Tell us about Streaming For Jesus and what you do?

In a nutshell we are a turnkey streaming provider for ministries around the world.  We give ministries the tools and know-how to be able to stream their sermons online thus being able to reach audiences far beyond their own church walls.  Ministries that have a vision to reach more people and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ really benefit from our services.  No matter what their online streaming needs are, whether it is Sermons-On-Demand or Live Streaming, we have custom packages for ministries of all sizes and shapes.  We also provide Live Streaming for conferences and churches with multiple campuses.  For those that cannot attend but wish to tune in can still watch and listen Live via the Web.  Every client is different and we tailor our services to meet their needs, so really the possibilities are endless in this ever-growing streaming market.

How did Streaming For Jesus get started?

It started out by taking what I know and applying it to the church I attended.  I began streaming my pastor's sermons online in 2003.  Now you may think, no big deal.  However, my pastor started this small church with just a handful of people, and about an average of 20 people in attendance each Sunday. Starting out we would have a few people listen to the sermons online, mostly those that attended the church. Then as more and more visiting ministries came through the doors we began to see the number of online streamers increase through word of mouth.  Currently they have over 10,000 unique hits from countries all around the world. If this church can reach that many more people around the world all from within their own church then anyone can do it too.  The Lord laid it on my heart to use this experience and help other churches like this one stream their messages and broadcast online. With the vision given by the Lord and some seed money from family we started Streaming For Jesus.  Since we were birthed out of a small church, we have a heart for small to medium sized churches; however, our infrastructure currently handles ministries of all sizes including the large ministries. 

How is Streaming For Jesus different then other streaming providers?

Advanced technology leadership.  All of our software is developed in-house which gives us a complete command of our own application's functions and potential. By using cutting edge software development we bring to our clients a highly sophisticated web-based application that can be accessed from anywhere they need it to be.  We are always striving for persistent improvement and continue to rollout new features for our clients to enjoy at no extra cost to them.

 What are some of the unique qualities you offer?

We offer free tutorials for anyone that wants to learn how to start streaming.  We include step-by-step tutorials that show you how to capture, upload, and stream your sermons.  We have made stream management easy for even the novice to quickly learn and begin streaming.  Currently we are the only application that uses Drag-and-Drop interface to quickly maneuver around our system.  Moving streams is easy from one folder to the next is easy and straightforward, you simply drag the stream and drop it into the playlist folder you desire.  Our clients want to reach people that would might not otherwise step foot into a church. To achieve this, we offer clients to have multiple iTune Albums.  You can have a Video podcast album for those that have a video ipod, Audio podcast album for those that have audio ipods, and finally a praise and worship podcast.  Plus clients can have an unlimited number of podcast albums.  No one else gives their clients the freedom to be able to do this.

Lets talk about commitment, I guess all of us are a little concerned when there is a new technology or change and that seems to be something that happens about everyday, would I have to enter into a long term contract with Streaming For Jesus and what are the average monthly costs using the service?

Absolutely no contracts. The one thing we wanted to move away from is the traditional industry standard of contracts that other companies make their clients sign. We have clients that have been with us for years because we strive each month to earn their business. We understand there are other options out there and that is why we allow clients the freedom to choose. The average monthly cost is only $80.00 a month.  This price includes Live Video Streaming and Video On-Demand.  Depending on each client's needs there may be additional costs that apply.  To put it in perspective, a church with over a couple thousand members costs a little more then a church with a few hundred members.  Each client will vary in their own specific needs, which is why we like to speak directly to each client and assess their streaming requirements.

 
Why is Streaming For Jesus addressing the church market when there are bigger opportunities out there?
This is what God has called us to do.  We hear over and over that we are an answer to prayer.  Knowing that God is using us to advance the kingdom and we are in his perfect will is really cool.  We want churches to be ahead of the curve, so when people stream their sermons they will have a rich experience, not only with the technology, but also how the Word is delivered. This is why we say we are the Leaders in the streaming technology for ministries worldwide.

You mentioned that Streaming For Jesus is a turnkey streaming provider.  Are there specific features that stand out amongst other companies out there?

The greatest thing right now is that ministries of all sizes now have access to a cutting edge application that does not break the bank.  Some features that deliver immediate benefits include:

·         Content Delivery Network which enables efficient streaming for Live and On-Demand Video

·         Drag and Drop interface

·         We use FTP client for the fastest upload speeds for large media files.

·         There are countless features, it really depends on if we are talking about Live Streaming or On-Demand.  Visit www.StreamingForJesus.com to see a full list of features.

What technologies do you use to stream video sermons and why?
We use three main technologies to stream video sermons, Ajax for stream management, Flash Streaming Server for the media format and a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver the streams.

Ajax is a web development technique used for creating interactive web applications. Our streaming application is built with Ajax.  The intent was to make our application not only unique, but feel more responsive by exchanging small amounts of data with the server behind the scenes, so that the entire web page does not have to be reloaded each time you request a change. You will notice the web page's interactivity, speed, functionality, and usability when using our Administration Panel. 

 
Streaming For Jesus uses Flash Media Server for the following reasons.  

1. Quality of Video
2. Compatibility (Browsers, Operating Systems)
3. Scalability
4. True Live Streaming (latency)
5. Skinable Interface

A content delivery network or content distribution network (CDN) is a system of servers networked together across the Internet that cooperate transparently to deliver content (especially large media content) to end-users.  So if you are located in San Antonio Texas, streaming your service Live, the signal would go to the closest Data Center, which would be in Dallas.  Now, if you are a viewer in New York or say London, the viewer in New York will view the service from the servers in New York and the viewer in London will view the service from a data center in London and not Dallas.  Now the stream enters into the CDN through the Dallas connection and from there it is sent to all the data centers on that particular CDN which includes New York and London.  Because closer is better, web caches store popular content closer to the user. These shared network appliances reduce bandwidth requirements, reduce server load, and improve the client response times for content stored in the cache.
 

What do you think the future holds for Streaming, specifically streaming for churches?

We are seeing the tip of the iceberg right now.  With the quality of video streaming increasing, you can now stream High-Definition if you want, and the prices to stream are coming down, so now is the time for churches to stream Live Video Sermons.  In the next 3-5 years you will see Internet getting faster for handheld devices, ported into cars and an increase of bandwidth to the homes.  When these things do happen, this will enable pastors to get the word out more effectively and through unique ways that were never thought of before. 

What would you like our readers to know about Streaming For Jesus?

We do one thing and we do it right. No matter what your streaming needs are we have a solution for you.  We offer free demos for our Live service. So if you want to stream one of your services live on our CDN give us a call we will be happy to show you how easy it is.  And remember, we are here for you and your ministry.