Telescope Reviews: Fast & Easy who's online right now on Sky Channels

Sorry I can’t keep it short.

History:

When this started only a few broadcasters was signed up on the quick preview page, www.skychannels.org. So it was easy to see all channels on one page and find the ones broadcasting. Later, when more channels signed on, I had to make several pages to browse through, if you want to look for channels that is was broadcasting.

When even more channels signed on and people started having 2 or 3 channels, I also had to make some selections possible.

Finally a calendar was introduced, but it seems that it is difficult to use it or people can’t predict a broadcast in advanced.

Right now, more than one thousand people are looking to see if someone is broadcasting every day on skychannels.org – If you want to show the universe through your telescope, public out-reach or do joint observing, this great idea is the way to go.

Who is planning to broadcast: Use the Calendar.
The calendar still remains and if you want to announce a broadcast in advance, it is a very good idea to use it. It works across time zones, and I know HUNDREDS of people are looking at it every day, from my statistics.

So if you want other people to tune in on your broadcast and you know in advance when you will be broadcasting this is the way to go.

It’s fairly easy to use, and it is allowed to cancel in the last minute if something comes up and you don’t have to be precise on the clock.

If you want to do some astronomy out-reach I think this calendar is the way to go.

To get access to calendar please contact Neil Horne or me either with a PM or skychannels@nightsky.dk

Problem: Who is broadcasting right now?
From what I read here on CN and Sky Channels Lounge, it is very difficult to see who is broadcasting. This is also the case for me. You have to browse through several pages and look at small windows.

So over the last few weeks I’ve been working on some kind of solution.

One solution is to use the functions (API) of Yahoo and Ustream so the quick view page automatically shows the channels that are broadcasting right now. I tested how it would work, and I do not think this is the way to go.

Some of the problems with this method are:
Test broadcasts, music broadcasts, web-cam broadcasts, re-runs and maybe even broadcasters that don’t wants to announce a broadcast.
There maybe also be persons that wants to broadcast in other ways than using Ustream or Yahoo, I’ll bet something better will show up in the future.

So my solution is:

Get a personal page where you in 2-3 secs. can tell which channel your are broadcasting on right now.

As broadcaster you have to:
When you are ready to broadcast simply click “On-line now on Channel” and within 60 secs. the quick preview page will show your channel as online and show a live miniature of your broadcast.

The same thing when you stop broadcasting, simply click on the same personal page that you are “Not broadcasting” and your channel will disappear from the quick preview page.

This solution only works if YOU want to tell the world that you are broadcasting.

To get the address of your personal On/Off line page send me an e-mail on skychannels@nightsky.dk or use the PM here.

Bottom line – It will only take you 10 seconds extra during a broadcast to give the viewers this service.

Viewers have to:

Nothing. Information is automatically sent to the quick preview page every 60 second and the page automatically shows you which channels are broadcasting. It’s that easy.

They only have to know the address: www.skychannels.org

All the other functions on the quick preview page are still working, but if a person doesn’t change the preview selections in 60 seconds, it automatically jumps to on-line channels. (If no channel is broadcasting it just shows the channels as normal)

TEST:
To demonstrate this functionality I’ve turned two channels on-line right now, even though they are not broadcasting.
I can’t test this with-out going live with it. There no way I can simulate 200-300 on-line viewers on the quick preview page. So please write is there anything problems.

Edited by ZielkeNightsky (04/10/08 05:47 PM)