Media playout provider PlayBox Neo has announced that it is working with AI-Media, a developer of AI-powered captioning technology, to integrate advanced automated captioning, translation, and voice translation solutions into the PlayBox Neo broadcast playout ecosystem.

The companies said that the partnership means that broadcasters, government organizations, universities, and corporate AV facilities now have access to cost-effective, broadcast-quality captioning and multi-lingual voice services, which expands their audience reach while staying compliant with accessibility regulations. The service will also allow them to deploy captions and multilingual translation at broadcast quality without incurring additional staffing or infrastructure costs.

PlayBox Neo reported that it has already deployed AI-Media’s ALTA 2110 encoder to deliver both same-language and translated captions for the live streaming financial news network Cheddar. As its model name indicates, the encoder supports SMPTE ST 2110 workflows.

“PlayBox Neo’s modular playout systems are trusted for their 24/7 reliability and ease of use,” says Mark Lovatt, vice president of global strategic accounts, AI-Media. “Our technology is a perfect fit for this ecosystem. Together, we’re enabling broadcasters, government organizations, universities, and corporate AV facilities of every size to deliver professional-quality captions and multilingual voice with unmatched accuracy and efficiency. This partnership enables more organizations to expand their reach, comply with regulations, and create inclusive viewing experiences at scale.”

As a result of the U.S.-based partnership, PlayBox Neo customers gain access to AI-Media’s ALTA 2110 IP broadcast encoder and LEXI Text, an automated captioning solution that delivers same-language and translated captions with broadcast-grade accuracy and ultra-low latency. The solution also includes LEXI Recorded for pre-recorded content, enabling captions to be produced in less than half the program’s runtime. To ensure high accuracy, AI-Media applies its customized Topic Models, which recognize speakers’ names, industry terminology, and brand-specific language, the companies reported.

In addition to captioning, AI-Media’s new LEXI Voice adds real-time translated voice output. With LEXI Voice, PlayBox Neo customers can provide multilingual viewing experiences across both live and on-demand content. These solutions integrate seamlessly with all PlayBox Neo products, making them accessible to every organization using PlayBox Neo technology.

PlayBox Neo solutions—including AirBox Neo for playout automation, the TitleBox Neo CG, and the PlayBox Neo Suite platform—integrate seamlessly with AI-Media services, ensuring broadcasters can add new capabilities without disrupting existing operations, Playbox Neo reported.

The companies described the key customer benefits as follows:

• FCC Regulatory, European Accessibility Act (EAA), Ofcom and ACMA Compliance: Affordable, scalable way to meet accessibility requirements.
• Expanded Reach: Real-time captioning and voice translation allow channels to engage audiences in new language markets, attracting subscribers and sponsors.
• Lower Costs & Complexity: Eliminates reliance on human captioning, reducing scheduling and staffing challenges.
• Scalable Growth: Easily adaptable for smaller organizations and networks expanding to new events or channels.

“Our customers want solutions that extend their reach without increasing complexity,” explains Van Duke, director of U.S. Operations, PlayBox Neo. “By partnering with AI-Media, we’re giving broadcasters a streamlined way to add captions and real-time multilingual voice directly into their PlayBox Neo workflows. It’s an affordable, broadcast-grade solution that opens up new revenue opportunities while ensuring accessibility and compliance. We’re excited to offer this to our customers.”

The PlayBox Neo Suite is a platform that offers centralized control, monitoring, and administration of an optimized multimedia workflow. The current line of "Channel in a Box" products integrates seamlessly with the PlayBox Neo Suite, maximizing existing investments while providing a unified interface for future upgrades. PlayBox Neo solutions are based on modular products which can be customized to provide the exact capability needed for any scale of channel playout management—from ingest and scheduling to transmission.

For more information on PlayBox Neo, please visit PlayBox Neo at www.playboxneo.com

For more information about AI Media visit AI-Media.tv

OLYMPIA, Wash.—TVW, Washington state’s public-affairs network, has deployed a new playout system featuring master and redundant PlayBox Neo and AirBox Neo systems as part of an overhaul of its existing live and file-based playout workflow.

TVW—which offers gavel-to-gavel coverage of all three branches of Washington state government, as well as meetings and hearings of various state boards and commissions, original documentaries, in-depth interview programs and educational content about Washington public policy—worked with systems integration and media technology company Key Code Media to design a workflow.

The 12-channel AirBox Neo systems interface directly with TVW’s third-party trafficking system. The design also includes a TitleBox Neo interactive CG; ListBox, for schedule creation and editing; Live Ingest; and the Multi-Backup Manager (MBM) for multichannel redundancy, PlayBox Neo said.

“Anything occurring at the state level, we cover,” Marc Gerchak, vice president and director of engineering at TVW, said. “It’s an incredible volume of content. We can be covering a live hearing or floor debate from one production control for eight hours straight, while recording other hearings, floor debate, Supreme Court cases in two other production control rooms.

“All while shooting segments for our produced studio shows in the fourth production control room at the same time. There are a lot of moving parts and varied programming types. We wanted a reliable system that could accommodate a constantly changing playlist, update graphics on the fly and allow us to edit material as it is ingested. It’s a complicated list of requirements for one system.”

The system runs on the PlayBox Neo Suite, which offers centralized control, monitoring and administration of an optimized multimedia workflow. The current line of Channel in a Box products integrates seamlessly with the PlayBox Neo Suite, maximizing existing investments while providing a unified interface for future upgrades, the company said.

PlayBox Neo solutions are based on modular products that can be customized to provide the exact capability needed for any scale of channel playout management from ingest and scheduling to transmission, the company said.

“TVW needed the flexibility of changing their playlist at a moment’s notice, as well as scheduling programming in advance, and they didn’t want to wait until a session ended in eight hours to edit a feed,” Mark Siegel, vice president of business development at Key Code Media, said. “And playout needed to interface seamlessly with their trafficking system. With a tight timeframe and a lot of multivendor communication required, it was a big ask. Thankfully, we’ve got a long history of collaboration with PlayBox Neo and were confident they could provide exactly what TVW was looking for under such a short deadline.”

The PlayBox Neo complement replaced TVW’s existing automation and server set up in master control. The new workflow uses the AirBox Neo servers for playout. The PlayBox system also controls the network’s NVision 9000 router.

AirBox Neo can easily mix a variety of media files and live inputs in one playlist. Any changes to the playlist while on-air are possible. Media can be trimmed, edited or repositioned while on-air. Live productions are streamlined to allow the insertion of live streams into the playlist. For automated playout, AirBox Neo enables playlist scheduling weeks ahead of time.

More information is available on the TVW, Keycode Media and Playbox Neo websites.

MIAMI—Miami-Dade TV (MDTV) has revamped its playout as part of a broadcast infrastructure modernization project with PlayBox Neo for the channel’s 24/7 mix of live and prerecorded programming available on YouTube, Comcast channel 76 and AT&T U-verse channel 99.

MDTV updated key components of its HD/4K production and transmission environment, including master control, to create a more flexible and reliable workflow and improve the quality of its programming.

The PlayBox Neo system replaced MDTV’s existing automation and server setup in master control. The new workflow uses the AirBox Neo servers for playout. The solution also controls the inputs and outputs from a Rohde & Schwarz router. Enlighten Digital installed the PlayBox Neo for MDTV, the company said. 

The PlayBox Neo system handles both live signal switching and the insertion of prerecorded segments, ensuring smooth broadcast operations. It automates the playout of MDTV’s programming across its broadcast channels and streaming platforms. Content includes scheduled government meetings, public service content, educational programs and live events.

“We needed a solution that would integrate seamlessly with our existing infrastructure while providing a robust and intuitive interface for our team,” Shawn Hinchey, chief of digital media services at Miami-Dade County, said.

“PlayBox Neo stood out because of its modular design, IP streaming support, scheduling flexibility and ease of use. It supports the kind of hybrid SDI/IP workflows we’re adopting and allows for remote operation, which has become increasingly important in our environment.”

The full PlayBox Neo set up features master and redundant AirBox Neo systems with eight channels that interface directly with MDTV’s routing switcher. Rounding out the system are: TitleBox Neo, an interactive CG; ListBox Neo, for schedule creation and editing; Live Ingest and the Multi-Backup Manager (MBM), for multichannel redundancy.

“Scheduling and automation play a vital role in our operations, and PlayBox Neo’s scheduling tools have enhanced our workflow,” Hinchey said. “The ability to easily build 24-hour daily playlists in ListBox Neo and transition them seamlessly into AirBox Neo for playout makes our production process dramatically more efficient. Additionally, the Live Ingest controller gives us the flexibility to schedule recordings efficiently, which is essential for our dynamic programming.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—PlayBox Neo will showcase its full range of multiplatform broadcast solutions, including support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP input/output, at the 2024 NAB Show New York, Oct. 9-10, at the Javits Center in New York.

SMPTE ST 2110 offers scalable media infrastructure using standard Ethernet networks instead of dedicated physical cables. This allows media organizations to add video, audio and metadata streams without new physical infrastructure, the company said.

PlayBox Neo also will demonstrate additional updates within its AirBox Neo-20 playout and IP streaming system; Capture Suite for content ingest; and Media Gateway for live media delivery and distribution. The company also will show its Channel-in-a-Box turnkey playout production suite, featuring Cloud2TV, its cloud-based media solution, Playbox Neo said.

A customized interface developed by PlayBox Neo for the Rohde & Schwarz Venice ingest server will be shown for the first time at the show. The interface is available now to U.S.-based customers, PlayBox Neo said.

“The PlayBox Neo R&D team has been working overtime lately, and it shows,” Van Duke, the company’s director of U.S. operations, said. “At IBC this month [September], we received tremendous feedback on our system updates, and I can’t wait to show them to our colleagues and customers on the east coast at NAB New York.”

PlayBox Neo solutions are based on modular products and services that can be customized to provide the exact capability needed for any scale of channel playout management — from ingest and scheduling right through to transmission. 

At the show, the company will feature:

• AirBox Neo-20, an automated content streaming and broadcast playout solution with 4K-UHD optimization.
• Capture Suite, a multichannel, multi-server UHD/HD/SD live ingest solution supporting multiple ingest channels extended across one or multiple servers from a single web user interface.
• Media Gateway, a reception, transmission and conversion solution for a wide range of broadcast signals that simplifies the everyday tasks of content delivery and distribution.
• Channel-in-a-Box, a complete turnkey broadcast television playout server suite designed for single-channel or multiple operations.  
• Cloud2TV, a software-centric virtual channel playout solution offering video production and content delivery services for TV operators.

See Playbox Neo at NAB Show New York booth 746.

More information is available on the company’s website.

RHINELANDER, Wisc.—PlayBox Neo has announced that WJFW added a third PlayBox Neo AirBox Neo-20 server for playout of COZI-TV, which airs classic television shows from the 1950’s through the 2000’s. 

The deployment means that NBC affiliate now uses three PlayBox servers. One AirBox Neo-20 server handles playout of the main 12.1 channel and its entire on-air presence while a second server provides playout for Antenna TV - another classic television channel. 

WJFW uses its PlayBox Neo system for program and commercial playout, as well as live pass through streaming and graphic overlays for all three channels. All three servers interface easily with the station’s existing Wide Orbit trafficking system. While WJFW has six channels, three are strictly re-transmitted pass through without commercial insertions, the companies explained. 

“As an over-the-air broadcaster, we have the ability to fit more channels into our broadcast stream,” said Marty Mangerson, technical director, WJFW. “We needed a new playback server for our third commercial station, and we’ve had such solid service with our current servers that we immediately went back to PlayBox Neo. Also, the price tag was well within our budget.”

WJFW was an early adopter in 2012 of PlayBox Neo’s HD automation and playout technology. “They could do HD playout before anyone else, which is another reason we turned to our friends at PlayBox Neo,” Mangerson said. 

Because the PlayBox Neo system has performed solidly throughout the years at WJFW, Mangerson prefers to maintain the same workflow. “I have the flexibility of changing commercials at the drop of a hat and customizing playlists at any point in the day. And we’ve had no issues with our PlayBox Neo servers,” he explains. 

Throughout the past several years, Mangerson points to the company’s increased technical support in the U.S. as another reason for his continued allegiance. “Sadek Labib [U.S. Support Engineer] is an incredible resource,” said Mangerson. “He’s very accessible, easy to talk to, and explains everything to me in a very understandable way. He’s a pleasure to deal with. We receive immediate attention if we need to speak with him.”

“Broadcasters need flexibility and the ability to expand their programming,” said Van Duke, director of U.S. Operations, PlayBox Neo. “But they want to do so in a budget-conscious way that doesn’t interrupt their workflow. That’s exactly how WJFW is implementing our AirBox Neo-20 servers. We couldn’t be happier with our over ten-year relationship with them!”

PlayBox Neo solutions are based on modular products and services which can be easily customized to provide the exact capability needed for any scale of channel playout management - from ingest and scheduling right through to transmission. At the heart of the PlayBox Neo line up is AirBox Neo-20, a universal playout and IP streaming solution.

For more information on PlayBox Neo, please visit PlayBox Neo at www.playboxneo.com. 

SOFIA, Bulgaria—PlayBox Neo has announced that it will mark its 25th year anniversary at IBC2024, unveiling its range of smart media playout solutions. During the show in Amsterdam from Sept. 13 - 16 at Stand 7.A17., the provider of broadcast media playout, streaming and channel branding technologies will be showing attendees the latest versions of Media Gateway, AirBox Neo-20, Capture Suite, Channel-in-a-Box and Cloud2TV 

With solutions designed for international media content owners and broadcasters navigating multi-platform, multimedia, multichannel environments, PlayBox Neo will demonstrate at IBC how its entire series of television channel management, graphic branding and playout solutions integrate into one single affordable solution. From a single desktop, PlayBox Neo’s suite of products control ingest, transmission, scheduling through to playout, delivering efficient and scalable workflows, the company said. 

Media Gateway allows the reception, transmission and conversion of a wide range of broadcast signals to simplify the everyday tasks of content delivery and distribution. AirBox Neo-20 offers automated content streaming with 4K-UHD optimization; Capture Suite enables users to control multiple ingest channels, spread on multiple servers from a single web user interface; and finally, Channel-in-a-Box provides an all-in-one solution for UHD, SD, and HD channels.

Over the past 25 years, PlayBox Neo has achieved global growth and enhanced many media businesses. Their products leverage decades of innovation that ensures the delivery of unique competitive advantages to broadcasters and are designed to help broadcasters adopt new business models and to support companies as they adapt and transform in the face of revolutionary technological change.

Over the years, PlayBox Neo has contributed significantly to the industry’s success with some of the first groundbreaking playout and Channel-in-a-Box solutions to ever hit the market. Many customers over the past 25 years are still benefiting from PlayBox Neo’s longevity and impressive legacy which includes EutelSat, CME, United Media, Canal+/SPI, Olympusat, RCN, NileSat, IkoMedia/STN, GulfSat, Tata Communications, ThaiCom, TVB and many more.

Notable highlights of its history include various awards, upgrades and development breakthroughs. The AirBox Neo-20 playout automation system launched in 1999 and achieved world-wide success after PlayBox Neo initiated international distribution in 2002. With 2020 marking the beginning of a new decade, PlayBox Neo unveiled the new Capture Suite, even in the year of a major pandemic. Further success followed in 2021 with the launch of TS Тime Delay and Media Gateway, a solution that won TV Technology’s Best of Show Award at NAB. In 2024, the installed base of playout and branding channels exceeded 20,000, demonstrating continued success.

PlayBox Neo’s founder and CEO Pavlin Rahnev reveals the formula of success, “Rule one in the broadcast media business is to listen carefully to customer feedback. Rule two is to respond constructively and promptly by delivering enhanced services that help transform customer experience into success. Reflecting on PlayBox Neo’s 25 year legacy encourages us to focus on what’s ahead today.”

“We are on the cusp of a new journey to empower customers to continue to step into the future with us with reassurance,” adds Pavlin Rahnev. “We show great appreciation and thanks to our valued customers for their ongoing loyalty and trust in our technology. With the joint effort of our distribution partners worldwide, product development colleagues, sales, marketing and administration teams, PlayBox Neo continues to lead the way in smart media solutions. Looking ahead, we see efficiency, reliability and flexibility as the key priorities across the entire media industry, freeing creative professionals to concentrate on what really matters: - our customers come first and their creative content is king, it always was, and it always will be.” 

To book a meeting to see PlayBox Neo in action at IBC2024 (Stand 7.A17), click here: https://bit.ly/4dvhpdn

For further information about PlayBox Neo solutions, visit www.playboxneo.com.  

NAIROBI, Kenya—While the pandemic appears to be in the rearview mirror, it clearly disrupted normal operations and workflows of broadcasters and media enterprises around the world.

Those media organizations that succeeded found new approaches to deliver their content. One of those success stories is Akili Networks, which launched what has become a wildly successful youth network.

Since March 2020, Akili Kids! has broadcast more than 1 million video files via the networks’ Cloud2TV virtual channel playout system from PlayBox Neo, the company said.

Akili Kids!, a fast-paced entertainment and educational TV network, serves about 1.2 million children with its programming every 30 minutes. Cloud2TV delivers a mix of over 650 video files every day for Akili Kids!. 

With Cloud2TV and two PlayBox Neo servers at a Nairobi data center that provide secure Internet access, the network feeds over-the-air transmitters throughout the country. Content is uploaded to the playout servers from Nairobi and New York via internet, it said.

Cloud2TV's remote upload and management capabilities allowed employees to work from home and keep the network on the air. During the pandemic, Akili Network’s scheduling and traffic teams had to access the system from home, often with low bandwidth connections to build broadcast playlists, PlayBox Neo said.

Editors and program coordinators frequently had to use internet connections with heavy traffic to upload commercials, promos and content. Large content files, command and control and QC came from New York. Cloud2TV's remote upload and management capabilities enabled the network to overcome the internet challenges and continues to deliver operational efficiency and flexibility, it said.

The network receives media files in a variety of formats, including NTSC and PAL—with differing frame rates—for broadcast. The PlayBox Neo servers encode media files on the fly for over-the-air broadcast via Kenya’s 50MHz-based PAL/DVB-T2-based terrestrial broadcast infrastructure. 

“We’ve reduced our costs considerably because we don’t need to transcode before playout,” said Akili Networks CTO Vincent Grosso. “Our PlayBox server plays out multiple video and audio formats into a single, seamless PAL 50 frame per second stream to the transmitters. That’s been a huge benefit for Akili these last four years.”

The PlayBox server transcoder also plays a critical role in supporting Akili’s programming mix. It can handle a wide variety of containers and file formats, including MPG PS/TS, MXF, QT, AVI, MP4, GXF, MPG2, H.264, ProRes, DNX HD and MJPEG, it said.

“With our schedule of fast-paced promotions, educational TV clips, marketing messages and commercials, sometimes video files are switched every 12 to 30 seconds,” said Grosso.

Akili uploads targeted promos every day commemorating local holidays and events. Customized clips are also edited daily. An original series called “Birthday Blast” mentions by name hundreds of kids each week celebrating their birthday. 

“Their [Akili Kids!’s] launch was at the at the beginning of the pandemic, many of their operations staff were new to broadcast TV and the country’s IP infrastructure is less than ideal in spots,” said Van Duke, Playbox Neo director of U.S. operations. “And they are now the number one kids’ station in Kenya with a unique blend of dynamic programming. We look forward to seeing what the next four years will bring.”

More information is available on the company’s website. 

CAIRO, Egypt—PlayBox Neo has announced that it is providing technologies for the expansion of the broadcast channel management and playout infrastructure at the Cairo headquarters of Nilesat, one of the largest telecommunication networks in the Middle East. The project was supported by PlayBox Neo distribution partner Modern Broadcast Center (MBC).

The new deployments are "an addition to the 40 PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box playout units we purchased in Q1 2019, elevating the total number to 70,” said Maissa Aly Kamel, Nilesat CTO. “The seamless operations and reliability of the systems continue to enhance our productivity.”

“We integrated 30 complete servers into the Nilesat teleport at Giza near the Egyptian capital,” added Nikolay Spasov, PlayBox Neo head of Technical Department. “We delivered two 4K-UHD CIAB servers plus 13 HD/SD playout units, all with 1:1 redundancy.” 

PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box offers playout automation with AirBox Neo-20, CG and interactive graphics, including with TitleBox Neo-20, media ingest with Capture Suite and live media delivery and distribution with Media Gateway. AirBox Neo-20 supports full automated content streaming and broadcast playout for any kind of television channel. A variety of media files and live inputs can be integrated into a single playlist. Multiple SDI/IP outputs can be streamed simultaneously in different video standards up to 4K.

Founded in 1996, Nilesat is a leading satellite operator company that provides direct-to-home (DTH) broadcasting, satellite broadband over Egypt, and other communication services in the Middle East and North Africa region. It operates a fleet of geostationary satellites that deliver a wide range of television channels and radio stations, as well as data and internet connectivity to millions of households, businesses, and governmental organizations.

Modern Broadcast Center (www.mbcegypt.com) specializes in systems integration for broadcast projects of any kind and scale. MBC has built news, entertainment, green-screen facilities, shopping channels, single-camera studios and multi-camera studios for production companies and broadcasters around the world. 

More information is available at www.playboxneo.com. 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—PlayBox Neo announces new refinements to its range of broadcast playout and channel branding solutions that include additional creative functionality for AirBox Neo-20, Media Gateway and Capture Suite, plus SMPTE ST 2110 IP input/output support. 

The improvements will be on display during the 2024 NAB Show at the company booth SL6099 between April 14 and 17. 

Playbox Neo also reported that it will be showing the latest versions of PlayBox Neo’s complete Channel-in-a-Box turnkey channel branding and playout product suite and software-centric Cloud2TV. They will be demonstrated as part of a complete system on PlayBox Neo booth.

“These new features offer our customers the ability to control practically every aspect of the media management workflow at a single desktop, from ingest, editing and graphics management to ad insertion, scheduling, archiving and transmission,” comments Van Duke, PlayBox Neo director of U.S. Operations. “The whole process can be automated to allow 24/7 hands-off operation while retaining the freedom to make near-to-air changes or switch to a fully live source. Based on 25 years of development experience, our platform is designed to ensure that operators not only work efficiently but actually enjoy working within a domain that is easy to learn, versatile and highly stable.”

AirBox Neo-20 provides automated content streaming and broadcast playout for any kind of TV channel: cloud-based, satellite, cable head-ends, over-the-air broadcast, corporate TV, internet-based TV, etc. At NAB Show 2024 it gains a new graphic mixer with 4K-UHD optimization plus a video resize capability. Also added are separate fade transition for every logo preset implementation and full 1:1 mirror mode, the company said. 

Media Gateway enables routing and encoding to be performed entirely in software, offering significant savings in terms of cost, space and maintenance. The solution allows signals to be converted between multiple signal formats. NAB Show 2024 sees the addition of support for 1:1 aspect ratio 3840 x 3840 resolution 25 to 60 fps 1:1 video display plus audio visualization.

Capture Suite is a multi-channel multi-server UHD/HD/SD live ingest solution which integrates into the production workflow of any television network, post-production facility or playout center. Capture Suite is now being expanded to include support for the XMP file format. Originally created by Adobe Systems, XMP simplifies the processing and communication of metadata related to media content creation and allows close integration with Adobe Premiere video editing software, the company explained. 

Playbox Neo also reported that Channel-in-a-Box is the world’s best-selling playout and channel branding system. A complete turnkey broadcast television playout server suite, it is designed for single channel or multiple channel HD or UHD operation. Channel-in-a-Box provides all the facilities needed to keep a channel on-air, combining AirBox Neo-20 playout automation, ListBox Neo-20 scheduling, TitleBox Neo-20 interactive CG and graphics, Capture Suite content ingest and Media Gateway live delivery.

ORLANDO, Fla.—Orange TV, the government access station of Orange County, Fla. has installed a new master and redundant playout system from PlayBox Neo. PlayBox is working with Brian Ross, President of systems integration firm, Enlighten Digital, on the installation.

“2024 started with a bang, particularly in terms of our technology’s selection by government access stations,” says Van Duke, Director of U.S. Operations, PlayBox Neo. “The Orange TV system is large scale, complete with broadcast channel management, ingest, routing control, production recording, scheduling, and playout. They produce a lot of original, local programing; record live feeds; and cover local council meetings and press conferences. We’re thrilled they’ve entrusted our technology to meet their rather extensive playout and ingestion needs and look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

Orange TV will deploy the latest version of the PlayBox Neo-20 Channel-in-a-Box server solution, including: the AirBox Neo-20 playout, TitleBox Neo-20, a 4K UHD/HD CG with multiple SDI outputs of HD and SD to feed different headends; and Capture Suite for control of 4- multiple live ingest channels through a single interface.

PlayBox Neo solutions are based on modular products and services which can be easily customized to provide the exact capability needed for any scale of channel playout management - from ingest and scheduling right through to transmission. At the heart of the PlayBox Neo line up is AirBox Neo-20, a universal playout and IP streaming solution.

PlayBox Neo is bringing its entire line up of media playout solutions to NAB Show NY, Oct. 25-26 at the Javits Center. The latest generation of the company’s AirBox Neo-20 playout and IP streaming system will be shown paired with two software modules: TitleBox Neo-20, a 4K UHD/HD CG, and Capture Suite for control of multiple live ingest channels through a single interface. 

All will run on the company’s Channel-in-a-Box turnkey playout server. Also on display in the PlayBox Neo booth will be ProductionAirBox Neo-20 for live production playout and Media Gateway for live media delivery and distribution.

PlayBox Neo solutions are based on modular products and services which can be easily customized to provide the exact capability needed for any scale of channel playout management - from ingest and scheduling right through to transmission, according to the company. Demonstrations at NAB Show NY will cover the entire workflow from ingest, asset management, graphics creation, titling, subtitling, ad insertion and scheduling to playout.

“We’ve been attracting a lot of attention in the U.S. in the past few months, particularly from smaller to mid-sized broadcasters,” said Van Duke, Director of U.S. Operations, PlayBox Neo. “Our hybrid system is still attracting the most interest - SDI and IP in and out. The PlayBox Neo R&D team has been working overtime lately, and it shows. We’re eager to demonstrate the results of their efforts to our east coast colleagues. It’s really quite dramatic.”

“We’ve had great success at NAB New York in previous years,” added Duke, “and we’re looking forward to some high-quality meetings and catching up with any folks we may not have seen at NAB in April or IBC in September.”

PlayBox Neo will be in Booth #1228. 

Click here to register: https://nabshow.com/newyork2023/

PlayBox Neo will demo a range of products designed to provide a “smart media” approach to channel playout management at the 2023 IBC Show, Sept. 15-18 at the RAI Amsterdam.

One product, the company’s PlayBox Neo Suite Live Encoder, was just certified for Dolby Digital Plus Professional encoding. Integrating the latest Dolby software libraries, the Dolby Digital Professional and Dolby Digital Plus Professional implementations are now available as individual licenses for the PlayBox Neo Suite Live Encoder. 

Pavlin Rahnev, PlayBox Neo founder and CEO, says the company's "smart media approach" is "based on affordable modular products and services which can be combined easily to provide all the facilities needed for any style and scale of channel playout management, from ingest and scheduling right through to transmission.

“Refined over nearly a quarter century of innovation, PlayBox Neo solutions are easy to integrate, very user-friendly and truly futureproof. Our products power national and international broadcasters, FAST channels, event-specific channels and corporate information channels. 

“PlayBox Neo hardware, software and services can be operated on-premises, at a remote head-end, in the cloud or as a flexible hybrid. Core of our systems is AirBox Neo-20, a universal playout and IP streaming system in a Channel-in-a-Box server. This can be populated with software modules selected to support every element of the media management process from ingest, clip editing, graphics creation and placement through to text handling, scheduling and playout. Space-efficient and installer-friendly, AirBox Neo-20 is easy to configure, install and operate. It provides the flexibility needed to support any desired level of automation, from fully hands off to fully live. Like all PlayBox Neo solutions, AirBox Neo-20 is highly reliable and very affordable.”

The company will also showcase:

Media Gateway, which allows routing and transcoding to be performed entirely in software, offering significant savings in terms of cost, space and maintenance. Integral software codecs allow signals to be converted between multiple signal formats.

Capture Suite, designed to eliminate workflow congestion which can occur when above-average amounts of incoming content need to be processed at short notice, as commonly happens in newsrooms and sports-related program production. Each Capture Suite server can ingest from to 16 HD channels. Content can be edited via an integral clip-trimmer or external NLE, and monitored on the built-in multiviewer.

ProductionAirBox Neo-20, which allows content manipulation and delivery to be performed with the near-zero latency demanded for fast-paced broadcast news, sports and live production. Features include the ability to trim or reposition every clip in a playout while the scheduled session is on-air. Commands such as next, jump or shuttle allow playout order to be modified seamlessly without interrupting the current playout session. ProductionAirBox Neo-20 can be configured to function as up to four independent players. It integrates easily with MOS-compatible solutions.

TS Time Delay, designed for fully automated operation. It can be scaled to support any required number of input channels and delayed outputs. Fully transparent time delay of transport streams such as DVB/ATSC MPEG is provided, retaining the full original quality of source content. Time delay can be preset to run in fully hands-off mode or switched at any time to alternative offsets, including a zero delay output for each input. 

AdBox Neo enables content owners to maximise their business potential by targeting advertisements for specific audiences with ad insertion and digital program insertion in UHD/HD or SD workflows. AdBox Neo works by receiving a GPI or cue tone trigger for the start of a commercial break or content insertion.

PlayBox Neo will be on stand 7.A17.

SOPHIA, Bulgaria—PlayBox Neo has added an interface with AP ENPS newsroom production software to its ProductionAirBox Neo-20 multi-channel playout system, the company said.

Due for release this summer, AP ENPS Version 9.5 will include improvements to workflow efficiency, enabling users to rename stories within grouped segments, edit rundown columns from AP ENPS Mobile and auto-pin search results, the company said.

“ENPS paired with Playbox Neo’s ProductionAirBox Neo-20 makes a solid foundation for live news programming or automated news channels,” said Brian Hopman, vice president and general manager of workflow solutions for AP.

ENPS 9.5, along with the Playbook assignment planning and scheduling system from AP, delivers on the AP Workflow Solutions team’s commitment to providing seamless end-to-end solutions for its customers. In version 9.5, ENPS and AP Playbook offer a revamped user interface, providing a more modern look and user-friendly experience, he said.

“This new version of ENPS is extremely intuitive,” said Van Duke, director of U.S. operations at PlayBox Neo. “It will be a significant boost to our current clients in terms of their newsroom operations. They’ll be able to better streamline, organize and create newscast rundowns. AP is continually updating their technology at no cost to the customer. We’ve been a proud partner of AP ENPS for many years.”

ProductionAirBox Neo-20 provides four multi-channel playout for news, live programming, video walls, live production broadcasts and anywhere video/audio content is displayed.

It is designed to meet the high-reliability requirements of broadcast playout. Any changes to the playlist can be made while on air. There are no locked clips. Every clip in the playlist can be trimmed or repositioned. 

Playout position can be changed on-the-fly with commands like next, jump or shuttle. Such changes are performed seamlessly without stopping a current playout session. One server can be configured with up to four independent players. Each player has a separate playlist and playout control. All four SDI interfaces can be assigned as program or preview outputs. Single-channel or multi-channel user interfaces are available to streamline the operation.

For more information on the PlayBox Neo website.

SOFIA, Bulgaria—bTV Media Group, one of Bulgaria’s leading providers of television, radio and digital media services, has invested in automated playout servers from PlayBox Neo for integration into a disaster recovery facility at Plana Teleport located 60 km from the network’s Sofia headquarters. 

The facility will safeguard bTV’s broadcast channels against any discontinuity in the main transmission feeds.

“PlayBox Neo was a logical partner for this project as its ProductionAirBox Neo-20 playout servers operate very effectively in our news, studio productions and outside broadcast operations,” explained Peter Dimitrov, technical director of bTV Media Group. “We were keen to provide full 1:1 protection for our main channel which carries a polythematic mix of programs plus a hot spare playout feed for our other five channels: bTV Action, bTV Cinema, bTV Comedy, bTV Lady and RING. All are produced and transmitted in HD. The new installation integrated easily with our existing traffic management software.”

“The PlayBox Neo team recommended a solution comprising four HD dual channel Channel-in-a Box playout servers with SDI and streaming inputs and outputs,” added Ivailo Pashov, bTV broadcast IT manager. “Integrated into the system is TitleBox Neo-20 graphics preparation software which allows efficient management of fixed and rolling text as well as static or animated channel branding images. We also have SafeBox Neo to manage content and playlists moving between our central storage at the DR center and the playout servers. Our headquarters are connected to the DR site by a dedicated fiber link.“

PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box is a turnkey playout server solution for broadcasting a single or multi TV channel both available in HD or UHD, the company said. 

It provides a seamless workflow to keep a channel on-air by combining scheduling, ingest, playout, CG and interactive graphics within one box and remote tools to enhance QC checks, preparation and monitoring. The output can be SDI or IP streaming and is suitable for a variety of applications including traditional broadcast TV, pay-TV, playout centers and satellite operators. PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box offers media ingest with Capture Suite, playout automation with AirBox Neo-20, interactive CG and graphics with TitleBox Neo-20, and scheduling with ListBox Neo-20, the company said. 

TitleBox Neo-20 allows multiple layers of very high quality graphics to be created and manipulated during live transmission.

SafeBox Neo is designed to replicate remote content to local playout server folders for safe playback. 

LAS VEGAS—Roberts Communications Network (RCN) recently selected the AirBox Neo-20 playout system from PlayBox Neo as the solution for all playout. 

RCN will pair the AirBox Neo-20 with PlayBox Neo’s multi-channel, multi-server Capture Suite for ingest of multiple live sources. Systems integration firm Keycode Media assisted RCN is selecting AirBox Neo-20 and Capture Suite, the company said.

Fathom Events, a world-class entertainment company that requires delivery of a wide variety of live and pre-recorded content to more than 1,100 movie theaters across North America, is an RCN customer and will benefit from the new deployment.

To meet all its playout requirements, RCN needed a highly reliable and extremely robust solution with the ability to time delay live recordings for later playback. RCN also required the ability to receive a wide array of file types for insertion into live scheduled content. 

Keycode Media’s distribution needs centered on delivering live and recorded content to its movie theater clients as well as redundancy and support for 5.1 surround sound.

AirBox Neo-20 provides automated content streaming and broadcast playout for satellite, cloud-based, cable head-ends, over-the-air broadcasters, corporate TV and internet-based TV. It can easily mix a variety of media files and live inputs in one playlist and provides multiple SDI/IP streaming outputs at the same time in many standards up to 4K.

Media can be trimmed, edited or repositioned. Live productions are streamlined to allow insertion and execution of various events or live streams into the playlist. For automated playout, AirBox Neo-20 allows playlist scheduling for weeks ahead. Gaps and time overlaps are automatically resolved to ensure continuous operation even when conflicting timed events are present.

Capture Suite is a multi-channel-multi-server UHD/HD/SD live ingest solution that integrates into the production workflow of any television network, post-production facility or playout center. Capture Suite allows users to control multiple ingest channels, spread on multiple servers from a single web user interface. Functions such as input selection, ingest presets, file naming conventions assignments and auto-transfer functionalities are supported.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Playbox Neo will feature its latest broadcast TV channel branding and playout advancements, including integration of Emergency Alert System (EAS) and an expanded feature set for its TS Time Delay at the 2023 NAB Show, April 15-10, in Las Vegas.

The company will also show the latest generation of AirBox Neo-20 playout, ProductionAirbox Neo-20 production playout, Media Gateway live media delivery and distribution and Channel-in-a-Box TV branding and playout systems, it said.

“Media content owners and broadcasters demand efficient pre-installation planning, easy day-to-day operation and effective future expandability in their choice of playout solution,” said Van Duke, director of operations at PlayBox Neo.

“Our NAB Show demonstrations will cover the entire workflow from ingest, asset management, graphics creation, titling, subtitling, ad insertion and scheduling to playout and DRP. PlayBox Neo solutions range in size from compact on-site CIAB servers or cloud-connected SaaS up to globally transmitted multi-language networks with multi-time zone offset.”

The new EAS (Emergency Alert System) interface provides broadcasters with greater flexibility when airing emergency alerts and reduces the need for potential advertiser make-goods. Critical EAS data for crawls and audio is extracted within the AirBox Neo-20 streaming and broadcast playout module and the TitleBox Neo-20 character generator, the company said.

TS Time Delay gives broadcast channel managers efficient control over program playout to multiple time zones. Time delay can be preset to run in fully hands-off mode or switched at any time to alternative offsets, including a zero delay output for each input, it said.

New features include built-in decoders and encoders plus the ability to transcode output stream parameters such as data format, video resolution and frame rate, it said.

Timing adjustment can now be adjusted over a wider range. Previously controllable from 15 seconds up to several days, channel-specific playout can now be delayed from 1 second to several months. Multiple channels can be controlled within a single AirBox Neo-20 server, the company said. 

More information is on the company’s website.

See Playbox Neo in NAB Show booth C2427.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—PlayBox Neo has announced a further expansion of the software connectivity of its television channel branding and studio playout servers by closely integrating the Arion newsroom system from SNews Broadcast Solutions. 

"This is the latest in an ongoing series of partnership agreements with major broadcast product developers," explained Pavlin Rahnev, PlayBox Neo founder and CEO. "SNews has achieved great success with Arion which is in operation across some of Latam's highest-profile broadcast networks. MOS interconnectivity allows Arion-equipped newsrooms to perform all the core tasks of content accessing and news run down playout directly from the PlayBox Neo Production user interface. Arion's News Graphics template generation and its playout are directly integrated with our TitleBox Neo-20 graphics processor. This allows newsroom staff to concentrate on their core activity without distraction, saving time and maximizing production efficiency."

"Integrating PlayBox Neo's ProductionAirBox Neo-20 with our Arion system gives newsroom staff the ability to perform playout in a seamless environment," added Rodrigo Brasiel, CEO of SNews. "The combination conforms fully with our strategy of making technology fully transparent in a practical, agile and efficient solution that maximizes productivity at every point in the news production workflow."

SNews has long experience in developing software-based newsroom production systems for an international clientele and SNews Arion is designed to give newsroom teams all the facilities they need to monitor, search and filter incoming and archived news.  

More information is available at www.playboxneo.com.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Playbox Neo has optimized integration of emergency alerts into its latest PlayBox Neo Suite, providing broadcasters with more flexibility when airing alerts and reducing the need for possible advertiser make-goods, the company said today.

Customized settings for Emergency Alert System (EAS) visual crawls and audio are received by PlayBox Neo Suite, which extracts the data directly within the AirBox Neo-20 streaming and broadcast playout module and the TitleBox Neo-20 character generator, it said.

Typically, a Digital Alert Systems DASDEC-III, is connected to a broadcaster’s local network. When it receives an EAS message, the EAS data is extracted and sent to the TitleBox Neo-20 system to be displayed on-screen as a text alert, it said.

The audio stream is decoded and sent to the AirBox Neo-20 where it is delivered on-air, overriding the current program audio. The workflow can feed multiple PlayBox Neo channel-in-a-box servers simultaneously, providing service for several channels, or main and backup, it said.

Logos for each channel can be added separately to the EAS feed, colors customized and the aspect ratio removed or changed to accommodate the emergency alert graphic – without disturbing the SDI signal. The alert also can be delayed, running just after a commercial break, it said.

One DASDEC EAS receiver can provide customized EAS alerts to several channels to establish consistent branding across each.

“If the broadcaster simply wants to let the EAS signal go through, they can,” Van Duke, Playbox Neo director of U.S. operations. “If they want to delay the alert five minutes, they can. Or, they can do an overlay over current programming with customizable graphic options. There’s less involvement with the SDI signal. There’s no going in and out of SDI. And each channel can be triggered with its own graphics and delay customization all from one application.”

The company has released an online video examining the workflow. 

More information is available on the company’s website. 

PlayBox Neo has launched a new Media Gateway that allows the reception, transmission and conversion of a wide range of broadcast signals to simplify the everyday tasks of content delivery and distribution. Signals can be sourced from and converted to SDI, NDI, SRT, UDP or RTP. Media Gateway also has a Screen input which allows video and audio content to be grabbed from a desktop and delivered as live feed. 

All uncompressed outputs and the encoder allow frame-rate, Up/Down and Cross conversion as well as aspect ratio conversion plus generation of black, bars and freeze on the output when there is no signal. Video can be delivered with an alpha channel where supported. Every input can be delivered to one or many outputs in the same domain. The IP decoder supports both Multiple and Single Program Transport Streams. 

"Media Gateway is a software solution, based on the PlayBox Neo Suite platform, which can be installed on-premises or in the cloud," says PlayBox Neo CTO Stanislav Petkov. "It is designed to maximize efficiency by simplifying the daily tasks of media delivery and distribution companies.”

Media Gateway is equipped to perform a wide range of delivery and distribution tasks:

• SCTE-35 and SCTE-104 interstitial insertion cues are cross-converted and transmitted to the output.
• Closed captions are cross-converted between CEA608 and 708 and the frame-rate converted when required.
• Active format description data can be inserted into the baseband SDI video signal or compressed transport stream when required.
• Switching between uncompressed inputs or any uncompressed output is clean of any artifacts.
• A browser-based multiviewer displays video with audio bars for all inputs, including visual and audible alarms alerting operators to black frame, freeze frame and lost signal.
• Automatic changeover of the compressed transport stream, can be activated based on missing signal, under or over bitrate. Signal switching can also be performed automatically if black or freeze is detected on the decoded output.
• Black, bars or freeze frame can be generated on an output when there is no signal on an input.
• Automatic or manual switching of MPEG transport streams can be performed via switch groups including the ability to switch multiple streams at the same time. Every switch in an assigned group has multiple inputs and one output which can be sent to multiple streaming destinations. This allows switching of all main sources to backup sources or to an external feed, for example. Each switch group can have multiple switches.
• All inputs, outputs, encoders and decoders can be adapted to user needs through license update.

"Media Gateway extends our long-established ethos of maximizing broadcast playout efficiency by allowing as much as possible of the channel management process to be handled within a unified and operator-friendly graphic interface," adds CEO Pavlin Rahnev. "It allows the entire process of playout routing and decoding to be handled within a single workflow, removing the need for third-party signal processors which in turn saves on cost and frees up space in on-premises equipment bays."

Playbox Neo will demo the new gateway at Stand 8.C74 at the 2022 IBC Show at the RAI Amsterdam, Sept. 9-13.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—PlayBox Neo will introduce the latest advances in broadcast TV channel management at the 2022 NAB Show between April 23 and 27 in Las Vegas. 

Exhibiting on Booth N5210 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, North Hall, the company will demonstrate a complete UHD/HD/SD playout solution designed to handle every building block of the content management process from ingest, pre-production and scheduling to terrestrial, satellite and online transmission. 

Making their NAB debut will be the Capture Suite network-based multi-channel ingest solution, the newly enhanced Multi Playout Manager (MPM) and the latest-generation AirBox Neo-20 series playout system.

"It's wonderful to see the NAB Show back in Vegas after its two gap years," says Van Duke, PlayBox Neo U.S. director of operations. "We have a good location at the front of the North Hall, just off the LVCC main entrance. A key element of our demo will be 4K-UHD which is gathering momentum worldwide as a high-end broadcasting standard. PlayBox Neo systems can be configured to provide full support for playout in 4K-UHD, HD and SD, including simultaneous transmission in multiple standards.”

"We will also be promoting PlayBox Neo's support for IP control which empowers administrator-approved operators to work remotely via a secure internet link,” he continued. “This has long been a core feature of our systems, linking TV network headquarters with regional studios in other cities, states or continents.

Solutions on display include:

• The new PlayBox Neo Capture Suite. Making its NAB debut, PlayBox Neo's Capture Suite is designed to handle the ingest workflow of television networks, postproduction facilities and playout service providers. Operators gain the ability to control multiple ingest channels across multiple servers. Functions such as input selection, ingest presets, file-naming rules, assignments and auto-transfer can be performed quickly and easily from a single web user interface. Features include a multiviewer with black-frame and frozen-frame alarms plus loudness audio level monitoring as well as manual, scheduled and compliance ingest modes with automated input switching. Content can be now edited in Adobe Premiere and Grass Valley Edius Workgroup 9+ while ingesting. MXF and TS files being ingested are available for immediate playout via AirBox Neo-20 automation without having to wait for the ingest process to complete.
• The enhanced PlayBox Neo Multi Playout Manager (MPM). PlayBox Neo's Multi Playout Manager (MPM) broadcast playout monitoring and control system allows multiple AirBox Neo-20 channels to be operated via IP from any network-connected location. Latest-generation enhancements include an updated user interface and integrated playout preview. Optimized performance combined with fully integrated playout preview makes remote control and monitoring easier than ever. At MPM's front end is a revised user interface designed to match the UIs across the entire PlayBox Neo series. An integral editor can be used to create future playlists. MPM also provides support for custom metadata from AirBox Neo-20 and includes a library module for fast access to MAM. Media files can be drag-and-dropped from library to playlist or processed into multiple folders with custom metadata settings such as category and folder color. A supervisor can also custom-brand the MPM user interface with an organization’s or channel's logo.
• The enhanced PlayBox Neo AirBox Neo-20. An automated streaming and broadcast playout system based on 22 years of refinement, AirBox Neo-20 is designed to make TV content creation and management easy and stress-free. Available in 1U channel-in-a-box and 3U multichannel versions, it is suitable for local or IP-linked remote control. Playlist scheduling can be performed weeks ahead of actual transmission, media files finessed, rescheduled or integrated with live production, and playlists configured for 24/7 automated operation. Delivery across multiple time zones in multiple languages is supported. AirBox Neo-20 enhancements include GPU acceleration to achieve fast file decoding. Input/output configuration can be performed using a web-based resource monitor connected via a secure link. Automatic alerts warn operators of absent or frozen video feeds via a multiviewer. Picture-in-picture digital video effects creation and real-time loudness compliance are also provided. Transport stream and XDCAM MXF file clips can be played back while still being ingested. Enhanced connectivity capabilities include NDI input in addition to the existing compatibility with SDI, MPEG-2 TS and and IP streams. NDI output is also now included, supplementing the existing SDI, SRT/UDP/RTP stream and RTMPS outputs.
• The enhanced PlayBox Neo Cloud2TV. PlayBox Neo will additionally be promoting Cloud2TV. Available on a SaaS subscription, this is fully compatible with existing AirBox Neo-20 playout infrastructure and can be used to extend both scale and functionality. Specific Cloud2TV applications are assigned to content ingest, graphic editing, media browsing with metadata handling and clip trimming, quality control and verification, transcoding, playlist management and audit logging. These can be closely coordinated to provide a full set of broadcast resources supporting the workflow of an entire TV channel. Cloud2TV is configurable for terrestrial, satellite or CDN-based playout under full IP control. It also forms a robust platform for secure media asset management and archiving, accessible by authorized operators anywhere in the world.

PlayBox Neo has hired Loni Fiscus as a trainer for the U.S.-based PlayBox Neo team, providing training and demonstrations of the newest versions of the PlayBox Neo-20 suite of products, focusing on AirBox Neo-20 for automated content streaming and broadcast playout and Cloud2TV virtual playout solution.

Fiscus comes to PlayBox Neo with deep broadcast roots. She grew up learning systems integration and video production through her parents’ company, AC Video Solutions, an A/V consultancy based in Orange, N.J.

“Loni is a wonderful addition and is a perfect fit to the PlayBox Neo team,” said Van Duke, director of U.S. Operations, PlayBox Neo. “She brings this genuine enthusiasm for the technology and an interest in the customer when she conducts demos. She was up and running right off the bat. We’re really looking forward to Loni’s contribution to PlayBox Neo in the U.S.”

Fiscus has two degrees from NJIT—one in Digital Design and the other in Theater Arts and Technology. A recent graduate, she already has a wealth of experience as a freelance teleprompter operator and five years running the backstage and dressing room areas during shows at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC.)

Fiscus finds a similarity in the ease of use in the PlayBox Neo systems and the QLab theatrical software. While in college, she served as the assistant director on many plays, as well as handling projection and design. “I love to work in both [AirBox Neo-20 and QLab.] I’ve always found live streaming and broadcast technology very interesting. With AirBox Neo-20, there are so many ways to automate and layer things.”

SOPHIA, Bulgaria—PlayBox Neo will make the European debut of its latest broadcast playout system at IBC 2021, Dec. 3-6, in Amsterdam at the RAI Convention Center.

The company will demonstrate its complete playout solution, handling every element of content management from ingest and pre-production to scheduling and transmission. The modular solution gives broadcasters the ability to choose between hardware-, software- or cloud-based operation. A hybrid approach is also supported. The solution can be scaled from a single regional or thematic channel to a global network, the company said.

"The two years which have elapsed since the last IBC show have seen major advances across many sectors of the broadcast media industry," says PlayBox Neo CEO Pavlin Rahnev.

"Most significant of these have been the need for maximum flexibility in where, when and how broadcasters choose to work given the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic," he continued. "Secure IP-based operation has long been a core feature of our technology, allowing easy control of the entire playout process regardless of physical distance. 

PlayBox Neo Capture Suite will make its first European appearance at IBC 2021. It is designed to speed up ingest workflows for TV networks, post-production facilities and playout service providers.

Operators can control multiple ingest channels across multiple servers. Input selection, ingest presets, file-naming conventions, assignment and auto-transfer can be done from a single web interface. The solution includes a web-based multiviewer with black-frame and freeze-frame alarms. It also offers loudness level monitoring, the company said.

PlayBox Neo will also feature its AirBox Neo-20 automated streaming and broadcast playout system. It is available in 1U channel-in-a-box and 3U multichannel versions. Well-suited for local or IP-link remote control, it enables playlist scheduling to be done weeks before transmission. Media files can be finessed, rescheduled or integrated with live production. Playlists can be configured for 24/7 automated operation on any scale, including support for multiple time zones in multiple languages, it said.

New refinements include GPU acceleration for fast file decoding, secure web-based resource monitor configuration support for input and output, automatic alerts for absent or frozen video feeds, PiP digital video effects creation and loudness monitoring, the company said.

Transport stream and XDCAM MXF file clips can be played back while still being ingested. Enhanced connectivity capabilities include NDI input in addition to the existing compatibility with SDI, MPEG-2 TS and IP streams. NDI output is also now included, supplementing the existing SDI, SRT/UDP/RTP stream and RTMPS outputs, it said.

PlayBox Neo will also showcase its Cloud2TV for content ingest, graphic editing, media browsing with metadata management, clip trimming, QC and verification, transcoding, playlist management and audit logging. Available as a SaaS subscription, Cloud2TV is fully compatible with an existing AirBox Neo-20 playout infrastructure. 

See PlayBox Neo at IBC 2021 Stand 8.B71.

More information is available on the company’s website.

GERMANTOWN, Pa.—Germantown Municipal Television (GMTV) has upgraded to the PlayBox Neo-20 channel-in-a-box server solution, Capture Suite for live ingest, AirBox Neo-20 playout server and TitleBox Neo-20 graphics generator.

The local PEG channel broadcasts a wide variety of programming from daily newscasts and talk shows to local government meetings in 1080p resolution. A total of 11,422 local households can access GMTV on AT&T U-Verse and Comcast.

GMTV is a student-run station located on the campus of Houston High School in Germantown. Film & Video curriculum students produce a daily news show, six talk shows a month and live coverage of town government meetings.

While GMTV is student-run, broadcast veteran Rob Manuel, chief engineering of the station, works to make the channel indistinguishable from local commercial stations. 

“While our budget is not huge, no one can tell that from the quality of our broadcasts,” said Manuel. “We shop around extensively when it comes to the technology we use. We search for systems that are easy to learn, integrate well together and provide the best output. And we keep everything upgraded as much as we’re able.”

GMTV’s deployment is its latest PlayBox Neo upgrade. Since 2008 GMTV has relied PlayBox Neo systems with the last upgrade coming in 2014 when GMTV deployed a 480i SD playout system, said Manuel.

“We were looking to integrate [Microsoft] Windows 10 into our playout system,” he said. The new PlayBox Neo-20 system is compatible with Windows 10.

“We’ve been consistently happy with their products and service. The reliability and ease of use of PlayBox Neo technology is what I’m most impressed with. As a 24/7 local PEG station with a lot of live and originally produced programming, we don’t have time to worry about our equipment. PlayBox Neo gives us peace of mind. It just works,” he said. 

More information is available on the PlayBox Neo website.

BANGKOK—PSI Broadcasting, a major Thai television broadcaster and playout service provider, has purchased the latest-generation Channel-in-a-Box server from Playbox Neo for integration into its headquarters here.

The acquisition, which expands PSI Broadcasting’s compliment of Playbox Neo solutions, includes a complete suite of AirBox Neo-20 playout software as well as TitleBox Neo-20 graphics and Capture Suite ingest management.

"We operate a large playout system for our own 1080i high definition television channel and in a hosting role on behalf of third-party channels," says Rattana Taipong, PSI Broadcasting's technical manager.

"It is based on PlayBox Neo servers which have proved highly reliable over the years. They give our operators all the facilities they need to perform their duties efficiently and effectively, from ingest, program prescheduling and commercials insertion right through to transmission. The whole process can be performed on a fully automated basis while retaining the ability to go live whenever needed,” he said.

“We also subscribe to PlayBox Neo's Annual Service Maintenance offering which gives us 24/7 support if needed – fortunately very rare. We also get access to the latest software updates across the entire product range; that is certainly useful as it ensures we are able to react quickly to new interface protocols and file formats," he continued. 

AirBox Neo-20 allows media files of various kinds to be combined into a single transmission playlist. Simultaneous multiple SDI/IP streaming UHD/HD/SD outputs are supported. Files can be trimmed, edited or repositioned at any time prior to being aired, without losing the freedom to transmit live, the company said.

TitleBox Neo-20 provides total control of titling, graphics generation and text management in advance of transmission and live on-air. The feature set includes horizontal crawling text, vertically rolling credits and messages, still and animated logo graphics, it said.

PlayBox Neo's Capture Suite enables television station management staff to control multiple ingest channels across multiple servers via a single graphic interface. Functions such as input selection, ingest presets, file naming, file assignment and auto-transfer can be performed with a single click, the company said.

Capture Suite integrates closely with AirBox Neo-20 or can be used standalone to support the production workflow at any media publishing house, post-production facility or playout service provider, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

SEATTLE—The Seattle Channel is an award-winning municipal television station available on cable and online that offers a local mix of live and prerecorded news, analysis, stories and perspectives that help citizens connect with their city.

When the Seattle Channel first purchased its first two AirBox Neo servers from PlayBox Neo in 2007, the servers were to be used for 24/7, multiformat playout with one as the main unit and the other providing redundancy.

We use our PlayBox Neo setup for program scheduling and promos in a fully automated playout model. Since our initial purchase, we’ve taken full advantage of several of the system’s lesser known features. 

STREAMLINED WORKFLOWS

One of the first of the lesser-known features we noticed was the system’s ability to autofill time gaps between programming using the ListBox Neo-20 offline schedule editor. We used to have one full-time staff member filling in the gaps between prerecorded programming. We were thrilled when we realized our new system could do that for us.

We operate out of Seattle City Hall and broadcast all Seattle City Council meetings with closed captioning using PlayBox Neo’s Capture Suite live ingest solution. The captions are included within the MPEG file so there’s no need for a separate caption file when the meeting is replayed. Separate caption sidecar files are also recognized by the SafeBox Neo automated content management software and played back as needed.

We have a lot of live and a lot of evergreen programming. As we’re scheduling the programming, SafeBox Neo finds what we want in our EVO NAS device and adds it to the playlist. It makes sure the right programming is copied over to the server. It’s a big help with our existing programming. Emergency messages are created within the TitleBox Neo-20 graphics generator.

AUTOMATION AND RELIABILITY

We’re a very busy municipal station with a ton of live and prerecorded programming. It’s a great relief that a critical part of our technical operations is something we never have to worry about.

Overall, we’re thrilled with the reliability of our system. Typically, both AirBox Neo-20 servers run for 30 days or more without being rebooted. They just grab the next playlist and keep on going.

The PlayBox Neo system is so automated and reliable, we now look like a broadcast station, without the need for a full-time operator. PlayBox Neo solutions provide a seamless workflow to keep channels on air by combining scheduling, ingest, playout, CG and interactive graphics within one box and remote tools to enhance QC checks, preparation and monitoring. The output can be SDI or IP streaming and is suitable for a variety of applications including traditional broadcast TV, pay TV, playout centers, satellite operators, etc. 

Daryl Peck has been a video engineer for 40 years and has been with the Seattle Channel for the past 18. The Seattle Channel is the award-winning cable channel for the City of Seattle. For more information visit www.seattlechannel.org.

For more information on Playbox Neo visit www.playboxneo.com

SOFIA, Bulgaria & WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—PlayBox Neo today unveiled new features and expanded connectivity options for its TV Channel-in-a-Box, Neo-20 and Capture Suite.

PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box offers every function needed to maintain a single or multiple TV channels either locally or via remote control. The system, which can be configured to any needed scale with various operational elements, is based on AirBox Neo-20 playout automation. 

Those elements include Capture Suite media ingest, TitleBox Neo-20 interactive character generator and graphics and ListBox Neo-20 scheduling. The solution fully supports terrestrial, satellite, cable and IP-streamed transmission.

AirBox Neo-20, capable of supporting around-the-clock automated operation on any scale, is now updated with several new features, including:

• Transport Stream and XDCAM MXF file clip playback while still being ingested;

• GPU acceleration to speed file decodes;

• Picture-in-Picture digital video effects created within AirBox Neo-20;

• Real-time loudness compliance to conform with national and international standards;

• Operator alert to missing or frozen video feeds via a web-based multiviewer; and 

• Web-based input and output configuration using a securely connected resource monitor.

The company also has added NDI input and output connectivity to AirBox Neo-20.

PlayBox Neo’s Capture Suite controls multiple ingest channels across many servers from one web user interface in UHD, HD and SD production workflows. New Capture Suite features include:

• Manual, scheduled and compliance ingest mode support with automated input switching;

• Adobe Premiere and Grass Valley Edius Workgroup 9+ editing while performing ingest;

• MXF and TS file ingest immediate playout availability via AirBox Neo-20 automation without waiting for ingest completion;

• Loudness audio meters and precise audio level adjustment; and

• Web-based multiviewer with black and freeze frame alarms.

More information is available on the company’s website.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Island TV recently opted to go with multiple PlayBox Neo products to help ensure that its content reaches all of its viewers, including the AirBox Neo, TitleBox Neo and ListBox Neo platforms.

Island TV is based in Miami and provides live and recorded programming in three different languages to regional broadcast stations in Florida and 13 Caribbean Islands via cable and over-the-air. As the network was turning 25, and following instances of its previous playout system freezing multiple times a day, Island TV made the switch to PlayBox Neo.

Two single-channel AirBox Neo servers were part of the install, each running the latest Neo-20 software. TitleBox Neo graphics generator was included for graphics overlay and the ListBox Neo offline schedule editor managed scheduling.

The AirBox Neo servers were configured for content ingest, master playout and backup. TitleBox Neo-20 provides fully interactive 4K UHD/HD/SD channel branding. The combination allows Island TV to perform file-based video playback and live pass-through streaming with graphic overlays.

Updates to the Neo-20 software include the ability to mix different media formats, frame rates and resolutions in a single playlist; a web-based multiviewer; and low latency, high-quality streaming via the public internet.

“We couldn’t be happier with our switch to PlayBox Neo,” said Frantz Parisot, Island TV, chief engineer. “They trained us and got the whole team knowledgeable about the system. Their support has been truly above and beyond. But what I’m most impressed with is the software. It’s been so easy to use, integrates within our existing workflow, and its reliability means we’re free to focus on other things without worrying about playout. It’s so flexible, we can insert additional files or switch to a fully live broadcast on any channel at any time. We incorporated the two servers within our network, including our NAS (Network Attached Storage) and our FTP server. It’s a very powerful system.”

For more information, visit www.playboxneo.com.  

BANGKOK, Thailand—PlayBox Neo has announced it recently worked with Thailand’s Workpoint TV to install an AirBox Neo-20-based system expansion. Workpoint TV had previously used PlayBox Neo equipment.

The installation of the AirBox Neo-20 software is meant to provide new features like the ability to process and transmit incoming content while it is still being ingested, according to Saran Chaichanachortsagul, Workpoint TV broadcast engineering supervisor.

Four AirBox Neo-20 channel-in-a-box servers, two ProductionAirBox Neo-20 live-production servers and PlayBox Neo’s Capture Suite were supplied to Workpoint TV by O’Connor’s Company Limited. One of the AirBox Neo-20 servers will handle archiving, while the new Capture Suite works with content ingest.

"This latest project confirms what we have long recognized, that many broadcasters around the world like to possess and maintain their own hardware and software onsite," said PlayBox Neo CEO Pavlin Rahnev. "We cover both bases, giving customers complete freedom to choose the mode of operation that best meets the demands currently placed on them while allowing easy expansion into server-plus-cloud or fully cloud-based playout if needed in the future.”

For more information, visit www.playboxneo.com.  

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—PlayBox Neo has expanded the software connectivity of its ProductionAirBox Neo-20 broadcast playout server, with the unit now being able to support the Octopus Newsroom computer system (NRCS).

The ProductionAirBox Neo-20, developed from the AirBox Neo-20, offers features for live production, including the ability to trim or reposition every clip in a playout while the scheduled session is on air. Playout position can also be changed on the fly. The unit also can be configured with up to four independent players and import a range of file formats and resolutions.

By adding the Octopus NRCS, users can handle content archives, graphics manipulation and character generation from the ProductionAirBox Neo-20 graphic interface.

For more information, visit www.playboxneo.com.  

BELGRADE, Serbia—N1, the 24-hour Serbian TV news broadcaster, has completed a large playout system installation leveraging PlayBox Neo ‘s Channel-in-a-Box solution at its Belgrade headquarters, PlayBox Neo announced.

"The time had come to modernize the playout facilities for our three regional channels. Following a careful study of the various solutions on the market, we opted for AirBox Neo-20 servers as being the most efficient to operate and maintain,” said N1 CTO Vladimir Ilic.

N1, CNN’s exclusive regional partner, distributes news via cable TV, direct-to-home satellite and on the Net TV Plus OTT platform. The new AirBox Neo-20 servers provide N1 with pre-scheduling and automated playout functionality while maintaining the flexibility to make near-to-airtime changes or insert live contribution feeds, said Ilic.

“Everything is controlled from a unified interface, which simplifies staff training and allows our operators to work with maximum confidence,” he said, adding that the PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box approach will make it easy to add more servers to expand N1 workflow when required.

The project was commissioned via PlayBox Neo distribution partner PBT Adria, which supervised the design, installation and operator training.

“After detailed discussions with the N1 engineering team, we recommended a solution comprising seven AirBox Neo-20 playout servers plus a PlayBox Neo Multi Backup Manager,” said PBT Adria's General Manager Vladimir Stanić.

“We have equipped the N1 facilities with PlayBox Neo servers in 1+1 main and backup configuration, and they will broadcast to Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina regions. All N1 production and transmission are in HD, supplemented by a downconverted feed for SD delivery. As part of the system, we also integrated PBT Adria Traffic Box traffic management software, which is used for program rights handling, scheduling and EPG deployment," he said.

More information is available on the PlayBox Neo website.  

RHINELANDER, Wis.—WJFW-TV, the Rockfleet Broadcasting-owned NBC affiliate serving Rhinelander, Wis., has deployed a third PlayBox Neo AirBox Neo-20 server for playout of the station’s primary channel. The system joins two previously installed AirBox New-20 servers used to manage playout of the station’s Antenna TV and COZI-TV digital subchannels.

“Our PlayBox Neo servers have been rock solid for us as has the company’s support,” said Marty Mangerson, technical director at WJFW.

“We’ve got best-of-breed equipment across the board here, and we didn’t want to downgrade at all for our secondary channels. Thankfully, we didn’t have to,” he added.

“By simply adding another server, we’re 100% ready for 24/7 broadcast of our secondary channel—COZI-TV. And the price tag was well within our budget. The PlayBox Neo set up is exactly what we were looking for and what we need for our new channel.”

The new server replaced an existing AirBox New-20 in use at the station for the primary channel, which was then reassigned to managing playout of COZI-TV.

WJFW uses its PlayBox Neo system for program and commercial playout, as well as live pass through streaming and graphic overlays for all three channels. All three AirBox Neo servers interface easily with the station’s existing Wide Orbit trafficking system. 

The station first installed an AirBox Neo server and TitleBox Neo CG in 2006. It added a second server in 2011 for playout of Antenna TV.

More information is available on the PlayBox Neo website.

BANGKOK, Thailand—PSI Broadcasting, a supplier of broadcast playout facilities in Thailand, recently acquired PlayBox Neo’s AirBox Neo-20 Channel-in-a-Box TV playout system to be assigned to tvN Thai, which PSI transmits on behalf of Korean partner CJ ENM.

The AirBox Neo-20 can combine media files to be combined into a single transmission playlist with support for simultaneous multiple SDI/IP streaming UHD/HD/SD outputs. Files can be trimmed, edited or repositioned at any time prior to being aired, PlayBox says. In addition, playlists can be scheduled in advance; gaps and time overlaps are automatically corrected; and protection is offered for continued operation when content files or schedules are missing.

This is the 19th AirBox Neo system PSI has, and will enable PSI to supplement the tvN Thai channel with full backup redundancy, including automatic switchover between primary and secondary feeds, said Rattana Taipong, PSI Broadcasting technical manager.

With the addition of the new AirBox Neo system, Taipong says that tvN will now be able to deliver UHD, HD and SD from a single server.

All of PSI’s servers have upgraded to the Neo-20 software, which includes a web-based multiviewer with a resource monitor, SRT output support for video streaming via the internet, connectivity with third-party devices and the ability to output in a variety of video standards and frame rates.

For more information, visit www.playboxneo.com.  

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa.—At PBS39, Lehigh Valley Public Media, we broadcast five channels of programming: WLVT PBS, WLVT Create, France24, PBS39 Extra and WORLD Channel. PBS39’s primary service area includes much of eastern Pennsylvania and parts of western and southern New Jersey. Cable television carriers include Comcast, Service Electric, RCN, Blue Ridge Cable and others. WLVT-TV is also available over-the-air and throughout the region via DirecTV, Dish Network and Verizon FiOS.

With five separate broadcast channels—three that pass through our internal master control and two others managed by joint master control (JMCO)—a playout system we can count on 24/7 is clearly a must-have. Given the amount of live and pre-recorded content we create and deliver, we need rock-solid playout that is flexible, easy to use and affordable—all in one system.

This was made clear when our legacy automation system failed right after I started as a consultant at WLVT a few years ago. Based on my previous experience with PlayBox Neo equipment, I knew we could install one of their automation servers quickly and get it up and running in a day, which we did. We’ve been with PlayBox Neo ever since.

For WLVT, we need to add in live pledge drives with lower-thirds and insert live and pre-recorded local programming—all within our budget. We get that all in a simple-to-use system with a lot of options for the price from PlayBox Neo.

THIRD PHASE

As our programming output has expanded, so has our playout system. We’re now in our third phase of PlayBox Neo installations. The most recent install was due to a new channel launch for PBS39 Extra in March, which reruns some of our most popular shows from PBS39. We’ve assigned PBS39 Extra to our JMCO and brought our home and crafts channel, Create TV, to our in-house master control.

Create TV features original and pledge programming, which requires lower thirds and logos. We added our second dual-channel AirBox Neo server to our setup for content ingest, master playout and storage. We also added a TitleBox Neo character generator for fully interactive 4K UHD/HD/SD channel branding. With both, we can do file-based video playback, live pass-through streaming and graphic overlays. We’ve got the flexibility to play out local programming precisely when and how we want to do it.

In 2018 when our old clip player died, we replaced it with the ProductionAirBox Neo and also had that installed and working in a live show the same day. It’s used for playing clips back into our original productions that are shot in our studios.

The support we’ve received for such a mission-critical part of our operations has been stellar. Van Duke, director of U.S. operations for PlayBox Neo, has gone above and beyond for us. No matter the issue, he and his team have come through for us.

Currently, our full setup of PlayBox Neo equipment includes:

• Two dual-channel AirBox Neo servers for master control 
• One TitleBox Neo CG 
• Four channels of CaptureBox Neo to control multiple ingest channels 
• One ProductionAirBox Neo for multichannel live production clip playout 

While we use their server-based solutions, given the present state of remote production, we may look someday to the company’s Cloud2TV virtual channel playout system at some point. Cloud2TV’s SaaS lets you operate their playout channels from any location via a simple web interface.

After serving as a technical consultant to WLVT, Andrea Cummis started as the station’s chief technical officer in March of 2018. She is also the vice president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), a role she’s held for the past year. She can be reached andreac@wlvt.org.

For more information, visit www.playboxneo.com.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—PlayBox Neo has shared new updates to its AirBox broadcast playout system’s 1U and 3U Neo servers and the IP-based Cloud2TV that are designed to provide additional operating features and increased connectivity.

As part of the update, AirBox Neo has added SRT output support. SRT is designed for fast and reliable file transmission at the application layer with User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as an underlying transport layer. This enables reliable and secure streaming of high quality content via the public internet, PlayBox says. SRT support also offers new Caller, Listener and Rendezvous modes that support connection to the AirBox Neo playout server for more than one location. There are also latency parameter controls and 128/256 bit AES encryption.

An integrated in/output application is also being introduced, which can be shared between AirBox Neo servers and Capture Suite. Connectivity features include NDI output, AJA output plug-in and AJA input plug-ins plus an HLS input. Simultaneous outputs can be delivered in a choice of video standards and frame rates. On the fly interactive control over any input/output plug-in is also provided.

In addition, PlayBox is offering a web-based multiviewer for AirBox Neo that accepts UHD/HD/SD sources and provides support for AJA, BMD and NDI protocols. The multiviewer includes a dashboard with a built-in resource monitor. Other new features include an NDI input plug-in, internal clock handling and a new device manager for handling live feeds.

PlayBox has also announced seven new enhancements for its Cloud2TV software-centric virtual channel playout system. They include:

• Auto import function updated with the ability to recognize files that are still under upload; 
• Auto import function automatically recognizes each media file and places it in a related container; 
• Purge task implementation automatically clears all deleted assets and media files from “default storage;” 
• Improvements to transcoding of files, with all newly created media files becoming “default” automatically; 
• Clear labeling of playlists that contain media files that have not been QC checked; 
• Audio normalization after QC check is now implemented for AirBox Neo playout; and 
• Password history implementation to prevent prolonged use of one password 

For more information, visit www.playboxneo.com.  

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—PlayBox Neo has a new addition to its product line, the Capture Suite ingest system. Capture Suite is designed to handle the entire ingest process from a standard web browser.

“[Capture Suite] is a multichannel multiserver live ingest solution supporting a wide range of codecs and containers,” said Stanislav Petkov, PlayBox Neo CTO. “The ingest operator controls all available ingest servers from a single user interface, ensuring very high efficiency.”

With Capture Suite’s processing flexibility, the system can handle many file formats, including codecs such as ProRes, XDCAM IMX, XDCAM HD, XAVC, MPEG2, H.264, HEVC, DNxHD, DNxHR and DV, as well as industry format containers like MXF, MOV, MP4, TS and PS. Closed-caption data can also be ingested.

Each ingest instance can produce two main encodings in real time, each with proxy video, multiple audio and video formats, multiple frame rates, multiple resolutions and multiple audio mappings. Capture Suite handles the required video, audio and ancillary data conversions internally.

A single input source can be distributed by Capture Suite on one or more outputs with identical or different frame rates and resolutions, enabling it to function as a standards converter or to interface between NDI and SDI.

In addition, available functions include input selection, ingest presets and file-naming conventions, as well as easily accessible input and output configuration, and video content and audio level previews.

For more information, visit www.playboxneo.com.  

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—PlayBox Neo was the multichannel playout system of choice for PMCM-TV stations WNWT in New Jersey and WJLP in New York City when it was time to upgrade their playout and channel branding capabilities, PlayBox shared.

WJLP and WNWT share transmitter facilities in midtown Manhattan. WNWT is currently online with PlayBox Neo, WJLP is set to be after its site at Freedom Tower comes online later this year.

The setup at WNWT features PlayBox Neo AirBox Channel-in-a-Box servers in content ingest, master playout and backup configurations. Each is configured with AirBox Neo-19 playout software. The AirBox Neo servers are being used with TitleBox Neo character generators for fully interactive 4K UHD/HD/SD channel branding at each station. This gives each station the capacity for file-based video playback, live pass through streaming and graphic overlays, PlayBox says.

According to Jim McGowan, TV/IT engineer at PMCM-TV, the PlayBox Neo server allows for flexibility to run multiple type of signal formats, mix codecs, schedule content for automated playout and switch between programmed and live broadcasts.

Part of the stations’ choice of PlayBox Neo was its compatibility with Dual Tone Modulated Frequency triggers and the stations’ existing traffic and billing platform.

For more information, visit www.playboxneo.com.  

NAIROBI, KENYA & NEW YORK—Starting a television network is not for the faint of heart, even during economic boom times. But launching one during a global pandemic as a start-up in a country with frequent power outages takes “guts” to another level.

Yet that’s exactly what founders Jeff Schon and Jesse Soleil did with the New York City and Nairobi-based Akili Network. Kenya’s first and only 24/7, free-to-air educational kids network launched on March 31.  Akili Kids! broadcasts a mix of programming for the country's school-age and pre-school children.

CEO Schon and Soleil (president) moved from the United States to live full-time in Nairobi. The company’s CTO, Vincent Grosso, steers the technology direction for the start-up from upstate New York and Manhattan.

Akili Kids was conceived as a global operation from the start, with the team sharing programming and technical tasks. With input from multiple countries with multiple video file formats from multiple time zones, the executive staff at Akili knew their playout system had to be flexible, reliable and easy to use with headroom for creativity. And because of the sometimes unstable IP infrastructure in Kenya, the system had to withstand power outages and remain autonomous online if communication to the server broke down. 

With those parameters in mind, Akili selected the Cloud2TV virtual channel playout system from PlayBox Neo. Cloud2TV is a cloud-based software-as-a service system that enables broadcasters to operate their playout channels from any location on the globe via an easy-to-use web interface. 

One determining factor in the decision was the SaaS model and virtualization of server functions. With core engineering support for the server in Bulgaria (PlayBox Neo headquarters), Akili doesn’t need an engineering staff on site in Nairobi. The platform at a local data center in Kenya has full system redundancy and master control capability, which can be remotely managed from desktops in any Akili office. 

“Cloud2TV was designed, as our operations were, as a virtual remote operation from its inception,” said Grosso. “The data center in Nairobi where our Cloud2TV server is located, has power and internet outages, and it can be 58 hops from our New York City office. The command and control functions of the PlayBox Neo platform use little bandwidth and set the server to work autonomously for days or weeks at a time if necessary.  

“If this server and its software can work in Kenya, with the outages and unreliable internet, it’ll surely work in any location in the U.S.”

Van Duke, director of U.S. Operations for PlayBox Neo, was closely involved with the implementation. Grosso credits Duke’s integrity and communication skills for the successful product configuration and installation: “When you have a highly functional product from the minds of extremely bright engineers, you need a way to relay the customers’ needs back to the engineers so they can unlock the necessary functionality. Van put the Akili team together with the PlayBox Neo engineers to find the easiest way to use the software to do necessary station tasks quickly.”

The Akili Network team uses Slack, Zoom and Skype to communicate globally and instantly as a virtual team. The Akili Network’s tasks are well defined. Weeks before a scheduled broadcast, Soleil logs onto the New York content server to transcode files from content providers. Days before the content is to go on air, the scheduling manager in Nairobi, Anne Sato, completes playlists for the following week. At 10 p.m. Eastern Time, the night before each broadcast day, Grosso logs on to the PlayBox server to check tomorrow’s playlist one last time before air.

“The sun never sets on Akili. When the team in Kenya is asleep, we’re working in the U.S. and vice versa,” reports Grosso. “I can see this as a model for virtual broadcast teams in different time zones in the U.S.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.—Global broadcast service provider SoundView Broadcasting recently acquired a PlayBox Neo multichannel playout system to work in its New York City headquarters.

PlayBox Neo Multi-Backup Manager is designed for backing up multiple playout channels simultaneously, enabling the user to choose the number of backup systems. MBM monitors user-defined lists with Neo-19 channel-in-a-box master and slave applications, where a slave application will automatically replace the master if it does not respond in two seconds or more.

“We have provided three of our full-size 3U servers for this project,” said Van Duke, PlayBox Neo U.S. director of operations. “Each is configured with AirBox Neo-19 playout software and TitleBox Neo-19 channel branding software. Servers 1 and 2 include ANSI/SCTE 35 insertion cue messaging. Servers 2 and 3 are additionally loaded with PlayBox Neo Multi-Backup Manager. Server 3 has been installed in an offsite disaster recovery facility.”

SoundView Broadcasting’s Director of Operations Sarmad Zafar described the new installation as operator-friendly and that it provides the necessary information from ingest to transmission.

CULVER CITY, Calif.—Olympusat, an independent broadcast media services company, has upgraded its playout system with the enhancement of 26 servers to the latest generation Version 19 Channel-in-a-Box Neo, TitleBoxNeo and SafeBox Neo from Playbox Neo, the company announced.

“We invested in PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box two years ago with an installation at our engineering center in Culver City, Calif., and we are very pleased with it,” said Olympusat Operations Manager Michael Kohl.

“Van Duke and his colleagues at PlayBox Neo worked closely with us during the original install to integrate our existing ad sales management tools. Upgrading to Neo-19 software makes our workflow even more efficient. The PlayBox Neo team has added extra engineering features, including support for SCTE commands and N+M redundancy.”

The functions provided by Playbox Neo increase the flexibility and customization available to Olympusat, said Kohl. The media company controls the entire system from its West Palm Beach, Fla., facility.

With Playbox Neo, Olympusat processes “30 full high-definition channels in the way we have found most effective rather than the way some solutions would have imposed on us,” said Kohl.

“PlayBox Neo gives us the freedom to schedule programs, commercials and promos for fully automated playout. It also allows us to insert additional files or switch to fully live broadcasting on any selected channel at any time,” he added.

Olympusat CEO Tom Mohler expressed his satisfaction with the upgrades. “I want to thank both sides for their teamwork and professionalism as we continue to deliver high quality content to our network audiences.”

More information is available on the Playbox Neo website. 

NEW YORK—After a European showcase at IBC 2019, PlayBox’s latest technology will find itself under the bright lights of New York City with a spot on the exhibit floor of the 2019 NAB Show New York, Oct. 16-17 at the Javits Convention Center.

PlayBox will demonstrate its complete PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box television branding and playout system with its latest software modules.

The Neo Channel-in-a-Box is available in 3U and 1U sizes, with the former able to support two HD channels or four SD channels, and the later supporting one HD or two SD channels. It can also be configured from a wide range of Neo-series software modules and optional accessories. The system enables users to perform tasks like content scheduling, promos, commercials, graphics preparation, subtitling and billing.

PlayBox also has the Cloud2TV, a system for content owners to create broadcast channels for transmission over digital terrestrial, satellite, cable or online media. In addition, both the Cloud2TV and Neo Channel-in-a-Box products support UHD, HD and SD and can be fully-automated.

PlayBox’s booth will be located at N246.

AMSTERDAM—PlayBox Neo is marking the European debut of its Cloud2TV channel branding and playout software at the 2019 IBC Show in Amsterdam, Sept. 13-17.

Available on a competitive subscription basis, Cloud2TV comprises a range of software modules that can be mixed and matched to handle any desired combination of channels, languages and time zones, according to PlayBox Neo CTO Stanislav Petkov.

“Cloud2TV is a coordinated solution meeting every conceivable playout challenge from a single-event channel right up to a round-the-clock global network,” he said. “Scalability and ease of operation are built in right from the start."

"Cloud2TV takes playout up to the next level in terms of new-start-up flexibility," adds CEO Pavlin Rahnev. "Fast and easy to deploy, it gives network operators the freedom to scale their activities with unprecedented precision while side-stepping the cost of holding reserve equipment on standby. Cloud2TV is also the perfect platform on which to deploy a disaster-recovery facility without the rental and staffing costs entailed in equipping and operating an off-site studio.

PlayBox Neo will also demonstrate the latest updates to its Channel-in-a-Box system, which comes complete with a dedicated server in a choice of 3U and 1U sizes. The server can be used on its own or in combination with others to support any desired number of channels. Each Channel-in-Box installation can be configured from a range of Neo-series software modules and optional accessories. Content scheduling, promos, commercials, graphics preparation, subtitling and billing can all be handled under fully automated control while retaining the freedom to insert live content after any currently airing file or, for a big-breaking story, to switch instantly to live pass-through.

PlayBox Neo's Cloud2TV and Channel-in-a-Box both support UHD, HD and SD and can be operated in round-the-clock fully-automated mode. Operators retain the freedom to make schedule alterations or insert live content between prescheduled content.

PlayBox Neo will be in stand 8.B71 at the IBC Show. For more information, visit https://show.ibc.org/.

LAS VEGAS—PlayBox Neo will arrive at the 2019 NAB Show ready to demonstrate the latest in its Channel in a Box range of modular channel branding and playout products, which will be highlighted by the U.S. debut of Cloud2TV.

Cloud2TV is an IP-based, software-centric media playout and branding system that can be deployed as a standalone device or to extend the scale and versatility of PlayBox Neo’s product range. The system is designed to allow channel owners to expand from traditional SDI delivery to hybrid SDI and IP streaming, to fully functional cloud transmission. Assembling, scheduling and transmitting content via terrestrial, satellite, cable or CDN can be done by a single operator.

The system is designed with the same modularity of other PlayBox Neo products to configure for a standalone OTT streaming channel to a multi-language, multi-timezone TV network. Specific application modules are assigned to content ingest, graphic editing, media browsing with metadata handling and clip trimming, quality control and verification, transcoding, playlist management and audit logging.

Additional features include the ability to transmit in fully automated mode while still being able to schedule alterations or insert live content; an intuitive, web-based user interface with administrator-adjustable rights assignment, channel management, action-logging and notifications; fast and on-demand channel launch; web-based access; and IP workflow.

PlayBox Neo is offering the Cloud2TV in three forms: Platform as a Service on a private cloud with CDN; Software as a Service on public clouds; and an on-premises turnkey system.

PlayBox Neo will showcase the Cloud2TV at its booth, SL11216, during the NAB Show. To register for the NAB Show, visit www.nabshow.com.

LAS VEGAS—To facilitate IPTV, web streaming and video on demand, Playbox Technology Limited will show IP-based broadcast channel branding, playout and streaming solutions—including the CloudAir Software as a Service—at the 2018 NAB Show. Designed for 24/7 IPTV and web streaming operations, CloudAir is scalable from one to many channels and can be set-up quickly without the capital cost and maintenance of on-premise installations.

CloudAir offers remote access and control via a secure web browser and enables reliable IP-based workflows for linear or non-linear distribution. It now has a transcoder that handles MPEG PS/TS, MXF, QT, AVI, MP4, GXF, MPG2, H.264, ProRes, DNX HD and MJPEG file wrappers and formats. Available via software licensing or subscription, CloudAir can be configured as a standalone cloud system or a unified hybrid solution using the PlayBox Neo Channel in a Box, which is based on the AirBox Neo server for on-site operational flexibility.

Another PlayBox product, ProductionAirBox Neo now integrates with the Associated Press ENPS, Ross Inception and MiraMedia MiraNews newsroom computer systems via MOS gateway. And, a Facebook API implementation for SocialMediaBox Neo now enables re-use of archived feeds and display 'likes' for each post.

Also on display will be Neo TS Time Delay, a compact, full-featured IP-based delay server that provides programmable delay of multiple IP transport streams for DTV broadcasters operating across multiple time zones.

The 2018 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 9-12. Playbox Technology Limited will be in booth N4520. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

Read up on all of TVT's NAB Show Sneak Peeks and other 2018 NAB Show news here.