January, 2013 | TvStartup Inc.

Start a TV Channel – Learn the Basics

Okay so now you and your team have decided that you want to start your own TV station. Maybe you are thinking “What do we do next”? How do we proceed? Well starting a TV channel is a general term. In this article I am just going to focus on the basics. However feel free to browse our site to learn more. We specialize in this field and have helped companies from around the world start their own channels. You may browse our site by clicking here.

So now that you decided to start your TV channel what are your goals. What is your targeted geographical area. I commonly ask this question; Where do you want to broadcast from? and Where do you want to broadcast too? Do you want the ability to broadcast live? Seems like simple questions but the answers help get the ball rolling. You need solid answers to this. If you are considering starting in London, or lets say Ghana you have a serious decisions to make. Many of our clients have been undecided on choosing between two locations to set up their channel. So if you want to start making your plans solid start making some solid decisions so that you can have the foundation for your channel.

Download our Free Ebook on how to start your own TV station to learn more now.

For this article I am going to discuss satellite TV. Although we help setup Internet TV, Terrestrial broadcast, and Cable Television Satellite TV seems to be the most popular choice as it reaches a large area for a much cheaper price. So I am sure you are thinking what are the next steps? You have decided on your location, you have decided where you want to broadcast from and broadcast too. You have decided you want to broadcast live. Next you need to decide if you are need the ability to produce your own video content or if you are going to purchase the rights. Most channels do a combination of both. If you are going to produce your own content this is an entirely separate subject that can be a lengthy discussion. However in short you need to know what type of content you want to produce so that you can effectively decide on the type of production studio you need. For example if you are only wanting to produce cartoons then it is obvious that you do not need a NEWS studio set or ANY set. Instead you would need a graphics and animation team. However if you are doing talk shows, sport shows, or NEWS you would need a production studio with sets, and maybe even a solid tricaster for virtual sets. Next you need to decide on the type of look and feel that you want your channel to have. If you really want a Professional American look and feel to your channel then you need to be careful to select the right equipment and the right people to run the equipment.

If you decided you want the ability to broadcast LIVE then you have several options. A satellite up link ( I believe is to expensive and outdated), point to point fiber, and smart cloud internet technology (which I plan to discuss in another article, as I feel this is the best method to deliver a Live feed). Assembling a TV channel is a methodical process of combining several factors. As you can see from this article the process starts by making solid decisions and then building upon those decisions to build your channel. I always suggest using a professional and you can feel free to contact us if you would like our team to set up your channel the way you envision it. We can save you a lot of time and money because we know what short cuts can be taken an which to avoid.Click here to contact us.

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How To Start a Satellite TV Channel – What Equipment is Needed

With millions of people tuning in to watch TV through satellite it is easy to understand why many companies and individuals are trying to start their own Satellite TV channel. It is an exciting opportunity for start up channels because they have instant access to millions of potential viewers already tuned in to satellite. So what are the steps involved? Well there are many different aspects; from choosing the right satellite (check out our blog article on how to choose the right satellite), choosing a production studio, choosing the correct video servers, and choosing the equipment to deliver your live feed from your studio to the satellite up-link. However in this article we are going to focus on choosing a video server and the equipment to deliver your live feed.

Let’s first discuss your video server (AKA playout). A video server is what schedules your videos. In other words you may load your video server with 500 hours of prerecorded content to broadcast on satellite. You then arrange the content in the order you want them to play. This is what is knows as a playlist. This playlist could be scheduled months in advance and contains your commercial inserts. Things that need to be considered when building and choosing a video server are; Will I need the ability to switch to a live broadcast from my studio? Will I need the ability to layer graphics over a live or prerecorded broadcast (example: Stock quotes, sports scores, scrolling marques and more). Do I want my channel to look as professional as possible? All of these factors need to be determined in order to choose the correct video server. The more features you want the more powerful it needs to be. Consider the video server the “core” of your satellite TV channel.

Download our Free Ebook on how to start your own Satellite TV station to learn more now.

So what other equipment do you need to consider to start your satellite TV channel? Well for one you need to decide how are you going to get your live feed from your studio to the up link station. There are several methods; Build a satellite up link (in excess of 100,000 USD), Install private fiber between two locations, or use high speed internet with a video over internet box. Although many channels around the world are still building up links I consider it out-dated and to expensive. The method I prefer the most is a 2Mb dedicated (upload) internet connection and video over internet box. This method is the same method that FOX NEWS , the NFL channel, and others around the world are beginning to use. There are companies that specialize in this method. Let me give you an example of how it works. Your live or prerecorded video feed is coming out the output of your video server and into the input of a encoder, and out the encoder into the input of a one of these little internet Video boxes. There is a box on the sending end and a box on the receiving end. These little boxes manage the video signal in real time and find the least congested internet path to deliver the live video feed. It uses smart cloud technology that allow the recovery of lost data packages to be recovered immediately. This ensures a clean, clear, and professional delivery of your video signal. The cost is much cheaper than spending hundreds of thousands on a satellite up link.

I would suggestion using professionals to set up your channel to avoid pitfalls. You can waste tens of thousands of dollars on using the wrong techniques if you are not familiar with what you are doing. Our services can help you start a satellite TV channel and avoid loosing money and wasting time. We have setup channels around the world on just about every major satellite. Feel free to browse our site or view our information on a satellite TV channel by clicking here.You may also fill our our contact form.

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Start a Internet TV Station – Developing Your Play list

Starting an Internet TV station can be both fun and exciting. With millions of people online looking for videos it is easy to see why Internet TV is exploding and is the video distribution platform of the future. However what is important to keep in mind is your Internet TV station is not a station without content. It is just a platform to distribute your videos or your content.

So let’s talk about the different broadcasting aspects of your Internet TV station. You have prerecorded video (streaming), Video on Demand , and live broadcasting. Lets us first talk about streaming. This is where many people get confused because they really do not know what streaming means. When referring to streaming we are speaking of the ability to stream several “prerecorded” videos together to make a “stream” or a TV channel if you will. In satellite and cable they call this a “linear” channel. It is a internet TV channel that has a schedule and resembles a standard TV channel that you might receive on a satellite or cable subscription.

So how is your streaming channel setup? Well if you purchased a Internet TV channel from us then you have a few options. However it all boils down to one simple concept. You need to upload your videos to your site (or our server) and then arrange them in the order you want them to play. This is called a “Play list”. Once you create your play list your videos will then play in the order you arranged them on your Internet TV site. Once the play list is finished it then automatically “loops” and begins to play again. This way you always have your streaming channel playing. You can always add or take away videos or re arrange your play list.

Lets now talk about “live” broadcasting onto your site. This is by far one of the questions I get asked the most. However let us discuss the particulars. For example if you want to broadcast live onto your site then you have to decide if you will take down your steaming feed (your prerecorded play list) and then broadcast your live feed into your main video player. You could also decide to have a separate page for live broadcasts and when broadcasting live you could indicate it on your home page with something like “Live broadcast in progress click here to join”. Either way the live broadcasts are configured in your admin panel. If you bought a Internet TV package through us then this is already available in your admin panel and was configured the way you wanted it when it was purchased.

Download our Free Ebook on how to start your own Internet TV station to learn more now.

Video on Demand is what I refer to as “archived videos”. YouTube is a great example of video on demand because none of the videos are “live”. In other words these are videos that are not streaming on your main page and they are not live. These could be old videos that you streamed in the past but are now storing on your site as a archived video. You could have a separate page for video on demand or you could have your archived videos under your main player or on the left or right hand side of your home page (with thumbnail icons). Video on demand videos are also uploaded through your admin panel where you can add a description and place it where you want in your video on demand list.

Feel free to visit our site or you can view our Internet TV packages by clicking here. We provide turn-key ready to use Internet TV packages. No need for any technical skills. We will teach you how to use it.

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Start a Satellite TV Station – How To Choose The Right Satellite

If you read our site and some of our other blog posts you may find we talk quite a bit about the different techniques and strategies necessary to start a satellite TV channel. We talk about signal delivery, studio setup, video servers and several other issues. However one thing we have not discussed much about is what satellite or satellites should you broadcast on? This is indeed a question some people put no thought into while others put this as their number one priority.

If you already know what satellite you want to broadcast on and you are sure of your market potential then this article may do you little benefit. However if you are unsure or you are broadcasting to a country or countries that you are not familiar with then you need to keep a few facts in mind.

The first and foremost (and the most obvious) in your mind will be the geographical area (or better known as the satellite footprint) that the satellite covers. Most satellite footprints cover several countries or entire continents. However as impressive as a satellite footprint might sound it means nothing if there are not antennas tuned in to that satellite. In other words you can reach a entire continent but if there are no dishes (receivers/subscribers) pointed at that particular satellite then your effort is in vain. You may get a lower monthly rate for your satellite channel but how does that help if know one is watching? Church’s fall victim to this the most as they get sold on reaching a huge continent or area (for example Asia, or Europe or Africa) and are convinced to into signing a long term contract for a lower monthly price only to find out very few households actually are tuned in to that particular satellite.

Choosing a satellite depends on several factors.

One – The most single most important factor is how many people have antennas (dishes) pointed at that particular satellite? The more popular a satellite is the more it costs to broadcast on. A satellite reaching 1 million viewers will be much cheaper than one reaching 40 million.

Two – Is your channel a FTA channel? FTA stands for “Free to Air”. Do not let that confuse you as meaning free for you to broadcast. What it means is free for your viewers to see the channel without paying a subscription fee. Or are you going to charge a subscription fee for your channel? If there is a subscriptions fee some satellites may serve the purpose better than others.

Download our Free Ebook on how to start your own Satellite TV station to learn more now.

Three – Your budget. If you have a low budget then your options may be limited and you may have to make sacrifices to fit your budget. Although I never recommend broadcasting on a satellite with few viewers other techniques can be applied to lower the monthly fees. Some of these techniques deal with the compression of the video on the satellite transponder instead of using a fixed bit rate (Okay if that sounds confusing do not worry we can help you understand it easier). Pricing is always based on the amount of bandwidth you purchase. The more bandwidth the better quality of picture you have broadcasting to your viewers.

Keep these three points in mind. If you have questions or you want to avail of our professional services please feel free to contact us or browse our site by clicking here.

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How to Start a Internet TV Channel – Getting Started

Interested in starting your own internet TV station? Do you have unanswered questions and have no clue how to go about doing it? Well it is understandable to have questions. Starting a Internet TV station can be confusing if you do not know how it works. I am going to try to break it down as simple as possible to help you understand it.

Lets talk about the many different components of Internet TV. We will first begin by discussing the actual site itself. Like most websites there is a front end and a back end. A front end is what your visitors see when they go to your website. This includes your design your text and information and whatever links and navigation bar you have. The back end is your admin panel in which you can control what content, pictures and articles that are listed on your website. This is also called a CMS or “Content Management System”. You have probably heard of CMS before. Example of widely used CMS systems would be Word-press or Joomla.

So now that we have laid the foundation for a standard website lets talk about a internet TV site. Like any website you have a back-end and a front end. On a internet TV site you also need the ability upload prerecorded videos, and schedule them for play out onto your website. This is what I call a scheduling module. This can be programmed to be added to your CMS or back-end admin panel. This will now allow you to upload videos and create a play-list in the order that you want each video to play. You can then insert commercials or do whatever you need. This play-list is what will play-out onto your Internet TV site. It can also be tailored to allow live broadcast onto your website.

Next lets talk about archived videos or “video on demand” as many people call it. There are several options for video on demand such as to have your own video on demand page or to place the videos under the main streaming video player as thumbnails. This can be where you display past videos. Again it is important to have your CMS setup to handle these features.

Download our Free Ebook on how to start your own Internet TV station to learn more now.

Now lets talk about bandwidth. If you have your own shared hosting account and you have several hundred or even thousands of viewers your shared hosting company will probably cancel your account. The reason is because even if they claim “unlimited bandwidth” they really don’t mean “unlimited”. Video takes quite a bit of bandwidth and they will be quick to cancel you once your video begins to slow down their servers. The answer? Either have your own server (which you can rent from a hosting company usually for about $50-100/month) or use a CDN (contend delivery network). A CDN will allow you to upload and create play lists on their server and then give you a embed code to place in your CMS. What does this do? Well now when your viewers go to your website and watch your video they bandwidth will come from your CDN and not your hosting company. This allows you to stay in full control of your website without your viewers sucking down your bandwidth from your shared hosting account.

If you are not a programmer or a professional web designer we can help you get started. We have set up turn-key packages with low monthly fees. Feel free to take a look at our packages that we have available that should fit most any budget. You can check them out by clicking here .

For more reading see How to start a satellite tv channel

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