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# Create a channel

The channel creation wizard configures a new channel and its underlying input, video, audio, and output settings from the Essentials dashboard.

The wizard walks through the same pattern at every step: a step list on the left tracks your progress, and the form for the current step is on the right. The steps after **Input** depend on the workflow you choose.

### Start the wizard

Select **New channel** from the dashboard. You can also start a new channel from within an existing channel’s detail view.

Choose **Create a channel** to configure a channel from scratch, or **Duplicate an existing channel** to base it on one that already exists. Enter a name for the channel and select **Next**.

### Choose the workflow

Select the workflow type for the channel, then select **Next**. On the device below, **Encoding (Streaming)**, **Encoding (Distribution)**, **Encoding (Contribution)**, and **Reception (Decoding)** can be selected. **Reception (Gateway)** appears greyed out, because it is not yet available.

Availability depends on the device and its software version: the three encoding workflows need Beam `1.12.0` or higher, and **Reception (Decoding)** needs `1.13` or higher. A workflow the device cannot run appears greyed out. See [Contribution](/beam/contribution), [Reception](/beam/reception), and [Headends](/beam/headends) for the workflows behind each type.

The workflow you choose determines the steps that follow, so the wizard is not the same length for every channel. A **Reception (Decoding)** channel decodes rather than encodes, so it replaces the encoding steps below with **Decrypt**, **Decoding**, and **Decoded Output**: see [Create a reception channel](/beam/essentials/create-a-reception-channel).

### Select the input

Choose the input type, for example **SDI**. If the input has multiple physical connections, choose the **Slot/Port** from the dropdown list, then select **Next**.

### Configure video or encoding

For an **Encoding (Streaming)** workflow, this next step is to configure our **Video** settings:

Set the **Video Codec**, **Resolution**, **Frame rate**, and **Bitrate** for the rendition, then select **+ Add** to add further renditions.

The channel creation wizard shows different options depending on the selected workflow. For example For **Encoding (Contribution)** and **Encoding (Distribution)** workflows, this step is called **Encoding** and configures a single set of video parameters rather than a ladder.

Select **Next** once the video parameters are set.

### Configure audio

Set the audio parameters: **Audio codec**, **Audio Group**, **Mode**, and **Bitrate**. Select the trash icon to remove a track, or **+ Add** to configure an additional one. In a video ladder, the audio you define here is automatically assigned to every rendition.

Select **Next**.

### Configure the output

For an **Encoding (Streaming)** workflow, the output step is informational: it produces HLS-TS, HLS-fMP4, and DASH segmentation types, each with its own URL available after you create the channel. There are no fields to fill in here.

For **Encoding (Contribution)** and **Encoding (Distribution)** workflows, choose an output type such as **SRT**, **RF**, **IP**, or **ASI**, and enter its connection details. For the full set of Reliable Transport configuration options available outside the wizard, see [Reliable Transport](/beam/reliable-transport).

Select **Next**.

### Review and create the channel

Review the channel summary. It covers the channel name, workflow, and input, one entry per video rendition (or a single encoding entry outside the streaming workflow), the audio configuration, and the output. Select **Modify** next to a section to change those settings.

Select **Create channel**.

### Start the channel

The new channel opens in its detail view. Select **Start** to take it on air, then return to the dashboard to see it in the channel card grid.