SongShow Plus

Kitchen sink presentation softwarer

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.

An Industry Pioneer

Kommentare: I used SSP weekly to both plan and execute up to 4 church worship gatherings. It was used to display song lyrics, informational slides, presentation notes/points and audio/video elements to a gathering of up to 200 people.

Vorteile:

I purchased SSP for my organization when it first came out and I have to say it was cutting edge for its time. I love that it is built from the ground up for churches and worship environments. It made managing service planning and database information much easier.

Nachteile:

Although it was cutting edge initially, I feel that the software has not kept pace with industry shifts over the years. Specifically as standard resolutions, frame rates, and aspect ratios have changed.

As easy as pressing plus

Kommentare: Having used SongShow Plus for more than 20 years, it has always met the requirements for what we aimed to use it for. The library of hymns that come with it is a nice feature and it means you don't have to find the lyrics elsewhere . It is very easy to choose or change the verse order and it has a wide range of filters that can be applied to videos in order to change the look or make them more interesting.

Vorteile:

What makes SongShow Plus a great product to use for presentations during worship services is the fact that it can literally be as easy for the operator as simply pressing the plus button on a keyboard. With some initial training, for which sufficient training videos are available, someone can set up or program the whole service in advance (the songs and lyrics and videos) which allows any volunteer to advance through each element by pressing plus on the keyboard. It also integrates well with a simple remote control that enables someone in the front to do the same without having anyone at the computer. I have done this countless times by simply pressing a button to move a step forward or back. With the free workstation license, you are also able to create the whole service on a computer at your home, export it, and import it via a built in cloud option on the computer used for the projection.

Nachteile:

For someone who is used to working with Power Point, the slide show creator that is part of the SongShow Plus software is somewhat less user friendly and more quirky in comparison. SongShow Plus does have the ability to import Power Point presentations, but the integration is not always seamless and often with a loss of certain functionality that would be available in Power Point itself. In addition, the different tiers of customer support is a negative. For an additional amount one can get customer support over the weekend. I feel for the price of the program, the same support should be available to all users.

SSP is still popular for a reason

Vorteile:

We've used SSP for years and years at our church. Worship lyrics, sermon notes, scriptures, videos, etc all go through SongShow. There's a ton of templates and extremely user friendly.

Nachteile:

Although our church staff all love it, it's starting to show it's age. Some aspect ratios and video file types don't work well with SSP.

Works Well Running on Windows

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).