Losing a loved one is always a difficult experience. It’s a time filled with emotions and the many logistics that go into the planning of a memorial or funeral. Nowadays, it’s common to live stream the funeral as well, which adds a technical element to the arrangements. But it doesn’t have to be difficult.

The most important thing is that your live stream is reliable. It’s a one-time event, and the memories made and shared are absolutely priceless. Investing in the right equipment and technical support ensures that you capture everything, because there’s only one chance to get it right.

Why Live Stream a Funeral Service?

Live streaming a funeral is a great way to honor your loved one’s life and legacy.

Community participation

A live stream allows loved ones who live far away to participate in the service in real-time. Letting your entire extended community join in grieving can be extremely meaningful and healing. 

Create a time capsule

Your live stream can be preserved as an on-demand video that can be watched at any time in the future. This allows viewers who had conflicts to celebrate the life of their loved one, and allows for family members to take their time as they take in the memories shared by at-home viewers. 

Overcome space constraints

If your service has capacity limits, or the decedent is a public figure or someone who would draw a large number of attendees, a live stream is the perfect way to share the service with an unlimited audience–anywhere in the world.

Accessibility

A funeral live stream is a great way to include people who ordinarily would not be able to participate due to physical or other accessibility issues. 

Funeral Streaming Options

Live streaming technology has come a long way in the last decade, which means that you have more options than ever before. We’ll break down the pros and cons of a few popular options. 

Zoom

Zoom is everywhere! It’s a great way to live stream events because every attendee can show their face, adding to the sense of community, and the chat is a wonderful place for people to share memories and condolences. 

Pros

• Easy to use
• Can be recorded
• Chat features

Cons

• Optimizes for latency, which means that video quality will drop significantly at times
• Variable video quality across different devices
• Only produces static shots

iPad/Webcam on a Tripod

It’s easy to set up a tablet, smartphone, or webcam on a tripod and live stream that way. But a single camera produces a single, static shot, plus the setup requires assembly from scratch for every event. 

Pros

• Simple setup
• Uses common equipment

Cons

• Unreliable camera resolution and footage quality
• Requires a camera operator
• Requires setup by the Funeral home
• Only produces static shots

Remote Production Service and PTZ Cameras

A remote production service such as LiveControl installs Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras in the funeral home in optimized locations, then turns on and moves the cameras when the funeral begins. Each camera can pan, tilt, and zoom, controlled by remote videographers who ensure that every important moment gets captured for posterity. 

Pros

• Simple setup with extensive tech support
• Does not create extra work for funeral home staff
• Robotic cameras capture dynamic, responsive footage that captures every moment
• Professionally-produced footage creates a true heirloom for the family and an immersive experience for at-home viewers

Cons

• Initial equipment deposit up front
• Cameras typically require professional installation

Distributing Your Live Stream

The most common distribution platforms include Facebook Live and YouTube. Unfortunately, both platforms can put your live stream at risk. If the family wishes to play the decedent’s favorite song, it can be a beautiful moment. But if your Facebook or YouTube live stream contains copyrighted music, it will get taken down immediately, leaving viewers stranded.

The best distribution option for your funeral live stream is a branded web player, which can feature the funeral home’s logo and color palette, plus a live chat feature that can function as a virtual guest book for viewers. A branded web player creates a cohesive, professional look that suits the content in a respectful manner. 

It’s also easy for your viewers to find, especially older viewers who may not have social media accounts or fluency online.

Why Use a Production Service?

There are many reasons to use a remote production video service to live stream a funeral. 

• Let funeral home staff focus on serving the family
• Allow extended community members to honor the decedent and their loved ones
• Capture unique and meaningful memories without missing important moments
• Create a legacy video that can be watched for generations to come

And most importantly:

Get it right the first time. There are no second chances when it comes to filming and live streaming a funeral service. It’s a unique moment in time, when mourning family and friends come together to honor the life of the decedent. It’s essential to use reliable technology, and LiveControl’s cameras were built to be reliable. 

Our cameras have been specially engineered for live streaming. They’re unobtrusive, durable, feature powerful connectivity, and have a wide range of movement. 

Once you’ve scheduled the funeral event in your online portal, our professional videographers will do the rest, capturing the flower arrangements, photo slideshows, speakers, and personal items on display–with no extra work for the family or funeral home staff. 

A funeral only happens once. Make sure that the memory lasts forever with LiveControl. We’re here to discuss your options.