sinatra Anderson: Hi, I attend Simon Temple A.M.E Zion Church. We just got the Easy Worship 2009 update. I like the d [...]
- Tony: It might be because you had EasyWorship 2007 trial installed already and the 30 days have lapsed. Yo [...]
- Paul: That's great. I'm looking for foldback display and DVD editing which I found at their site too. Cool [...]
- Tony: Worship Media Pro has just updated their tutorials on Easy Worship 2009. Take a look here. http://ww [...]