Decide where the channel will run
Owning racks, renting capacity or using a managed service: each shifts cost, control and workload in a different way.
Three ways to run a channel
| Compare | Own the equipment | Rent capacity yourself | Managed service |
|---|---|---|---|
| You buy | Servers, cards, routing and spares | Nothing physical; you pay for rented capacity | A service, scoped to your channel |
| You operate | Everything, including repairs | The software, the monitoring and the fixes | The programming and the schedule |
| Good fit | A large estate with years of service left | A team with its own engineers and time | Small crews and groups that want to focus on content |
| Watch for | Cost, space and aging parts | Hidden workload; the cloud still needs looking after | Agree who does what before you start |
Omni Cloud Engine is our managed option. See what it covers.
Who looks after what
You look after everything
You run the machines and the software. Maximum control, maximum work.
You run the channel, they run the machines
Your team handles scheduling and content while a supplier looks after infrastructure.
They run it with you
A managed service where you steer from a browser and people on the supplier side look after the rest.
Virtual machines in a machine room of your own are not the same as cloud services. They help with efficiency but you still house, power and repair the hardware beneath them.
When another set-up fits better
Hosting does not suit everybody. If you recently paid for a large estate of equipment with years of service left, a hybrid arrangement may serve you better. If your sources are baseband video in one building with no dependable upstream link, the path out of that building needs attention first.
We will tell you plainly if another approach fits better.
Starting small is allowed. Many networks begin with one channel and a limited library, then add channels, live shows and revenue models as the audience grows. Because you pay for a service and not for equipment, the growth path stays open.