YOUR SERMON STUDIO
About the Sermon Studio | Getting Started | Studio Tutorials
THE SERMON STUDIO - DASHBOARD
EPISODES are containers for your individual sermons/messages. If you are UPLOADING Media (audio, video, pdf, artwork), or if you are LIVE STREAMING, you will use an Episode. You can assign an Episode to one or more of your Playlists.
ARCHIVE is a list of all Episodes in your Studio. This list is not publicly accessible, it is just a list for your internal use. Your audience accesses your media through Media Centers, Players, RSS Feeds, and Apps.
PLAYLISTS are used to create separate groups of Episodes. You can create as many Playlists as you would like, or just use one. You then assign the Playlists that you create to any of your Media Centers, Players, and/or Apps. Each Playlist also includes a unique RSS / Podcast feed.
MEDIA CENTERS & PLAYERS can be embedded into your web sites, or linked to directly. They can be for a single Playlist, or contain multiple Playlists.
THE FLOW: EPISODES assigned to > PLAYLISTS assigned to > Media Centers & Players
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* If you have any questions, please Submit a Ticket. We are here and happy to help!
WHAT IS MY ARCHIVE?
The ARCHIVE page displays a list of all Episodes that you have added to your Studio. (Each Episode is a container for your individual sermons/messages, or a Live Broadcast.)
The Episodes in your Archive are not necessarily publicly available. In order for an Episode to be accessible by your audience it must have media uploaded to it, or be setup for Live Broadcasting. Episodes can be turned ON or OFF. You can turn it OFF from your Players, your Podcast Feeds, or both. If the indicator to the left of the title in the Archive list is green, the Episode is set to ON in both. If the indicator is red, the Episode is OFF in both. If the indicator is yellow this means the either the the Podcast or the Player is set to OFF, but not both.
You can select an existing Episode to change its settings (ON/OFF, etc...), edit its details, or replace its media.
To help you better manage your Archive of Episodes within your Studio, you can arrange the list using the sorting options provided. Expand the "Search, Sort and Batch Process Options" at the top of the Episode Archive page. Note: this is for your administration only, this will not affect the order within your Media Centers.
Note: If you want to modify the order of Episodes within your Media Centers or Players, this would be managed through your Playlist page. (Playlists contain your Episodes. You can create multiple Playlists, or just use one Playlist for all of your Episodes. The Playlists, with their corresponding Episodes, are assigned to your Media Centers, Players, or Apps.)
THE FLOW: EPISODES assigned to > PLAYLISTS assigned to > Media Centers & Players
You can tell the type of Episode (Live or On-Demand), and what media has been uploaded and assigned to the Episode by looking at the icons displayed to the right of the title. [ Microphone icon = audio , Camera icon = video , PDF icon = document , Play icon = live broadcast ]
If you would like to permanently delete an Episode from your Studio, click on the red-X icon to the far right of the title.
At the bottom of the Episode page you will see the Batch Processing options. This will allow you to make modifications across multiple Episodes, simultaneously. For example, a batch delete to reduce the size of your Archive, instead of deleting one Episode at a time.
* If you have any questions, please Submit a Ticket. We are here and happy to help!
WHAT IS AN EPISODE?
EPISODES are containers for your individual sermons/messages. If you are UPLOADING Media (audio, video, pdf, artwork), or if you are LIVE STREAMING, you will use an Episode.
To get started, enter the details (title, date, description, etc...) specific to this Episode. These details can be edited at anytime. (Go to your ARCHIVE page to see a list of all Episodes in your Studio.)
You can assign an Episode to one or more of your Playlists. (Playlists are used to create separate groups of Episodes. Playlists are then assigned to your Media Centers and/or Players.)
On Demand: Once you have the details in place, click on the UPLOAD MEDIA button. Your files are uploaded then converted server-side. We create a new file from your original source file.
Within the MEDIA/UPLOAD tab of this page, you will find the audio, video, and/or pdf files that have been converted and assigned to this Episode. From this location you can access the media file's direct link. Within the Player tab you can obtain this single Episode's embed code.
The new Episode and its media will automatically appear within any Playlist(s) it is assigned to. The Playlist are accessible within your Media Centers, Players, and Apps.
Live Streaming: We recommend you use the same "Master Live Episode" for all of your Live Broadcasts. You only need one Live Episode in your Studio's Archive. You do NOT need to create a new Episode for every Live Broadcast (keep it simple). Note: If you plan on Archiving a recording of your Live Stream, you can Publish the recording (in whole or in part) to a new/separate Episode. This will keep your Master Live Episode staged and ready for the next broadcast.
You can have an Archived media file play within the Live Episode when you are not broadcasting (OFF AIR). This can serve as a promo or trailer leading up to your Live event.
* If you have any questions, please Submit a Ticket. We are here and happy to help!
WHAT IS A PLAYLIST?
PLAYLISTS are used to create separate groups of Episodes. (An Episode is a "container" for an individual sermon/message. Episodes can be assigned to one or multiple PLAYLISTS.)
Think of Playlists as Channels. For example, you can have a Playlist for your Sunday Service Episodes, and another Playlist for your Youth Ministry's Episodes. You can create as many Playlists as you would like, or just use one. You then assign the Playlists that you create to any of your Media Centers and/or Players.
Your Media Centers and Players can contain one or multiple Playlists (and their corresponding Episodes).
THE FLOW: EPISODES assigned to > PLAYLISTS assigned to > Media Centers & Players
Each Playlist can be one of 3 types:
1. Static: pick which Episode(s) you want included
2. Dynamic: set a rule that will automate Episode availability. (For example, only include the most recent 3 Episodes from one of your Static Playlists.)
3. Scheduled Broadcast: also known as Simulated Live Streaming. Set a time for the Playlist to begin to deliver its Episodes. Like TV programming, everyone watches the same program at the same time, according to the schedule.
PODCAST / RSS: Each Playlist also has its own RSS/Podcast feed.
ARTWORK: upload your Podcast Channel Artwork for iTunes (dimensions = 1400x1400). You can also add a thumbnail image that will display within the Playlist tab of your Media Centers, Players, and Apps.
PRE & POST ROLLS: You can have the media from a select Episode play before and/or after each of the Episodes assigned to the Playlist. For example, you may have a short promotional video or commercial that you want to use as an intro.
PASSWORD: You can Password Protect the contents of a Playlist.
* If you have any questions, please Submit a Ticket. We are here and happy to help!
WHAT ARE MEDIA CENTERS?
MEDIA CENTERs provide access to your Live or On-demand content (Audio, Video, PDF, Artwork), and are packed full of features. They are basically Players surrounded by useful widgets/tools. Media Center options include; Live Chat, Integrated Bible, Custom Navigation/Links, Private Notes, Call to Action, Custom HTML/widgets, Facebook FanBox, etc….
You can create as many Media Centers as you would like, and specify which Playlists (groups of Episodes) you would like accessible within each. Use a transparent background for embedding (via iFrame) directly into your existing web site. Customize the appearance of your full-page Media Center to match your current look / brand. Some Ministries use the Media Center as their primary web presence (a cost $aver - no additional web site fees).
* If you have any questions, please Submit a Ticket. We are here and happy to help!
WHAT ARE PLAYERS?
PLAYERS provide simple access to your Live or On-demand content (Audio, Video, PDF, Artwork). You can create a Player for a single Episode, a Playlist and it corresponding Episodes, or even multiple Playlists. All Players are fully mobile responsive, meaning they will look great in devices of all shapes and sizes (phones, tablets, etc…). Visitors will appreciate the Players' Search & Sort functionality.
Add a New Player, select its Type, then assign Content to it (single Episode, or Playlists containing multiple Episodes).
Adjust the Player's size / layout, theme, and advanced settings. Update & Preview the Player to obtain its iFrame embed code, and/or direct link. You can create unlimited Players and embed them wherever you would like.
* If you have any questions, please Submit a Ticket. We are here and happy to help!