Using M³ at a Kingdom Hall
This guide will walk you through the process of downloading, installing, and setting up Meeting Media Manager (M³) at a Kingdom Hall. Follow the steps to ensure a smooth setup for managing media during congregation meetings.
1. Download and install
- Download the appropriate version for your operating system:
- Windows:
- For most Windows systems, download meeting-media-manager-[VERSION]-x64.exe.
- For older 32-bit Windows systems, download meeting-media-manager-[VERSION]-ia32.exe.
- macOS:
- M-series (Apple Silicon): Download meeting-media-manager-[VERSION]-arm64.dmg.
- Intel-based Macs: Download meeting-media-manager-[VERSION]-x64.dmg.
- Linux:
- Windows:
- If the download links do not work, visit the M³ download page and download the correct version manually.
- Open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install M³.
- Launch M³.
- Go through the configuration wizard.
macOS only: Additional installation steps
Warning
This section only applies to macOS users.
Due to Apple's security measures, a few additional steps are required to run the installed M³ app on modern macOS systems.
Run the following two commands in Terminal, modifying the path to M³ as needed:
codesign --force --deep --sign - "/Applications/Meeting Media Manager.app"
sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Meeting Media Manager.app"Warning
As a macOS user, you will need to follow these steps every time you install or update M³.
Explanation
The first command signs the application's code. This is required to prevent M³ from being detected as a malicious application from an unknown developer.
The second command removes the quarantine flag from the application. The quarantine flag is used to warn users about potentially malicious applications that have been downloaded from the internet.
Alternative method
If you are still unable to launch M³ after entering the two commands from the previous section, please try the following:
- Open the macOS system Privacy & Security settings.
- Find the entry for M³ and click the button to Open Anyway.
- You will then be warned again, and given the advice to not "open this unless you are certain it is from a trustworthy source." Click Open Anyway.
- Another warning will appear, where you’ll need to authenticate to launch the app.
- M³ should now launch successfully.
If you still have issues after following all these steps, please open an issue on GitHub. We will do our best to help.
macOS only: Re-enabling website presentation after updates
Warning
This section only applies to macOS users.
Some macOS users have reported that website presentation no longer works after installing updates to M³.
If the media window is black when presenting the website after updating M³, try the following steps:
- Open the macOS system Privacy & Security settings.
- Go to Screen Recording.
- Select M³ in the list.
- Click the
-(minus) button to remove it. - Click the
+(plus) button and select M³ from the Applications folder. - You may be prompted to relaunch M³ to apply the change.
After these steps, screen sharing should function as expected once again.
Tip
These steps are optional and can be skipped if you do not plan to use the website presentation feature. On the other hand, if you do plan to use the website presentation feature, it is recommended to follow these steps after every update to ensure the feature works as expected.
2. Configuration wizard
App display language
When launching M³ for the first time, you will be prompted to choose your preferred display language. Choose the language you want M³ to use for its interface.
Tip
This is does not have to be the same language as the one in which M³ will download media. The language for media downloads is configured in a later step.
Profile type
The next step is to choose a profile type. For a regular setup in a Kingdom Hall, choose Regular. This will configure many features that are commonly used for congregation meetings.
Warning
You should only choose Other if you are creating a profile for which no media should be automatically downloaded. Media will have to be manually imported for use in this profile. This type of profile is used mostly to use M³ during theocratic schools, assemblies, conventions and other special events.
The Other profile type is rarely used. For normal use during congregation meetings, please choose Regular.
Automatic congregation lookup
M³ can attempt to automatically find your congregation's meeting schedule, language, and formatted name.
To do so, use the Congregation Lookup button next to the congregation name field and enter at least part of the congregation's name and city.
Once the correct congregation is found and selected, M³ will prefill all available information, such as your congregation's name, meeting language, and meeting days and times.
Note
This lookup uses publicly available data from the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Manual entry of congregation information
If the automated lookup did not find your congregation, you can of course manually enter the required information. The wizard will allow you to review and/or enter your congregation's name, meeting language, and meeting days and times.
Caching videos from the songbook
You will also be given the option of caching all videos from the songbook. This option pre-downloads all the songbook videos, reducing the time it takes to fetch media for meetings in the future.
- Pros: Meeting media will be available much faster.
- Cons: The size of the media cache will increase significantly, by approximately 5GB.
Tip
If your Kingdom Hall has sufficient storage space, it’s recommended to enable this option for efficiency and perceived performance.
OBS Studio Integration Configuration (Optional)
If your Kingdom Hall uses OBS Studio for broadcasting hybrid meetings over Zoom, M³ can automatically integrate with that program. During setup, you can configure the integration with OBS Studio by entering the following:
- Port: The port number used to connect to the OBS Studio Websocket plugin.
- Password: The password used to connect to the OBS Studio Websocket plugin.
- Scenes: The OBS scenes that will be used during media presentations. You'll need one scene that captures the media window or screen, and one that shows the stage.
Tip
If your congregation regularly conducts hybrid meetings, it's highly recommended to enable the integration with OBS Studio.
3. Enjoy using M³
Once the setup wizard is complete, M³ is ready to help manage and present media for congregation meetings. Enjoy using the app! 🎉