Worship Musician August 2020 | Page 132

GEAR REVIEW TASCAM VS-R265 AV OVER IP ENCODER AND DECODER APPLIANCE FOR 4K LIVE STREAMING Doug Doppler KEY FEATURES • Encode + Multi-stream Video @4K/60 FPS via RTMP, HLS, Multicast, Unicast, and RTSP • AAC Audio Encoding up to 512 KBPS • ‘One Button’ RTMP Streaming • ‘One Button’ Recording to SD Card Slot or USB 3 Port • HDMI In + Out Ports for Digital Audio + Video • Balanced Eurojack In + Out Connectors for Analog Audio • Unbalanced 3.5 mm (1/8") Stereo Mini In + Out Jacks for Analog Audio • Eurojack Connectors Included Before we dig into the review, I wanted to share a little Q&A we did with TASCAM Product Specialist Sean Daily! [WM] Sean, I’d like to start with your take on the advantages of the VS series and streaming in general. [Sean Daily] We're living in a bizarre time right now, with social distancing, and so many folks working and learning from home. The Sean Daily VS-R265 (and the 264, as well) are perfectly designed to fit right in during the modern-era. Churches, educators, and musicians can really benefit from the VS-R series. As a standalone streaming device, compelling video and audio can go a long way towards keeping people in the loop and part of your community. Most everybody has the internet, so for churches to be able to broadcast their services live and in exceedingly high quality all over the world is a great way to share their message. Until people feel safe about attending a service in person, a great livestream can do a lot in terms of providing some much-needed connection. [WM] 4K video aside, the audio fidelity and streaming options on the VS-R265 are second to none. What are your thoughts on streaming an entire service, ‘worship’ included? [Sean] Who doesn't miss live music at this point? The latest statistics show that over four billion people worldwide have regular access to the internet. Even if the world was ‘back to normal’, the capability of streaming your entire service to most of the world is a great opportunity to expand your impact around the world. [WM] There is a lot of debate about whether or not you should stream in 4K if your bandwidth will support it. I’d love to hear your thoughts. [Sean] Streaming in 4K is an excellent idea. More times than not, monitors and televisions are already setup to view in 4K. Personally, I have a smart television that connects to the internet and I regularly view 4K livestreams via YouTube. If the stream is in 1080 I don't mind, but I do wish more folks were broadcasting in UHD format. Recording locally with the VS-R265 is very 132 August 2020 Subscribe for Free...