rakovsky

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Now with so many people staying home, here is a review of some parishes with live streaming of services. (Consider what kinds of services they have, whether there is a sermon, video and audio quality, artwork)
Holy Trinity Orthodox Church (OCA), East Meadow (Long Island), NY
Wednesday, March 25 Annunciation: 9:30am Vespers with Divine Liturgy
Sun, March 29, Divine Liturgy: 9:30am – 11:00am
For more service times, see: Holy Trinity Orthodox Church - East Meadow, Long Island
oca-ny-emehtc.jpg

You can hear and watch the liturgies here: Holy Trinity Orthodox Church
Their church is beautiful inside. I thought the audio sounded a bit muffled. What do you think?

St. Mary's OCA Cathedral, Minneapolis, MN
Sunday, March 29
-- 8:15 a.m. Matins @ Cathedral (closed)
-- 9:00 a.m. Divine Liturgy @ Cathedral (closed)
St. Mary's OCA Minneapolis
oca-mw-stmarys-thumb.jpg
OCA_logo.png

This is a historic cathedral for the OCA. The architecture reminds me of the OCA's logo.
It's beautiful and the video quality is clear. But the camera shot is a little narrow - you can't see the ends of the ikonostasis.

St. Gregory Orthodox Church (OCA), Wappingers Falls, NY
Wednesday, March 25 - 1:00 PM Live-streamed modified service for Annunciation
Thursday, March 26 - 7:00 PM Orthodoxy 101 class by Seminarian Zach Mandell on Saints and Iconography
Friday, March 27 at 6:30 PM - Live-streamed Modified Presanctified Liturgy
Saturday, March 28 at 5:00 PM - Live-streamed Modified Vespers followed by General Confession
Sunday, March 29 at 9:00 AM - Modified Liturgy of St. Basil
Home
img_9719.jpg

St. Gregory Orthodox Church, Wappingers Falls, NY
There was a sermon, and it's a pretty church, and the video quality was okay (360 p) and shot up close so I could see, but it was a bit blurry and the audio sounded a bit faded too. What do you think?

Nativity of Christ Orthodox Church (MP), Youngstown, Ohio
Sun Mar 29, 2020 9:40am – 11:30am Hours & Liturgy
cropped-Church-outiside-2.jpg

Nativity of Christ Orthodox Church
Good sermon and pretty church, but the video quality was only 360p and shot from a long distance, so I could hardly see the priest's face.

Cathedral of the Holy Virgin Protection (OCA), New York
Wednesday, March 25: Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, 8:00 am Divine Liturgy
Sunday, March 29: 4th of Lent: St John Climacus: 9:00 am Hours & Divine Liturgy
Sunday, April 5: 5th of Lent: St Mary of Egypt 9:00 am Hours & Divine Liturgy
Russian Orthodox Cathedral of O C A Protection Holy Virgin
oca-ny-nycprv.jpg

The Church is beautiful, but the video quality is only 360 pixels. And I wish that the priest gave more of a sermon; it was pretty short.

In Church Slavonic, you can see the MP's patriarchal liturgy and a liturgy in Ekaterinburg each Sunday on Soyuz-TV or on Spas TV (I suppose that Spas TV only shows the Patriarchal liturgy). They broadcast live online. Here are the links to Soyuz TV's and Spas TV's live streams and their schedules of programs:
Soyuz TV: Трансляция и Программа телепередач православного телеканала «Союз»
Spas TV: Телепрограмма | Телеканал «СПАС»

Here are more lists:
LiveLiturgy.com - Orthodox, North America
Worship - Orthodox Christian Network
Live Streaming
 
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All4Christ

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Holy Apostles Orthodox Church in Mechanicsburg is also live streaming via Facebook and YouTube

Holy Apostles Orthodox Church - Mechanicsburg, PA Youtube

Holy Apostles Facebook

Vesperal Liturgy this Wednesday, Presanctified on Fridays at 6:20, Divine Liturgy at 9:30 EST

Christ the Savior in Harrisburg and Holy Cross in Williamsport are live streaming as well.

I’m not reviewing their pros and cons though - I’m thankful that they are doing what they can. :) Of course, all of these parishes (or their priest) are meaningful to me as well. Orthodox in central PA are a pretty close group.
 
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rakovsky

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The "cons" are not meant as "con"demnation. It's good that any churches are live streaming. Audio and visual issues are common, so if the parishes know that they might make an improvement.
Alot of people are going to be watching the services live streaming online, so it's good for everyone if they improve the quality.
 
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All4Christ

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The "cons" are not meant as "con"demnation. It's good that any churches are live streaming. Audio and visual issues are common, so if the parishes know that they might make an improvement.
Alot of people are going to be watching the services live streaming online, so it's good for everyone if they improve the quality.
Understood :). I’m not trying to criticize this, and I know you are not “con”demning them or anything like that. It’s a good thing to help each other find live streams in this time.

I’m expressing what I personally feel like I should do. I don’t know that they will see this thread in order to improve, and I want to encourage them all. I’m sure they would be happy to try to improve if they receive suggestions, especially with tips on how to do things.

(I will, however, point out some of my favorites :))

Our parish had to get new equipment to get high resolution. A parish member donated a used Mac laptop and someone contributed a quality video camera that connects to the Live Stream. Took several tries to get it fully set up. We started with a phone on a tripod before we had the equipment.

Just my two cents :)
 
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All4Christ

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I heard that Holy Apostles was thinking about getting a church building. I could be misremembering. But it would be nice.
We did build a new church - you can see the photos of the new building on Facebook. We have been there for several years. We have a two phased project, the initial phase being the church building we have now, which eventually will be turned into the church school / fellowship hall once we build the final church (which would be beside the church hall, perhaps attached with a walkway). It’s a beautiful space right now as well. However, we’ve run out of room, so we are pushing forward to phase 2.
 
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https://facebook.com/stsavatx/

My parish - St Sava in Allen, TX is live-streaming through our fb page. We are having Vesperal Divine Liturgy for the Annunciation at 6:30 CDT tomorrow, and I will be able to be the 2nd choir member for that. We also livestream the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy on Fridays at 6:30pm and the Divine Liturgy at 9:30am Sundays.
 
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rakovsky

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The Divine Liturgy on the 4th Sunday of Great Lent:

St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church
Lukaris,
Thank you for posting your link, which I take it is from your parish. You have a beautiful iconostasis. I have visited St. Mary's in the past and would like to again.
My three main "constructive criticisms" are that (1) the top of the iconostasis is cut off by the top of the video frame, (2) it looks a bit blurry on my screen, and that (3) I heard that Youtube is a better transmitter for videos, as it has twice the rate for transmitting digital information, IIRC.
I am saying this because I like your services and want to suggest possible areas of improvement.
 
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Lukaris

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Lukaris,
Thank you for posting your link, which I take it is from your parish. You have a beautiful iconostasis. I have visited St. Mary's in the past and would like to again.
My three main "constructive criticisms" are that (1) the top of the iconostasis is cut off by the top of the video frame, (2) it looks a bit blurry on my screen, and that (3) I heard that Youtube is a better transmitter for videos, as it has twice the rate for transmitting digital information, IIRC.
I am saying this because I like your services and want to suggest possible areas of improvement.

Thank you, I will inform our parish priest of your observation. How long ago did you visit St. Mary AOC?
 
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FenderTL5

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We typically stream all of our services.
However, we will not be streaming during Holy Week.

Our parish has quite a unique set of challenges currently. On top of the COVID-19 restrictions, our presiding Priest is ill and not serving while recovering. The priest that has been filling-in is a retired priest from out of state. So there are travel concerns.

Our chanters have been conducting Reader's Services and the the Typika for the past month. We did stream those. However, for Holy Week, there really are no reader's version of the services.
So we will be looking to other parishes for a video stream.

Thanks for the links.
 
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Lukaris

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Lukaris,
Thank you for posting your link, which I take it is from your parish. You have a beautiful iconostasis. I have visited St. Mary's in the past and would like to again.
My three main "constructive criticisms" are that (1) the top of the iconostasis is cut off by the top of the video frame, (2) it looks a bit blurry on my screen, and that (3) I heard that Youtube is a better transmitter for videos, as it has twice the rate for transmitting digital information, IIRC.
I am saying this because I like your services and want to suggest possible areas of improvement.

I showed your post to Fr & he said because of distance for audio is why not all of the iconostasis is being captured. As far as YouTube, a thousand or so expected viewers ( or maybe views) are necessary for submission. Thank you & God bless.
 
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Here are reviews for the Antiochian cathedrals and some Antiochian parishes' livestreams. The top four that I listed I found to be the best, and it seems subjective which of those one might rank first.

St. George Orthodox Cathedral, WV
display_image.php

Streaming Services
The video picture is clear, there is a sermon, and the audio of the priest and singers is very clear.
There is an over-contrasted lighting effect where the room in front of the altar is a little dark, whereas the part behind it is so bright that it harms the contrast between objects in that space. The last several weeks, the cross on the ikonostasis has been cut off by the picture frame. There is an electronic clicking sound that is more noticeable the higher that you turn up the volume.

St. George's Cathedral, Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA
640px-St._George_Antiochian_Orthodox_Cathedral_-_Pittsburgh_04.jpg

https://www.sgcoakland.org/recorded-services
The ikonostasis and artwork are beautiful. The singing and chanting were understandable, and the video and audio quality were good.
There was a natural echo effect from the room, so that speakers' words echoed. Also, the camera doesn't show the area beneath the raised ambo or stage area in the front. So you couldn't see people standing there well. This would be more of an issue if there were activities there like if the priest came out there to wash people's feet in Holy Week, etc.

St. George's Cathedral, Worcester, MA
300px-300px-5be119bf12daf.jpg

St. George Orthodox Cathedral - Worcester, MA
The video and audio quality were excellent and very clear.
The artwork felt plainer than usual for EO churches. It's an issue of my personal preference. There was an echo sound effect in the room that IMO affected the clarity, but it didn't stop me from understanding what people were saying.

St. George Cathedral, Wichita, Kansas
6bae5c160695c2ae4be211dc2573815c.jpg

Overall the quality is OK. The singing was understandable from the audio and the ikonostasis is clear, but the figures were a bit fuzzy. There was a sermon.
Although the inside of the church is beautiful, like with the ceiling and walls, the camera is focused in on the iconostasis such that you can't see beyond it and the frame cuts off the cross over the ikonostasis. At times, like when the audio is loud there is a static sound. And the video of the faces are alittle fuzzy.

St. Nicholas Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY
SRbMRqvsOf19X1Wpj2DToPgw42Uj8VZN4rqN0nT5BjbIrqBX8cAQUVNEkd3gPPs0mS87qpl05iFS32E_0w5N1Atynw6wWOwzuWJOjFRHjIeZZm70qfdAoPczXN62zXt1Xv8wQvhpsQkwQ2XPoz-AetmhOCDwFkNH7em1RK2SDq5KAED21idI

Live Stream
The ikonostasis is beautiful and the singing is good and it is a mix of English and Arabic. The audio quality is basically good.
The video of the ikonostasis is clear, but the video of the figures at the ikonostasis is fuzzy so much that the face of the priest is blurry when the camera zooms in for his sermon. The downside of the audio is that there is a fuzzy electronic sound underneath. If you turn down the volume, it's not serious.

St. Peter and Paul's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Potomac, MD.
DSC_0093__large.jpg

Saints Peter & Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church
The video quality is clear, the iconostasis is beautiful but simple, and the audio of the priest's words is clear.
The audio of the choir unfortunately is blurred and hard to make out the choir's words, maybe in part due to an echo effect from the marble.

St Paul's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Dandenong, Australia
7UpbWRAy2-sjM4HeKpU5nzvOStO0FoFRElvpjssiqP2isqW_p6o1S2yiw5lbAJLkraxI4Q=s85

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8OgZabKnuTgj1BLHdE34A
The audio is very clear. There is a strong mix of English and Arabic. There is a decoration of palms and a sermon.
The camera frame is zoomed in close on a small section, maybe half, of the ikonostasis.

St. Mary's Church, Cambridge, MA
65bcf3ae-4aa2-415b-87d0-4aa0d8b41ec8.jpg

St. Mary Orthodox Church • Cambridge, MA
Live Video Streaming of Divine Services | St. Mary Orthodox Church in Central Square, Cambridge
The audio makes the words clear and the ikonostasis is beautiful, and the video is clear. They have numerous people present this Palm Sunday, and a sermon.
There is a timing glitch between the picture of the people speaking and the audio of the words. This really is only noticeable when the camera zooms in on the face of the person speaking, and you notice the audio's delay (ie. the lips move differently from the words).

St. George Orthodox Cathedral, Toledo
348s.jpg

Saint George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral
The artwork is beautiful, and the audio quality is fine. The sermon style is good and engaging.
The video quality is blurry. The echo slurs the singing, but doesn't keep me from understanding what is enunciated with reading or chanting (eg. the Epistles).
On Sundays, Orthros/Matins starts at 9 and Divine Liturgy starts at 10.

St. Mary's Antiochian Orthodox Church, Wilkes-Barre, PA
St. Mary Antiochian Orthodox Church
The iconostasis is beautiful, and there is a sermon.
The video quality is at times clear and at other times blurred. Some audio parts like the Psalm reader's singing are clear whereas others like the priest's sermon are rather slurred. This could be partly from the building's natural echo.

St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox, Ottawa, Canada
St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral - Ottawa
The video quality is good, the artwork is beautiful, the singing is pretty.
There is an echo, maybe from the audio quality, that makes it so that I can hardly make out what is being sung or read.

St. Nicholas Cathedral, Los Angeles, CA
St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral
The art is beautiful and the singing is too.
There is an echo, maybe from room acoustics and audio quality and it prevents understanding much of what is sung or chanted.

St. George Orthodox Church, Washington, DC
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church
The church is beautiful and the video quality is fine.
The audio quality makes it hard to understand what is being sung. The camera is held at a slight tilt.

St. George Orthodox Cathedral, Coral Gables, Miami
The colors are vibrant, the art is beautiful, the video quality is very clear.
Due probably to the room's acoustics, there is a strong echo that masks clear understanding of the words.

St John Chrysostom Church, Fort Wayne, IN
The ikonostasis is pretty, the picture quality is clear, the audio quality is clear, the singing was fine, and there was a sermon.
But there is a weird glitch with the audio- when the priest came out to speak, his words were repeated automatically. The cause could be that there could be two microphones or recordings in different parts of the building, and they record the same sounds at different moments, so it sounds like an electronic echo effect. Plus, there is a weird visual camera effect where the center of the iconostasis bulges forward. And the choir just has about one person at this point (probably due to the virus situation), it seems.

St. John Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, Alaska
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https://www.stjohnalaska.org/live
The audio and video are blurry. A curious feature is that there is a giant gap in the middle of the ikonostasis with a knee-height, railed gate. I don't know what to make of that.
 
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rakovsky

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I showed your post to Fr & he said because of distance for audio is why not all of the iconostasis is being captured. As far as YouTube, a thousand or so expected viewers ( or maybe views) are necessary for submission. Thank you & God bless.
Thanks. It's OK quality. About 4 of 9 AOCNA cathedrals have audio quality that echoes or slurs so badly that I can hardly understand what is sung, chanted, or spoken.
In your case, it would be nice if the video and audio quality were improved to the point where it would match what we hear on TV newscasts or documentaries. But I'm not talking as a technician, but rather someone who is looking through the streams to find the best quality in several areas as well as getting a sermon, seeing attendance and artwork.
The reason that I am focusing on the Antiochian tradition is because it's Middle Eastern and we are talking about Pascha. So much of Paschal rituals are focused on the Middle East, specifically Judea/Palestine. For instance, the Good Friday Stations of the Cross in the Roman Church came from a ritual like it that was conducted in Jerusalem in past centuries.
The Paschal week services are especially unique or unusual for the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Across the spectrum of Christian traditions, emphasis liturgically is placed on Sunday morning, but in the EO Church, emphasis in Holy Week liturgically is put on the evening or midnight that begins or precedes the Paschal Sunday or precedes its daytime.

I visited about a year ago.
 
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Going along with what I said about special services for Pascha, here is a list of the Pascha services livestreamed at St. George's AOCNA Cathedral in Pittsburgh, and a word by me about them:
  • April 14: Tuesday Great and Holy Tuesday: Bridegroom Service 6:30PM
    The Bridegroom services are about the parable of the virgins and the bridegroom and about Jesus' instructions to His disciples. On Monday, those services include the story of Jesus and the Fig Tree.
  • April 15: Wednesday Great and Holy Wednesday: Orthros 6:30PM (No unction)
    This normally involves the ritual of unction, referring to Christ's anointing- I take it that this refers in turn to His anointing in the tomb or the woman anointing His feet with oil before His Passion.
  • April 16: Thursday Great and Holy Thursday: Vesperal Liturgy 9:00AM
    This is special because it is the time of the Last Supper.
  • Twelve Gospel Passions Service 6:30PM
    These are gospel stories of Jesus' Passion.
  • April 17: Friday Royal Hours 10:00AM
    This is a long reading of Bible verses and prayers, IIRC.
  • Service of the Unnailing 3:00 PM
    (A) The shroud is taken from the cross, or (B) an ikon is taken from the cross and the shroud is taken from the Holy Table (I am not sure which), and then (C) the shroud is put on the tomb.
  • Lamentations Service 6:30PM
    (A) The Shroud is taken from the Tomb and then taken in procession outside the church and then put on the Holy Table per the Greek tradition (I am not sure if I have that right), or (B) it's taken from the tomb and carried around outside the church and then put back on the tomb (per the Slavic tradition).
  • April 18: Saturday Great and Holy Saturday: Vesperal Liturgy 9:00AM
    This is about Jesus' descent to Hades and preaching there, the saving of Hades' dead, and the anticipation of Christ's Resurrection.
  • Pascha Rush Service 10:30PM
    People outside the church knock on the doors and then come in.
  • Paschal Orthros 11:00PM
    The shroud is taken from the tomb and put on the Holy Table (I am not sure if this is only in the Slavic tradition).
  • Paschal Divine Liturgy starts at Midnight
  • April 19: Sunday (Chronologically, the women would have found the tomb empty sometime before dawn on this day. I don't know if Paschal services, are held liturgically earlier than or simultaneous to than the moments that they each commemorate chronologically.)
    Agape Vespers Sunday 11:00AM
  • April 20: Monday Bright Monday Orthros & Liturgy 9:30AM
    The services of Bright Week are done with the gates always open, and there is no fasting on Bright Week.
 
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I am really appreciating the livestreams from St. Tikhon Monastery. Their choir is wonderful, and they’re streaming the Hours and PreSanctified Liturgy in the mornings, and Bridegroom Matins in the afternoon. My own parish isn’t having any services until tomorrow (Wednesday) evening.
 
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