Live streaming can be a challenging and frustrating point for church media volunteers and staff. It’s riddled with potential for failures and technical challenges. There is also no shortage of devices, software, and solutions for live streaming. AJA Video Systems recently debuted a new device, the Helo Plus that aims to provide a simple yet stable solution to live streaming and more.
Now, you might have heard of the Helo before. The Helo Plus is an expanded and upgraded version of the already tried and true hardware encoder made by AJA. The Helo Plus adds a variety of new features including dual streaming outputs, SRT support, recording, and it can add graphics to multiple-input layouts like a small switcher, and much more. More on the expanded feature set later.
The AJA Helo Plus is a portable, stand-alone encoder with 3G-SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs, 3.5 mm audio in and out, mini USB for connection configuration and firmware updates, plus RJ-45 10/100/1000 ethernet connection. The front panel features a record button, stream button, USB slot for USB 2.0 or 3.0 media, and a port for SD/SDHC/SDXC cards
The AJA Helo Plus ($1,699) is not a budget device, but don’t compare it to other encoders. There are also several features offered in the Helo Plus that sets it apart from any other device currently on the market.
First, there are certain areas within your entire AVL system that you don’t want to skimp on, and live streaming devices are one of them. When you have an online audience that is depending on your live stream to connect to the church, you don’t want to constantly have issues. AJA is known for creating stable products that simply work. The same is not always true for other live streaming devices on the market -- products from other companies that use a low price to buy market share. Those products are designed to sell, not to work --- at least long-term.
Besides build quality, the AJA Helo Plus offers dual output streaming. With the Helo Plus, you can simultaneously send two video streams to two different sources while also recording to an SD card, USB drive, or network storage device. A church can make use of this feature in a variety of ways. For example, one stream is to be sent to Facebook and another stream to YouTube. This means that if one of those streams fails, the other should be unaffected. This will limit potential failure points by also removing any third-party software required to split your stream and send it to multiple platforms. Remember, stability and reliability are the most important factors for live streaming.
Along the lines of stability and reliability also comes the SRT support with the Helo Plus. If you have not heard of SRT, it is a video transport protocol called Secure Reliable Transport that helps optimize your stream's performance in situations where the network is congested or unpredictable. That sounds like most churches on a Sunday morning when the live stream is happening. While this will not fix all your networking issues, it will certainly help reduce the issues you face when it comes to network glitches on the stream, and not all encoders support SRT.
Another major addition to the Helo Plus is the layouts feature which allows you to take full advantage of the dual inputs. With both SDI and HDMI inputs, you can use the layout feature through the device’s web interface to create a variety of picture-in-picture presets. I see it being a particularly attractive option for smaller churches with simple systems. For example, if a church has traditionally live streamed with a single camera, this would allow them to continue that while also adding in graphics without the need for a video switcher or additional gear.
Finally, the Helo Plus packs in several smaller features that would help simplify workflows in churches where other AJA gear is in place. The Helo Plus can be triggered by other AJA devices such as their Ki Pro recording device. Additionally, the Helo Plus can be automated to start and stop streams from calendaring software. If you take advantage of these features, you can basically set and forget your live streaming setup once you have your streaming configurations in place.
While it does come in at a higher price point than some other encoders, I’m incredibly impressed with the AJA Helo Plus. It combines the stability of AJA products with an expanded and useful set of features that will be a great fit for churches of all sizes.
