SongShow Plus

Kommentare: Have used it since the mid-2000s every week. It gets the job done. We rely on it to produce a service where technical glitches do not distract from worship. Apart from the video issues which we are still troubleshooting, it's a workhorse.

Vorteile: If I need it in our church service, Songshow can do it. It may not always be obvious or handy, but the capability is there. Song lyrics, picture and video backgrounds, Bible quotations, video projection, Powerpoint, multi-screen handling, we use it all. We create programs for upcoming services and use them at practice, making mods as we go. Updating lyrics, reordering songs and announcements, importing slideshows and videos are all fairly straightforward. The software is reliable, the only problems we have had during a service were network or media related, not SSP itself.

Nachteile: The display is almost infinitely customizable, but finding the setting you want can be difficult. We have had problems with stuttering and freeze-ups when projecting video, but we're not sure if it's the program or the network. Normally the database is on a file server connected by Gigabit ethernet. Video projection improved when we moved the database to a local drive, but then we can't share it among presentation workstations.

Kommentare: I recommend for Windows users if your budget allows. If on a Mac, try the trials of native Mac software.

Vorteile: This is a great way to stay organized and quickly change slides to the correct verse when you make a mistake. Powerpoint integration is also nice. Being able to backup is important. I also like being able to setup a sequence of the different verses, bridges, choruses, etc. so you can practice with the band and figure out the correct order. There are plenty of background options though black with white letters is always the most readable. Sometimes I would add snowflakes.

Nachteile: I wish it ran native on a Mac. Our church has to run VMWare Fusion in order to use this software. Also exporting to additional formats would be nice for if you ever switch applications (have not tried the latest version of this software, so exporting may be improved).