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Can Starlink replace a Ku Band Uplink/Downlink dish?
Was dreaming out loud, and wondering if Elon Musk’s Starlink birds could be used for live shots feeding to CNN, FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, etc. in the same way you now book a Ku Band uplink. Anybody here done some analysis or have some opinions? The uplink would end up at some CDN and then turned-around and forwarded to the TV network via internet, I imagine. Does Satrlink have sufficient bandwidth, using a thrifty codec like h.265, to put up a 2k or a 4k video with audio, and would it be clean, or show dropouts as the information hops from bird to bird? We also thought about a fly-away Starlink package on a van for remotes in areas where cel networks and local broadband are still lacking. Any thoughts?
If it is technically capable, it could be a game-changer because Starlink wouldn’t require having an Engineer with a first class FCC ticket on staff.
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2 Replies
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Yep. Sure would be nice. However, their current user agreement does NOT allow this kind of use. One dish. One address. Can’t put it on your RV and enjoy the WWW from your campsite. Here’s the language from the contract: <b _ngcontent-cht-c112=”” style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Agreement to Purchase Starlink Kit and Services.
<strong _ngcontent-cht-c112=””>Residential Use. Services and the Starlink Kit are for use exclusively at the address you provided in your Order, and only for personal, family, household or residential use.
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Yeah I found the same thing out about a minute before you posted. So, no van-mounted fly-away… for now. That’s okay, but, the Ku dish on our roof is getting long in the tooth, and I gotta wonder if Starlink or the competing service planned by Bezos, will be where we end up going in the future. Based on cost-savings alone, on hardware and personnel costs, I would anticipate migrating to that, though there are many other factors to consider. I wish I had clear answers however on the technical issues about the quality and speed of the connection and if it’s going to be up to the task of broadcast-quality live-shots from an Illinois studio to Atlanta or New York for the Sunday Morning pundit shows. That’s one of our main uplink jobs these days. Will the bird be better and cheaper for that than terrestrial fiber?
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