Category5 Technology TV is a free service provided to a global community of viewers.  It costs money to run, and your support will help us to further improve the service we provide.

 
Stuff we want to be able to afford (cost is approximate):

• MONTHLY EXPENSES:  Web Hosting ($20), RSS Hosting ($8), Time Robbie has to take off work ($215):  $243 per month just to stay afloat.
• Buy Prism Video Converter to encode MP4 videos for the RSS feed ($50)
• Buy a cordless lapel microphone ($35)
  
• Buy a camera for Carrie ($100 Used)
• Multi-Band Compression Unit - Greatly improve our sound quality, but more importantly reduce the risk of distortion on loud bursts ($169.49 CAD)
  
• Get a box of Category5 business cards professionally printed ($100)
• Register Category5 Technology TV as its own business entity, thereby separating it from our parent company, allowing us to accept cheques made out to Category5 directly.  ($85 up front, $15 / month to maintain bank account)
  
• Open a PO Box for fanmail and donations ($50 up front, $10 per month)
• Buy a third camera for close-up on Carrie ($400 new, $100 if we can find a used one + cost of additional capture card)
• Build a more powerful on-air "Demo" computer system that can handle virtualization of all major operating systems simultaneously, so we can easily screencast from various flavors of Linux and/or Windows during the live show ($1,500)
• Replace the screencast capture device with a high-quality capture card.  Now that we're encoding at 480p, it's a shame our screencast device only handles 320x240.  ($62.05)
• Buy a second cordless lapel microphone for co-host ($50 used)
  
• Upgrade lighting system to three soft boxes with stands, 2500W total (List price: $2523 - but we can get a large discount!)
• Entry-level upgrade to lighting system: two octagonal light banks, light stands, casters and accessories ($750)
• Upgrade our Internet connection to a 10Mbit/sec line to allow us to increase the quality of the stream ($90 / month)
• Increase our Vodcast quality to true HD (Astronomical... more than $30,000, unless we can get away with a TriCaster and a few consumer cameras... then it could be down around $5,000)
• Improve the "set" with an attractive backdrop ($500 to start)
• Buy hardware products to demonstrate on the show, such as the DROBO ($500), and Eee PC ($400)
• Immediate Need:  Our web hosting bill is due, and it's about $150.

What does it cost to run Category5?

Currently, Robbie Ferguson (our host and technologist) donates his time to this project in an effort to help you, the viewer.  The value of his time is approximately $300 per week (based on five hours @ $60 / hour), and the cost to broadcast comes out of his pocket.  The breakdown so far is essentially:  1x video camera ($450), 1x lighting system ($50), 1x studio microphone ($350), 1x audio mixer ($350), 1x audio processor ($100 - got it used), 1x "streaming computer" ($500).  That's $1,800 spent to make this broadcast possible, in addition to the time it takes to assemble each show and perform necessary research into products and reviews each week.

 
How can I help?

There are several ways that you can help support the efforts of Robbie Ferguson and Category5 Technology TV.

• Advertise with Category5.  Category5 Technology TV has proven itself as an effective advertising venue for our clients.  Click here to get in on this exciting advertising opportunity.
  
• Donate.  If Robbie has saved you time, either personally or professionally by answering your questions, please consider donating (even a very small amount) as a way of thanks.  Every page on Category5.tv has a "Donate" feature on the left-hand side.  This feature uses Paypal to support all major credit cards.  In the month of April 2008 (for example), Category5 TV had almost 12,000 viewers.  Imagine what it would do for the show if each one of those viewers were to donate just $5 each.  We would very quickly be upgrading our stream, and putting Robbie on a salary so he could dedicate even more time to helping you with your tech questions.
• Buy DVD ISO Downloads or DVDs.  By purchasing a DVD ISO download, you can burn Category5 Technology TV full-length, un-edited episodes to DVD, ready to play on your TV or portable DVD player.  You can also choose to have the DVD sent to you in the mail.  You can visit the [Buy DVDs] section to obtain your copy of the available DVDs.  This is also a wonderful way to share Category5 with your dialup-using friends or family, or to simply enjoy past episodes from the comfort of the couch.
  
• Sponsor a 1-on-1 episode.  1-on-1 lets you get one-on-one answers to your tech questions, and full support from our host.  Visit the 1-on-1 link (on the left menu) to find out more information.
• Hire Robbie.  Robbie Ferguson is an ideal host for technology events, and more.  To find out more, please [click here].
  
• Click Banners.  You see banners at the top of each page on Category5.tv.  When you see one that interests you, click it and check out the advertiser's web site.  We get paid for the referral.  Keep in mind that we do not necessarily endorse the advertised products and services.
• Use the Portal.  Like Google?  Set portal.category5.tv to your homepage and use it.  The Google search engine on that page pays us for search results, and it's still just Google.  So whether you use google.com or portal.category5.tv, it's going to give you the same search results; but by using the portal, you're helping support the show.
• Tell Everyone.  Word of mouth is a powerful medium.  In only six months of advertising, Category5 TV has received nearly 1/2 million visits from all over the world, and we continue to grow thanks to our faithful viewers and the word of mouth advertising that they provide.  Simply tell everyone you know about the show, and the free service we provide.