Montague Community Cable is attempting to buy a building to house our offices and studio. We're excited about the prospect, and look to the PEG community for advice.
(1) Who would you hire if you were to hire someone as a designer of your new studio
(2) Is this something that could be done collaboratively, with common sense and tested ideas already obvious to this community?
Here's a document you can look at if you're interested. We have thrown together a draft floorplan that we already know isn't good, in that the control room, edit room and equipment rooms are accessed through the studio itself. That's obviously a no-no.
Hi all, We have just (2 weeks ago) installed our new HD server and are wondering who else has one. We are having issues with the server freezing up in transition from one audio codecs to another PCM, MP2 & AC3, we got rid of all PCM files and have tries normalizing other audio but are still having playback issues with the hand-off.
Has anyone had this issue? If so how did you fix it?
Thanks,
Caroline Cunningham
Wilbraham Public Access
This year MCTV will try to broadcast the Montague Soapbox Derby live. We have some technical issues to over come, such as being about 3000 feet away from the closest transmission point. We have someone from Comcast checking out the site tomorrow. I'm sure he's going to confirm the need for a microwave dish, which we do not have. Anyone out there have something that could help?
For those who are hooked into the Turners Falls Industrial Park head-end, we are looking into making the live broadcast available to your subscribers. If this year goes well, we are looking to expand transmission possibilities for next year.
More info on the race here, if you want to put up a slide or two. The event is a fundraiser for MCTV.
Although many of you have lots of this kind of stuff you're trying to get rid of MCTV has the following equipment to give away:
-leightronics Mini T Pro, and Mini T Net (both with remote machine interface)
-lots of SVHS decks
-a couple of very big (old fashioned) working monitors
1.We are using a Leightronix Nexus video server
2.We have a high-speed internet connection and regularly download programs from PEGmedia.org and others
3.We are certainly open to receiving programs from other stations, we would just need to get a sponsor from a resident/person who works or goes to school in SH/organization that serves the SH community
1. We have a Tightrope Server
2. We can download programming with a cable business connection
3. Outside shows need to be sponsored by an Athol or Orange resident. However, we will air programming from other centers that are beneficial to our viewers.
Wilbraham:
1. We have a TelVue/Princeton Server
2. We have a cable business connection (2meg)
3. We also allow outside shows as long as the show is sponsored by a WPA member (anyone can become a WPA member)
I believe that anyone who is a MassAccess member can use the TelVue Sharing server but there are questions of cost in the future. - (Al, is that still the case?)
1. Use a Leightronix Nexus video server
2. Have a high speed internet connection
3. Allow shows produced outside the community. Producers must become members of NCTV and sponsor those shows or have a different member sponsor them.
Is there any interest in setting up a Western Mass FTP server? This could be a members-only service (likely an annual fee to help pay for the server costs) with a few terabytes of storage for e-bicycling interesting local programs.
I know that TelVue has an FTP server and each customer has a folder, but the folders aren't organized by state, and I don't think everyone in western Mass is a TelVue customer.
Anyway, it was just a thought I had. Perhaps something already exists and this is a moot point.
And just to be clear, even though I did set up this WesternMassAccess.net website, I do not have the ability to host such an FTP server. This is not a business interest question. I'm merely interested in sharing programming via the net.
I have figured out a pretty exciting means to take the output of your analog or SD-SDI studio AND any remote location drops that you have. The process is reasonably priced and easy to use. it involves an analog to MPEG2 recording device that contains a 1 TB hard drive and an external matrix switcher. The workflow will allow the user to record their analog source to MPEG2, which is the format used in ALL of the current crop of digital playback servers (Leightronics, TelVue, MaestroVision and Tightrope) and will allow the user to control their recording process from any internet-capable computer or smart-phone. This is NOT a one box solution, but one that I have developed using components already on the market.
This system is the answer for many PEG stations who currently have to two or three-step their productions before they can get them into their playback servers. The beauty of the system is that it produces DVD quality recordings that can be routed directly to your playback server via drag-and-drop from any computer, PC or MAC, on your network. The system is also NLE friendly, so, if your NLE can import and render MPEG2 files, you can move the recorded program directly to your NLE for editing, or route it to your playback server for immediate playback.
The system has advanced scheduling software that will allow immediate one-button recording if you desire, or will schedule recordings from whatever source that you choose up to one year in advance. The recorder software also allows editing stop and start times to trim early start times, and late program endings. Because the system can be remotely controlled via an internet browser, the operator can choose their start times on the fly and can also extend a programmed recording if a live program runs long, or end it early manually if so desired.
In addition to simply recording in-studio productions, the system can also easily record any location-drop production that is routed through your playback chain, so you can record public meetings, school productions, satellite feeds or any other programs that are routed through your facility. Because the user interface is an internet- accessible web page, it can be remotely controlled and scheduled by any computer or smart-phone from any location that has internet access.
If anyone is interested in learning more about this process, please let me know, and I will be happy to explain it in detail to you.
Who out there is using a satellite dish for programming? If you are, are you using one dish or two? Are you retuning your dish to different satellites for different programs? If so what stations and how (equipment)?
