I wish I had paid attention to this marvel sooner because it offers valuable knowledge at a very reasonable cost. I was always focused on college and the big leagues, and while that is the ultimate goal, this is here now and I can start tomorrow if I am so inclined. Anything high profile I can only dream about at the moment. So those of you, who have a local public access station, take advantage of what it has to offer.

Technorati Tags: Worcester Massachusetts, community media center, public access television, media center, programming, training programs, TV production, directing, producing, make your own show

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A business plan is nothing more than a written description of the future of one’s business; whether it is a start up or an established business. It includes business goals and how they will be accomplished; possible problems to be faced and how to solve them; and a description of business structure ranging from what goes where, to who does what. Also how much funding it will require to take off and keep going, until it breaks even and subsequently makes a profit. And, why it will succeed in its industry and under current market conditions.

A business plan has many uses that will allow you to run your business, or plan for a new business in an organized and efficient manner. It is very useful when looking for financing, whether from investors or lenders because it expresses your visions and intentions; to determine whether or not you can afford to rent space, hire help and buy equipment; or start slow in your home, with rented equipment, juggling all the work yourself. Also, when in the quest for partners, new hires or management teams because it highlights your business objectives and future projections as well as information about compensation and advancement. To develop relationships and alliances in the future based on where the business is projected to go; to valuate the business for tax, inheritance or divorce purposes and to expand by branching out into other markets or even industries.

Originally I thought that as long as all the objectives where covered, it did not matter how a plan could be written; professionalism notwithstanding. However there seems to be a standard or format when it comes to writing a one. There are three primary parts that a business plan must contain; Business Concept, in which you discuss your product or service, talk about the industry and market, your business outlook and plan to succeed. Marketplace Section, in which you point out your target audience or potential customers, explain who they are and why them, in particular. Also, discuss the competition and how you plan to raise above it. Finally, the Financial Section, where income, cash flow, profit projections and when, approximately, the business will break even, take center stage. These three parts can be broken down into seven key components, which will help to further organize the facts. These are:

• Executive Summary: a half page to full page statement that details your hopes and desires. It explains: Business Concept, which describes the product or service, its target market as well as point out who the competition is and how to be and remain competitive. Financial Features, points out the numbers; sales, revenues, profit, cash flow, etc… Financial Requirements, details the funds needed to start the business as well as how those funds will be used. Current Business Position, gives background information about the company. Explains about those involved; from heads to employees, as well as the company’s day to day operations. Major Achievements, explain achievements that are crucial to the success of the business. These include contracts, operation facilities, prototype, patents, etc… Do not beat around the bush, get right to the point. It is important that you come off as secure and decisive.
• Business Description: describes the industry, markets within that industry and anything significant that affect the business. Use current reliable data and cite your sources. In order for investors to risk their money, they will need to know that the information they are reading comes from reliable sources. Describe whether the business will offer products (Wholesale? Retail? Manufacturing?) Or services. Mention whether it is an established business or a new business and whether it is a partnership, corporation, LLC, etc… Mention who the personnel at its core are, and how they will be of benefit to the company. Then mention who your target audience is and how you plan to distribute to them. Finally, get specific about the product or service and explain how you will do things differently than your competitors and why it will work.
• Market Strategies: based on market conditions, the business has to be strategically positioned within that market so that it can garner as many sales as possible. This requires deep understanding of the target market, which, is obtained by conducting a market analysis. This analysis will provide all the needed information (Pricing, Growth Potential, etc…) to introduce the business to the market and allow it to be successful within all the competition.
• Competitive Analysis: analyze the competition to determine their strengths and weaknesses and based on that information, develop a plan of attack.
• Design and Development Plan: describes the product, its design, its development and its production as well as the budget that will be needed.
• Operations and Management Plan: explains how the business works day in and day out. Outlines the delegated responsibilities and the required capital and expense in order to keep things running like clockwork.
• Financial Factors: provide financial statements that show the company is afloat, can remain that way in the mean time and prosper as time passes. The statements are: Cash flow statement, Income statement and Balance sheet.

Also, a well prepared business plan must have a cover page and a table of contents.

A typical business plan is about fifteen to twenty pages in length, but it depends on the complexity of the business or whether a new kind of business or industry is planned. Also, the nature of the business and what kind of plan is being written determines its length. I myself do not have a preference, sometimes short and sweet can serve the same purpose as a drag out detailed plan. As long as all the information is included, then all is good. But there are four types of business plans that can be written; to me, they do not seem to be part of any specific rule that must be followed, although you would have to focus on a particular type depending on the circumstances.

• The Mini Plan: up to ten pages with the key basics such as business concept, financing needs, marketing plan, cash flow information and income projections. This type of plan serves as practice for a full length plan in the future, and works just fine for small scale proposals like bringing a partner on board or dealing with a small investor.
• The Working Plan: usually and regularly used as a reference guide to run a business. It must be well detailed but can be lacking in presentation. It does not include information and details an outside party, like a financial institution, might require; such as, illustrations and business terms.
• The Presentation Plan: a “Working Plan” with high class looks, for when dealing with third parties. Has standard business vocabulary, charts, graphs, illustrations and none of the slang or shorthand that is common at the workplace. Outside investors and potential business partners are not familiar with the operation you have got happening, so it has to be clear and detailed. It also has to include information required by that, whom you’re looking to be in business with as well as information about potential risks and the competition. It should be printed on high quality, maybe even glossy paper, in color and bound into an easy to handle booklet. Finally, the information presented must be exact; any error could be misinterpreted by one not directly involved in the business. This also goes for all other kinds of business plans.
• The Electronic Plan: all plans are made on computers, and then printed. An electronic plan remains in digital form; I would say, it is a “Presentation Plan” without the printing and binding. Since in digital form, The Electronic Plan can be used for presentations and to send to those who prefer to carry a digital file rather than a large booklet.

Since a business plan is part of a business from its conception to its implementation to its daily workings, it is important to keep it up to date. Updates to the plan, and in certain occasion changes, can be brought on by unexpected changes in the industry and/ or market, if the business reaches a major milestone, if there is new and innovative competition, changes in regulation or new management. You learn more and more every day, and after gaining some experience you may decide that you are able to write a better plan. Also, if looking for further financing, the figures have to be updated; although that is also necessary in order run the business day in and day out.

You may have to emphasize specific parts of the plan, depending on what you are looking to accomplish. If you want to requisition funding, then the financial aspects ranging from funds requested to projected growth rate, to ability to generate cash to service loans in the mean time, to how the business is going to make money, have to be addressed in great detail. If it is being used for hiring purposes, then among other things, compensation and opportunities for advancement have to take center stage. And so on; basically be really elaborate on the sections that relate directly to whom you are looking to do business with.

Before writing the plan, think about what you would like your business to be and what you want it to eventually become. As you think about those things, note the hurdles to be jumped and obstacles to be faced when it comes to accomplishing those goals. Nothing is insignificant enough to ignore or even set aside for later. Think of everything from starting out in your basement to expanding nationally or even globally. From the amount of work you’ll have to juggle on your own to the amount of employees you’ll need to delegate to. It is important to anticipate the size of your monetary needs, because the more financing you need, the more control or power you will have to relinquish. Some investors may want equal control or may want to have some input by placing someone on the board of directors. On the other hand, entities like banks keep away, as long as payments are made on a timely manner. Finally, never forget that obstacles are disguised opportunities.

In the next post in this series, I will focus on “Find & Secure Funding”. And I reiterate that this is a learning experience for me; I need all the help I can get. If anyone out there sees any inconsistencies or can offer information that I failed to mention, by all means step in, it will do nothing but help. I have started a thread about this in the forum, feel free to comment and offer your insights there, as well as on the comments section of this post.

Technorati Tags: video production, business plan, market conditions, run your business, plan for a new business, looking for financing, investors or lenders, rent space, hire help, buy equipment, rented equipment, partners, new hires, management teams, your business objectives, compensation, advancement, develop relationships and alliances, valuate the business, tax, inheritance, divorce, professionalism, Business Concept, discuss your product or service, talk about the industry and market, business outlook, Marketplace Section, target audience, potential customers, discuss the competition, Financial Section, income, cash flow, profit projections

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Technorati Tags: February 17, 2009, digital television transition, cable, satellite provider, digital TV, converter box, DTV transition, DTV2009.gov, TV converter Box Coupon Program, online coupon applications, Converter Box reseller

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This is extremely cool and advanced, but it makes me wonder what will happen to those of us who have home theater PCs. Will we be able to download extras elsewhere? Like a website we can visit or download directly with some kind of application that pops up when a disc is inserted in the disc drive? Why not include these features in the home video release? I would hate to buy a special edition film and find out that half the stuff has to be downloaded. What do you think?

Technorati Tags: Sony, Blu-Ray, BD-Live, home theater PC

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This is a glimpse at what Metallica’s ninth album, tentatively due in the spring of 2008, might sound like. Personally I think this is an excellent song. They nicknamed it “The New Song” and debuted it in Berlin, Germany, on June 6, 2006. Sadly, according to Robert Trujillo, the song will not make it to the album. When asked whether the song would make it to the album he answered:

“I don’t think so…We can’t be sure, not until we sit down and listen to all the songs completed, to make sure that each and every one of them sounds perfect. But I can tell you that…[song] that you’ve heard won’t make it, at least not in that form.”

After having listened to St. Anger, it is refreshing to hear a great solo from Kirk Hammet.

Technorati Tags: Metallica, Robert Trujillo, Kirk Hammet

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I have mixed feelings about this service because, yes, it does put peoples music out there. But without the marketing that a band or singer needs, there won’t be much attention being paid to those who make the effort of investing their time and money into this. Maybe I’m biased but I think that going directly after a record company is the best way; I think it will give you a sense of accomplishment when you finally make it. Every musician, in my opinion, has to work hard and make sacrifices in order for it all to be a satisfying experience; otherwise it is the equivalent of a dad making a phone call for his son to get the job.

Technorati Tags: online music, music, Musicians, iTunes, Napster, Rhapsody, royalties, TuneCore

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Not every aspiring musician or upcoming band has the money to rent expensive services when it comes to recording music; so most depend on second hand and cost effective equipment. Usually, a cassette recorder with multiple inputs is used in order to record every instrument, then the recording is captured in a computer and edited. But I feel that the cassette tape to computer transition is difficult and if one is not careful the audio integrity suffers.

I ran into a device called Plusdeck 2c, it is a device that allows for cassette tapes to be transfered into a computer. This device is like a CD-Rom drive, only the CD is actually a tape and it fits in a computer’s 5.25″ bay. With a price tag of about ninety dollars, I think this device is must have for all beginners, as it will immensely facilitate transferring a tape into a Hard Drive.

The Plusdeck 2c also allows for listening to tapes as well as converting to popular audio formats. And with Headphone and microphone, line-in jacks and a serial port; one can add vocals, or more instruments. Unfortunately, or maybe not so, the only thing this PC cassette deck does not do is record back to tapes.

Get yourself a Plusdeck 2c PC Cassette Deck, and before you know it, your demo recordings will be in the hands of many producers.

Technorati Tags: musician, recording music, cassette recorder, record, instrument, cassette tape, audio, transferring a tape into a Hard Drive, listening to tapes, Headphone, microphone, vocals, cassette deck, record back to tapes, demo recordings

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AntennaWeb.org:

AntennaWeb, allows you to determine in which directions and how far, the transmitting antennas are. This is done by simply typing in your full address. Then appears a list of the available channels and you are give the option of looking at a “Street Level Map.” From there you determine which channels interest you, what frequencies they are in and how far the antennas are.

UHF, VHF & Antennas Direct:

There are 2 types of antennas to choose from; there is the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) antenna and the Very High Frequency (VHF) antenna. When I went to AntennaWeb.org, to determine in which directions and how far the transmitting antennas were, I learned that all the channels I was interested in were within the same frequency (UHF), but a greater distance away than the channels within the VHF (which were only a few) and the transmitting antennas were pretty much in every direction. So I decided that a multi-directional UHF antenna, with a 75-mile range was the best for me. The reason I didn’t consider the VHF antenna, even though some of my channels were found at a closer distance, is because Antennas Direct only sells uni-directional VHF antennas (either that, or they only come as uni-directional) and it made no sense to have multiple antennas, when (the right) one can do the job.

Receiver:

Getting the antenna was just one of the steps; I also need a receiver, since my HDTV does not have a TV tuner. I decided to go with the Samsung DTB-H260F High Definition Terrestrial Tuner (which was reviewed at HDTV Expert,) because it is affordable, it supports 1080i resolution, has countless ways to connect to the TV and it is a top performer. Through a DVI input, I connected the receiver to the TV and now I am channel surfing in Hi-Def at no cost. The total investment was around $400.00, but the setup has paid for itself many times over. Now I can’t wait for the fall TV shows to premiere.

This is something everyone should consider, even those without an HDTV because it allows you to cancel the cable service and that is a great way to cut back on costly living costs every month.

Technorati Tags: Hi-Def, Over The Air, TV, AntennaWeb, UHF, VHF, HDTV, TV tuner, High Definition, 1080i, DVI

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The production cost of the HD DVD is far cheaper than that of Blu-ray, as well as the cost of each (blank) disk. This alone, makes me block out Blu-ray. Also, some argue that the cost of preparing a film (from pressing it, to packaging it) to be released is cheaper for HD DVD than for Blu-ray. The price of the players is also a major deciding factor considering that some HD DVD players can be found for as little as $300, while the competition is usually a few hundred dollars more expensive.

The Interactivity is another major factor that can influence manufacturer’s decisions. HD DVD uses the HDi Interactive Format and its main pro is that its scripting can be done by pretty much anyone with basic computer knowledge, while Blu-Ray Disc Java requires more in depth programming knowledge.

Many people argue that Blu-ray’s larger capacity is an advantage over HD DVD, but it actually is meaningless to me. Movie studios always have the option of adding a second disc to a release, and I think a multi-disc release of a film makes it a lot more attractive and it might allow better picture quality, since just like with DVDs, the film can be in one disc while everything else on the other. And the price difference between a dual HD DVD with bonus features and a single Blu-ray with only the film (or reduced film quality, because the bonus features are included), would be justified. What do you think?

Technorati Tags: Home video, formats, HD DVD, format war, Blu-ray, film, price, players, HDi Interactive Format, scripting, computer, Blu-Ray Disc Java, programming, DVD, bonus features

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For the part of the consumers that don’t use their computers for heavy tasks such as; Video Production, Programming, etc…. having a top of the line PC is just a waste. A waste of money and a waste of the machines power, to name a few. My main computer is about 3 years old and it is still going strong. It is has a Pentium 4 CPU, 4GB of memory, 2 stripped Raptorhard drives, a Geforce 7950GT AGP video card, Audigy 2 sound card, and a few other goodies. Obviously, I have made various upgrades as time has passed and as parts have gotten cheaper, but it is all I need. The games run surprisingly smooth and at a high resolution, I do my word processing, my blogging, my web browsing, some light video editing. It wouldn’t make sense for me to have a Quad-Core computer that has a price range in the thousands, with more features than I need, just to do everyday things. The whole deal with software lagging behind hardware, therefore only selected programs take advantage of multi-cores, makes me think that those of us who still run our relatively dated systems, can rest assured that our computers will still be functional for quite sometime. What do you think?

Technorati Tags: processor, Intel, AMD, graphic card, ATI, Nvidia, marketing, upgrade, computers, Video, Production, Programming, PC, Pentium 4, CPU, memory, Raptor, hard drives, Geforce, 7950GT AGP, video card, Audigy 2, sound card, games, word processing, blogging, web browsing, video editing, Quad-Core, software, hardware, programs, multi-cores, systems

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It has sold over 115 million units, making it the best selling gaming console in history. It has outsold the PS3 and the Wii month after month although the Nintendo Wii has a lead in the performance department and it has only been outsold by the XBox 360, “twice during [the XBox's] 21 month life.”

I think it is great! It is great both, seeing old, well crafted technology still plugging away and seeing new technology bring trouble and under perform; it is a testament to how money has corrupted the major industries and how they do business. These industries are all about making lots of money and making it fast and for that reason it seems that they are rushing to put something, anything out. I’m not one to go for the latest and greatest, and as you can see by reading above, with good reason.

Technorati Tags: Playstation 3, Microsoft, XBox, Nintendo, Sony, game, PS3, Nintendo Wii, XBox 360, technology, making lots of money

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The iPhone had been previously made to work on other networks by a method that requires copying information from the Subscriber Identity Module card, but since the phone was not actually unlocked, each SIM card had to be programed to work with a specific phone and additional equipment was needed. Both this method and George Hotz method manage to leave most of the iPhone’s functions intact; the only exception is the voice mail feature, that shows them as incoming E-Mails.

Much to everyone’s dislike, experts argue that Apple may be able to make new iPhones tolerant to the hacks, before they are released beyond the US market.

It is incredible and at the same time, refreshing, that the efforts of big corporations to manipulate consumers have been brought down to their knees by teenagers. Day in and day out we read articles that do nothing but prove this; how young hackers have been able to watch high definition movies without the HDCP certified hardware and how these very movies can be found in and downloaded from peer-to-peer networks. And although i do not condone illegal activity, it knocks me off my feet how much can be accomplished, with free will and dedication.

Technorati Tags: Apple’s iPhone, T-Mobile, AT&T, Subscriber Identity Module card

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“Each year, according to the study, global piracy produces the following effects:

• The recording industry loses $1.6 billion to bootlegged CDs and $3.7 billion to illegal downloads and file-sharing; related businesses, including music retail outlets, lose an additional $7.2 billion, bringing the total loss of potential revenue to $12.5 billion.
• Some 22,860 new jobs are not created in the music industry, and an additional 44,200 are not created in related industries, totaling 71,060 unrealized jobs in the U.S.
• Workers in the music industry and related industries do not see an additional $2.7 billion in income.
• Accordingly, federal, state and local governments do not realize an additional $422 million in tax revenues.”

Most people criticize the attempts made by companies, to keep the general public from being able to freely move music, movies, and software around; but the fact is that this is a major problem. A problem that from a certain perspective, drives the economy and companies have to be aggressive and ruthless when it comes to dealing with it.

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TheInquirer.net reported back in February that Nvidia’s 7600GS AGP card was going to get a DirectX 10 follower, code named G84 AGP. “The AGP version is possible due to the fact that G84 chips are pin-to-pin compatible with Geforce 6600 and 7600, so there were no modifications required in order that AGP market gets its DirectX 10 card.” This card was supposed to be released in April, but it is now August and the Nvidia DirectX 10 AGP video cards are not available.

Technorati Tags: ATI HD 2600Pro AGP, Video cards, DDR2 memory, Home Theater PC, UVD, HDMI, DirectX10, Graphic adapters, ATI’s X1950 PRO, Nvidia’s 7950GT, Nvidia’s 7600GS AGP

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It will now be a legit music store much like the Itunes of the world. At first it will be a website, where users will purchase the songs from, but eventually it allow its users to buy song from within the program itself.

This is the smart move in their part, since the RIAA, with which LimeWire currently has major legal problems is demanding $150,000 for every song that is downloaded using the Peer-to-Peer tool.

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