Looking for an Obitus Alternative? A More Flexible Way to Stream a Funeral
If you have been arranging a funeral, your crematorium or funeral director may have offered you a webcast through a system like Obitus or Wesley Media. These are fixed cameras installed at the venue, and for a simple chapel service they do a perfectly reasonable job.
But many families come to me because they have been offered exactly that and found themselves wondering: is a single fixed camera really enough? If that is you, here is an honest look at the alternative.
What the built-in webcast does — and doesn't
A fixed system like Obitus streams from one camera, in one position, showing a set view of the front of the chapel. It is unmanned, it only works in the room where it is installed, the recording is usually available to watch again for around 28 days, and it is booked through your funeral director.
For a short, single-venue crematorium service, that may be all you need — and if so, I will happily tell you so. But it has clear limits: one angle, one room, no one there to make sure it all goes smoothly on the day.
What I do differently
I'm Shaun, and rather than a fixed camera I attend the service in person and provide professional funeral live streaming, filming it properly wherever it takes place.
The biggest difference isn't really the technology — it's how it feels to watch. A built-in webcast camera is fixed in one position and set back from where everyone is gathered, giving a single, distant view of the front of the chapel. It is designed to show the coffin, the lectern and the front row, which means that from home you are largely looking at the backs of people's heads and only really see whoever happens to be speaking. It records that the service took place, but it rarely gives you the sense of actually being there in the room.
I work in a completely different way. Using up to four camera angles, I can frame the service properly and get nice and close in — to the person speaking, to the order of service, to the small, personal details and quiet moments that make the day what it is. Watching from home, your family abroad sees faces rather than the back of a room, follows the service the way someone sitting near the front would, and feels part of it rather than removed from it. It is creative, considered coverage in genuinely high quality, and it makes a real difference to the people who could not be there in person — often the very people the streaming is for.
It is also a far more complete record. Multiple angles mean I can capture the reading and the reaction to it, the wider room and the close detail, the music and the movement — rather than a single unchanging frame from the back. For families who want to look back on the day in years to come, that depth and detail matter enormously — it is the same storytelling care I bring to my funeral videography.
The real advantage of multiple angles, though, is that I can follow the service as it happens. Because I'm there directing it live, I can cut to whatever the moment calls for. When a family member speaking refers to their loved one, I can move to a gentle close shot of the coffin. When they mention someone sitting in the congregation, I can find that person. I can show the celebrant alone, then the celebrant beside the coffin, then pull wide to reveal just how many people have gathered. I can hold on the family as they carry their loved one down the aisle, on the congregation as they sing, on the hearse as it arrives outside. A single fixed camera simply points at one spot for the whole service, no matter what is being said or where the moment is — it can never respond. That responsiveness is the difference between a recording and a true record of the day.
As an Obitus alternative, that means:
Up to four camera angles, not one fixed and distant view
Close, well-framed coverage that captures faces, detail and emotion — not just the backs of heads and whoever is at the lectern
Cutting live to the moment — to a close shot of the coffin when a speaker mentions their loved one, to a face in the congregation when they're named, to a wide shot revealing how many have gathered — none of which a fixed camera can ever do
A real person (me) running the stream live, adapting to the service as it unfolds
A far better experience for those watching from home, who feel present rather than removed
Coverage anywhere — church, crematorium, graveside, natural and woodland burials, the family home or the wake
The whole day captured, including the hearse and cortège arriving outside and the committal in the open air — none of which a chapel camera can reach
Bonded internet for a stable, high-quality stream even where signal is weak
No fixed viewer limit, with services streamed worldwide
12 months of online hosting plus a downloadable copy to keep, rather than a short watch-again window
See the difference for yourself
Here are two real examples of my work — both showing coverage a single fixed camera could never have provided.
A three-camera Church of England service — Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria
The service above is a perfect illustration of why a fixed camera isn't always enough. The coffin was resting in a gated area set behind the speaking area — a spot most of the congregation in the church couldn't even see clearly, surrounded by a choir who sang throughout. A built-in chapel camera would simply have missed it. So I added a third camera dedicated entirely to that area, alongside a wide view of the room and a close angle on the celebrant. The result was that family and friends watching online could see the coffin, the choir and the full atmosphere of the farewell throughout — better, in some respects, than those sitting in the pews. It's a clear example of assessing a venue in advance and adapting the setup to the church, rather than being stuck with one fixed viewpoint.
A two-camera Catholic Mass — Denham, near Uxbridge
Below is a real example of my work: a Catholic funeral Mass I live streamed at the Church of the Most Holy Name in Denham, near Uxbridge, led on the day by Father Theo. Using a discreet two-camera setup, I covered the complete Mass — the readings, the personal tributes, communion, and a solo singer whose performance was exceptional — framing each part of the service properly rather than from a single distant angle.
Which is right for you?
It comes down to the service. A fixed webcast records that a service took place. A dedicated professional captures the service itself — fully, flexibly and in a way your family can treasure for years.
I have written a full, side-by-side breakdown here: Obitus & fixed crematorium webcasts vs professional funeral streaming.
Talk it through with me
If you have been offered a crematorium webcast and want to know whether it is enough for your family — or whether a professional service would be worth it — I am always happy to talk it through honestly.
Call or text me on 07772 509101, seven days a week, 9am to 10pm, or get in touch online. You can also explore my funeral live streaming service and streaming examples.
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