Colombia. For some years now, churches and houses of worship have chosen to implement solutions offered by the audiovisual industry to bring their message of faith to all their faithful and followers. This trend has accelerated during this year due to the pandemic.
The Colombian integrator Mastertek has implemented during the last months several audiovisual solutions in churches as diverse as the chapel of a cemetery, local temples and even a basilica that has a large number of devotees. AVI Latin America spoke with Boris Díaz, manager of Mastertek, who told some details about the possibilities of the industry in this segment:
AVI: How has AV technology helped people and churches and houses of worship keep the faith during the pandemic?
Boris Diaz: The restrictions that have been generated with the protection measures as a result of the pandemic, have highlighted a series of needs that were not previously explicit, AV technology has made this adaptation possible, allowing churches to continue with their work while people have the opportunity not only to attend ceremonies and services virtually, but also in case of not being able to attend at the moment, it gives them the option of being able to access these contents later, repeat them to reinforce a message or share them with their family and friends.
AVI: What kind of solutions are churches and houses of worship looking for to keep in touch with their faithful?
Boris Diaz: They look for solutions that offer them the possibility that instead of people attending church, it is the message of the church that reaches each of them wherever they are, in a dynamic and timely manner, maintaining the same days and times dedicated to that purpose. This has opened up a number of possibilities for churches, giving them the opportunity to segment their audience and massively reach many more people.
AVI: How has the appropriation of technology been within the churches? Have they required training to operate the installed equipment and systems?
Boris Diaz: One of the main pillars of Mastertek is the transfer of knowledge, for this reason all the solutions we offer are accompanied by a correct technological management, ensuring that the client, in this case the churches, manage to get the most out of their implementations. We accompany them from the identification of their particular needs to the installation, commissioning and training, making the results immediately evident.
AVI: Tell us details of some projects in which Mastertek has participated in churches and houses of worship during these months of pandemic.
Boris Diaz: During this year we have had the opportunity to develop numerous projects, finding cases with reference churches such as the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá who adopted solutions with robotic cameras and switcher with HDBaseT technology, the Novitiate of San Pablo in Medellín with a combination of robotic cameras and reporting cameras, the María Madre Admirable parish in Medellín with ENG cameras and the parish of the Campos de Paz cemetery also in Medellín who have also opted for PTZ type cameras and who from the first day have made the most of their implementations.
In the same way, we have supported the processes of video production and streaming in Christian churches of Bello, Piedecuesta and Pereira, among others, to whom we offer our permanent accompaniment and provide solutions that cover their specific needs.
