In the past, to broadcast chess games live online there is only one choice – use DGT boards. But now we have alternatives like idChess which are cheaper than those expensive RM 3000-5000 chess boards and a nightmare of wires to be taped down and hidden as much as possible.
Let’s say I want to broadcast live 5 chess boards using idChess just for one tournament.
Here’s the cost for doing so assuming we get budget smartphones at RM 200 each.
Subscription Cost (per phone): idChess subscription is USD 9 per month, per phone. Since we have 5 phones:
Subscription cost (per phone)=9USD×5=45USD
Phone Cost: A cheap budget phone costs RM 200. Considering 5 phones:
Phone cost=200RM×5=1000RM
Phone Stand Cost: The phone stand costs RM 10.30 per phone. For 5 phones:
Phone stand cost=10.30RM×5=51.50RM
Total Cost for 5 Chess Boards: To convert RM to USD (assuming an exchange rate of 1 USD = 4.70 RM):
Total cost in USD=45USD+(1000RM/4.7)USD+(51.50RM/4.7)USD
So, total cost in USD≈45 USD+212.77 USD+10.96 USD≈269.73 USD
That’s about RM 1,272
Of course it’s upfront cost and if there is need to use for other tournaments some cost can be saved with getting the cheaper yearly subscription.
