vMix Reference Systems vs. WorshipMetrics Livestream Systems: What's Different for Churches

Two kinds of tested system

If you’ve shopped for a church streaming computer, you may have run into vMix Reference Systems. vMix, the live production software many churches use, publishes them. WorshipMetrics has Livestream Systems. Both are tested starting points, sometimes called reference designs, and they’re closely related, but they do different jobs.

In short: vMix publishes a tested parts list for any live production. We build a tested Sunday system for churches, starting from that kind of tested hardware.

What vMix Reference Systems are

As of October 2026, vMix’s reference systems page describes them as recommended specifications for building a custom live production computer. There are five models:

vMix model	What it is	Camera inputs (roughly)
Sapphire	16-inch gaming laptop plus external capture	4 HD
Opal	Desktop, Core Ultra 5, entry graphics card	4 HD
Ruby	Desktop, Core Ultra 5, RTX 5060 Ti	8 HD, 4-camera instant replay
Topaz	Desktop, Core Ultra 7, RTX 5070 Ti, 64GB	8 HD or 4 4K, 8-camera replay
Obtanium	Server-class, Xeon W, up to three capture cards	24 HD or 6 4K

The parts are, in vMix’s words, components it has tested and verified for vMix, and you can swap parts to suit your needs. Capture options include Magewell, Blackmagic and AJA cards. You take the spec to a vMix reseller or system builder, who builds and prices it.

That’s genuinely useful. vMix knows what its software needs, and a reference spec takes the guesswork out of buying a production computer. We start from the same kind of tested hardware.

What a church needs on top of the computer

A church isn’t a TV truck or an esports studio. A few things are different:

• The operator is usually a volunteer, often a different one each week.
• The system runs once or twice a week, so a surprise Windows update or a forgotten setting can sit unnoticed until Sunday morning.
• The room matters as much as the stream: projectors, IMAG screens, lobby TVs and overflow rooms all need video too.
• The budget is shared with everything else in ministry, and there’s often equipment that’s still good.
• Help has to be reachable on Sunday morning, not just on weekdays.

A spec sheet can’t cover those. That’s the layer our Livestream Systems add.

Side by side

	vMix Reference Systems	WorshipMetrics Livestream Systems
What you get	A tested parts list	A built, tested system, or the parts list if you’d rather build it
Who it’s for	Any live production	Churches, sized by seats, cameras and volunteers
Form factor	Laptop, desktops, server	4U rackmount for the booth rack
Windows	Windows 11	Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC: security fixes, no surprise feature updates
Software	vMix	OBS and vMix installed and tuned; the Good tier runs free OBS out of the box
Capture	Magewell, Blackmagic or AJA	Magewell, chosen for 24/7 operation and support across nearly every app
Room outputs	Depends on the build	Planned in: IMAG, confidence monitors, lobby and overflow (Better and Best)
Monitoring	Not included	WorshipMetrics monitoring: temperatures, dropped frames, stream status, alerts to your phone
Testing	Parts verified for vMix	Installed, tuned and burned in under a real multi-camera load before it ships
Warranty	From your builder	3 years; advance replacement on Better and Best
Prices	From your builder	Published reference prices, so you can plan
Cameras	Not included	Not included; PTZ cameras are a suggested add-on, quoted in your consultation
Your existing gear	Up to you	A free consultation that maps what you have and reuses what works

How the tiers line up

Roughly speaking:

• Essentials (Good) sits between vMix’s Opal and Ruby: Core Ultra 5, RTX 5060, 32GB, and a Magewell Pro Capture Quad for up to 4 cameras. It’s sized for 100 to 400 seats and one volunteer, and it runs free OBS so a small church doesn’t have to buy vMix on day one.
• Studio (Better) lines up with Topaz: Core Ultra 7, RTX 5070 Ti, 64GB, 8 Magewell SDI inputs, instant replay, and outputs for IMAG and confidence monitors.
• Broadcast (Best) is in Obtanium territory: Xeon W, error-correcting memory, 4K SDI, dual 10GbE and built-in remote management, so our team can restart or repair it without a site visit.

See the full specs and reference prices on the Livestream Systems page, and how every part connects in the wiring diagram.

Which should your church choose?

Choose a vMix Reference System if you have an experienced tech director, you’re committed to vMix, you have a builder you trust, and you’re comfortable owning setup, updates and support yourselves.

Choose a WorshipMetrics Livestream System if you want the whole Sunday system thought through: built for a rack, locked down, monitored, under warranty, and planned around the gear you already own. Or if you’d like to start on OBS and grow into vMix later.

Either way, the best first step is the same: write down what you already have. Our map-your-system checklist takes a few minutes, and it’s the best way to get the best price, because we can reuse what still works and only quote what’s missing. (See how to map your church AV system before a consultation.)

Related reading

• Good, Better or Best: which church livestreaming system fits?
• What’s the best computer for church livestreaming?
• The complete vMix guide for churches