If you are planning on presenting a slideshow, PowerPoint, or some other projection in the Sanctuary, Narthex, Fellowship Hall and/or Fireside Room at First Lutheran, you will need to be aware of the following…
A properly burned DVD will have these folders in it. This folder structure is universal for all DVD players, even the most basic.
Recommended for weddings & Funerals: DVDs
Regardless of where in the church you would like to present, for simple slideshows for weddings and funerals we strongly recommend you make a movie of your slideshow/ presentation, and then burn that movie to a DVD that can play in a basic DVD player. Do not burn a movie file to a DVD as data, and do not burn image files to a DVD as data, as these may not work as want them to in our DVD players. A properly formatted DVD will have a file structure that looks like the one in the image to the right; this is the file structure that all DVD players can read. Disc burning software makes burning movies to DVD pretty easy now adays: click here to learn more about how to burn a movie to a DVD and click here to research your options.
Laptop Presentations/PowerPoint
If you have a presentation/PowerPoint, we highly recommend you bring your own laptop, and the necessary adapters to connect your laptop. This will be the easiest route for you. You will need the following adapters:
VGA adapter (for our older equipment)
HDMI adapter (for use on our TVs)
Do not provide us a thumb drive / flash drive. If you plan to use one of our computers to project, you will need to know the following:
We use a Macbook to run our projection
We have the following software installed on our computers
As you can see, we do not invest in PowerPoint; instead of Microsoft Office we use Google Slides and the other apps in Google Drive. If you are hoping to use PowerPoint on our computer, expect us to convert it for use on one of the above apps; note that after conversion it may not look the way you designed it. Keep in mind when copying a presentation/project from one computer to another, that issues can arise. Assets such as images and videos can be embedded in the saved file (which is good), but they may also be linked; in which case these links can break when copying a project from one computer to another. Same goes for fonts. Fonts are always a resource of the individual computer, and not all fonts are available on all computers. A special font you like on your computer may not be available on ours. To avoid all of this, we recommend using Google Slides.
Streaming Video
Yes, we have WiFi at First Lutheran, so you can stream videos that you are licensed to stream (keep in mind most personal accounts on Netflix, etc. do not permit the showing of videos in a public setting). But when it comes to WiFi there are lots of variables that could affect quality. With that in mind it is recommended you download videos in advance if you can and plan to show it from your laptop, so that WiFi is not needed.
Projecting in the Sanctuary
Projecting in the sanctuary is run from our AV booth in the back. The AV booth has
VGA cable to connect the computer to the projector
A DVD and VHS player
If you will need to use our laptop, read about using our Macbook in the section above about laptops.
We can also connect a computer at the front of the sanctuary, but this requires additional set up; make certain we have advance notice if this is required.
Displaying on the Narthex TV
The TV in the narthex has
HDMI and VGA inputs for connecting a laptop
Blu-ray DVD player attached to it
If you will need to use our laptop, read about using our Macbook in the section above about laptops.
Projecting in the Fellowship Hall
The projector in the fellowship hall connects to a special podium, to assist with presentations in the fellowship hall. The podium has
VGA cable to connect to the projector
A DVD player
A microphone
If you will need to use our laptop, read about using our Macbook in the section above about laptops.
Displaying in the Fireside Room
The TV in the Fireside room has
HDMI cable to connect to the TV
Blu-ray DVD player attached to it
External speakers for extra volume (if desired, but audio from the TV also works)
If you will need to use our laptop, read about using our Macbook in the section above about laptops.