Long after general conference has appeared on television and radio, discussed among members at Church, or even appeared in print in the Ensign and Liahona magazines, Richard Dadzie, a member in Ghana, Africa, will finally have a chance to enjoy conference messages. In his area, there isn't a building with a satellite broadcast receiver, so he depends on the Church to mail DVDs to his stake for viewing four to six weeks after conference.
Many congregations throughout the world face challenges trying to view general conference and other Church broadcasts in a timely manner, so Church technology employees are working on solutions.
Jacob Stark, a Church technology product manager, said, "Fifty-nine Church congregations from Benoni, South Africa, to Jakarta, Indonesia, were invited to evaluate different technologies for viewing Church broadcasts over the Internet. The most popular solution involved the use of a widely available media player."
The player costs about $100 USD depending on the area and is about the size of a standard Book of Mormon. It can plug into a TV, projector or monitor. A separate memory stick (about the size of a stick of gum) is required to play video. ?
Instead of waiting several weeks for conference, all a member needs to do is go to a home, Internet café, or business that has Internet access and download the conference sessions onto the memory stick. The videos are then copied onto as many memory sticks as are needed and delivered to meetinghouses with media player units. The stick plugs right into the media player and general conference is ready to go. The picture quality is amazing and as good as most satellite broadcasts.
Graham Walker, the technology manager for the Africa Southeast Area, said, "The device is very self-explanatory and simple. Documentation may be useful to some, but these devices are so simple, you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work it."
Impressed by the technology's low cost and ease of use, the Africa Southeast Area Presidency is doing a rollout of the technology which will affect 400 Church units in the area.
In Australia, the media device provided an opportunity for members in one remote stake in Newcastle, New South Wales (north of Sydney), to view general conference in their own chapels rather than traveling long distances to the stake center. The pilot, which was conducted in one remote meetinghouse, allowed two wards to view all sessions of conference the weekend after general conference. Not only was this a convenience for the members, but also a way for a growing stake to accommodate overflowing congregations in the stake center. Local leaders are very excited and willing to expand the use of this technology for future conference broadcasts.
Access to general conference video files is available through conference.lds.org or the Mormon Channel on iTunes. More information about implementing a similar solution for viewing general conference in your own stake can be found at mhtech.lds.org.
One of the best friendships the Church can make moving forward is with technology. It will bless Church members in incredible ways. In the April 2008 priesthood session of general conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, said, "This conference is being translated into 92 languages and broadcast to 96 countries by the miracle of modern technology. Many of you brethren attend general conference by means of the Internet. New technologies such as this make it possible for the gospel message to be spread throughout the world. The Church websites are good examples of how you can use this technology as a wonderful resource of inspiration, help, and learning. They can be a blessing for you priesthood holders, your families, and the Church."
