We have experienced many of the ups and downs of live streaming funeral services and have learned that Zoom is great at what it does, which is videoconferencing meetings and get togethers, but not ideal for funeral services. I don’t dislike Zoom, in fact I use it often, but its not a good choice for streaming the delicate nature of a funeral service. I think since the pandemic the word Zoom has become synonymous with videoconferencing and many families are simply looking for a way to stream the event and not necessarily using Zoom as the platform. Zoom does have the ability to do provide a 2 way stream, when an absentee relative or close friend can say a few words, but without advanced audio/video setups at funeral homes and churches, there is no way to display this persons audio and video to the guests in attendance. We recommend avoiding Zoom unless you have dedicated staff with enough IT and Zoom experience to provide a smooth experience.
CONSIDERING ZOOM FOR A FUNERAL ?
Families Have to Download Zoom
To use Zoom, you must download software to your device. This can cause frustration and anxiety for family members, especially the non-tech-savvy crowd.
Poor Sound Quality
Laptop/device microphones are designed to capture someone talking directly in front of the laptop/device and are not designed to capture music or people speaking from a distance.
Poor Video Quality
With Zoom, the video looks grainy and the frame rate is not great. Zoom was designed for meetings so the video quality is not a primary focus, especially if you are using a laptop camera.
Difficult Setup to Show Zoom Meeting AT Funeral.
Zoom meetings that are shown at a live service will need to be connected to a TV large enough and positioned to all those in attendance can view and hear.
Poor Experience for the Family
Zoom was designed for meetings, not funerals. Family members watching a funeral on Zoom report feeling like they are in just another meeting instead of an important remembrance of a loved one.
Zoom Reflects Poorly on Your Funeral Home
We hear from Funeral Directors every day that Zoom just feels "cheap" to their customers. Funeral homes are searching for a better way to present their funeral home to the families they serve. Nothing worse than explaining to a client when something goes wrong.
People are Sick of Zoom
Zoom Fatigue is a real thing. Many people use Zoom every day for work and using it for something as important as a funeral can feel like just another meeting.
No Recording of the Video
People usually show up late to the Zoom funeral (usually because they were struggling to download the software) and since Zoom isn't recorded and hosted, they will miss those moments.
Zoom Only Works Inside
Zoom was not designed to work outdoors.
No Support if Something Does not Work
If something isn't working as expected, you are on your own with Zoom.
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