DENVER—Leading Argentina-based sports media company Torneos y Competencias S.A. (Torneos) has significantly upgraded its playout operations, implementing a fully redundant, multichannel environment centered on Imagine Communications’ Versio integrated playout platform and ADC automation.

The modernized infrastructure provides a flexible foundation that enables Torneos to preserve trusted, existing workflows and at the same time opens up a clear path for future improvements, the two companies reported.

Headquartered in Buenos Aires, Torneos has more than 40 years of experience producing sports content across Latin America, delivering more than 19,000 hours of programming annually for major networks. The company also operates the DSports network, which will provide live match coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with pre- and post-match programming, highlights, and match replays across its linear channels and the DGO streaming platform.

With 10 live on-air channels to manage, Torneos was looking to upgrade its core playout systems with resilient solutions that would allow them to maintain their familiar automation workflow and evolve toward IP-based production and UHD content delivery when the time was right — without requiring a costly, wholesale replacement of their existing SDI infrastructure.

After careful market evaluation and extensive testing, Torneos selected Imagine’s fully software-based Versio integrated playout platform as the new foundation of its broadcast operation.

“Our goal was to modernize our playout operations without disrupting the workflows our teams rely on, so we needed a partner we could trust and a solution that our teams could operate without missing a beat,” said Pablo Mascitelli, CTO of Torneos. “We’ve worked with Imagine for many years, and that relationship mattered as much as the technology. They understood our environment, preserved the workflows we rely on, and gave us a path forward that makes sense for our business."

At Torneos, dual-channel Versio systems support 12 main and 12 fully redundant backup channels, each integrating playout, branding, master control switching, loudness control, SCTE insertion, and audio processing with SDI I/O. An upgrade of the organization’s existing ADC automation layer introduced playlist redundancy, enabling operators to control live switching, file-based playout, and branding from a single unified interface — with graphics preview and rapid source switching across all 12 on-air control positions. This integrated approach gives operators a consistent user experience and streamlined workflow from creation to air.

To ensure continuous on-air delivery, three Selenio Network Processor (SNP) devices with automatic changeover (ACO) provide seamless failover using content-aware metrics. All servers connect to Imagine's IOX Express high-availability shared storage, allowing capacity and bandwidth scaling without taking the system off-air.

"Modernizing broadcast infrastructure doesn't have to mean starting from scratch,” said Sergio Yanez, LATAM sales director at Imagine Communications. “By building on what Torneos already had and knew, we were able to deliver a dramatically more capable environment — and a clear runway to UHD and ST 2110 — without the disruption that often comes with a platform change."

The Imagine playout solution at Torneos was implemented in association with local Imagine Communications partner and systems integrator Viditec.

Visit www.imaginecommunications.com for more information.

SINGAPORE—Globecast has completed a major renovation of its facility here transforming broadcast operations into a state-of-the-art, IP-enabled hub that puts its customers across the Asia-Pacific region at the forefront of technological innovation.

The upgrade follows the recent opening of Globecast’s Westlake Village facility in California, further strengthening the company’s global strategy to modernize its infrastructure. This initiative ensures Globecast’s operations are aligned with the growing demand for hybrid, software-defined media workflows, enabling its customers to leverage flexible, resilient and future-ready solutions worldwide.

Established more than a decade ago with a focus on traditional linear broadcast operations, the Singapore facility has been completely re-imagined to meet today’s cloud-centric landscape. The transformation includes a significant reduction and optimization of physical space, complemented by a strategic shift towards integrated cloud, IP and OTT workflows. These advancements minimize dependency on legacy hardware while enhancing operational agility and flexibility.

At the core of the upgrade is a comprehensive reconfiguration of essential technical areas, including the technical operations center, master control room, and playout control room, which now are optimized to integrate cloud-based processing, IP connectivity and centralized monitoring and control systems, resulting in more efficient, flexible and scalable operations.

In addition to improving operational efficiency and scalability, the upgraded facility offers a more modern working environment for staff. It is also designed to accommodate future developments, such as increased network capacity and strengthened cybersecurity capabilities.

As a fully hybrid environment, the facility can seamlessly support both traditional broadcast services and next-generation IP and cloud workflows. It remains a key point of presence in Singapore, providing connectivity, teleport services, playout and media management for hundreds of channels and services across the region.

“This project went beyond simply upgrading infrastructure,” said Chris Pulis, chief technology officer of Globecast. “It was a complete redefinition of a modern broadcast facility. By integrating cloud, IP and advanced monitoring capabilities into a unified environment, we have an operations base in Asia that is more efficient, adaptable and prepared to support the next generation of media services across the region. It also represents a significant step forward with our broader strategic plan of transforming our operations worldwide.”

The project was largely executed through Globecast’s in-house integration expertise. Its engineering teams oversaw the design, migration and implementation processes.

A central focus throughout the nine-month transformation was ensuring uninterrupted service delivery. Globecast successfully completed the upgrade while maintaining full operational continuity, providing seamless support for customers without any service disruption.

More information is available on the company’s website.

NEW YORK—Amagi has announced that AccuWeather has successfully completed a major upgrade of its broadcast ecosystem. As part of the upgrade, AccuWeather moved from traditional broadcast infrastructure to a cloud-based, internet-driven system that manages both linear TV and streaming in one place. This eliminates separate workflows, making distribution more efficient, flexible, and easier to scale across platforms.

“At AccuWeather, delivering timely continuous weather content, forecasts and severe weather coverage requires a modern, scalable distribution infrastructure, which is why we partnered with Amagi,” said Helen Swenson, chief content officer at AccuWeather. “By consolidating our linear and OTT distribution on Amagi’s platform, we are simplifying operations and improving efficiency enabling our team to focus on high-quality content and delivering forecasts with proven Superior Accuracy™ our audiences trust.”

The transformation, anchored at Amagi’s state-of-the-art Master Control Room (MCR) in Princeton, N.J., brings both the technology stack and managed operations under a single provider. This enables AccuWeather to achieve a high level of agility and rapid customization of its channel.

“Managed Services is at the heart of this engagement,” said Srinivasan KA, co-founder and president – global business, Amagi. “Our role is not just to provide cloud playout technology, but to actively operate, monitor, and optimize mission-critical broadcast environments with a unified approach. As the entire solution is based on Amagi’s tech stack and managed services, customizations are seamless and faster. With our Princeton MCR overseeing Linear and FAST channels, AccuWeather gains both cloud-native agility and broadcast-grade operational assurance—a combination that is critical, but rare in the market.”

The expanded engagement builds on a successful initiative launched in 2021, when AccuWeather introduced its FAST channels. Amagi described the advantages of its Managed Services model for AccuWeather:

• Enhanced Distribution Efficiency: Transition to a fully IP-based distribution model to improve reliability and reduced costs.
• Optimized Regionalization at Scale: Advanced sub-feed capabilities enable efficient management of multiple regional feeds with customized graphics.
• Real-Time Agility for Live Events: Faster workflows allowing for instant delivery of breaking news and critical weather updates across all platforms.
• Accelerated Innovation Cycles: A unified technology approach enables quicker deployment of new features and workflow enhancements.

For broadcasters and streamers, a migration to the cloud is no longer a simple technical upgrade. The era of merely replicating on-premise infrastructure in a virtual environment — the so-called lift and shift — is over.

The most successful organizations are embracing the journey as a fundamental operational and creative transformation, requiring a phased approach that addresses architectural resilience, cultural change and the accelerated adoption of new technologies like AI.

The initial hurdle for many is realizing that the journey to the cloud is less about IT infrastructure and more about people.

“Cloud migration isn’t just a technical decision. It’s a creative and operational one,” Sami Aziz, executive producer and founder of Pale Blue Originals and former head of live broadcasts at NASA, said.

“The organizations that navigate the move to cloud best treat it like a production: a phased approach, very clear communication, investment in training and intentional standardization across tools.”

Any move to the cloud comes with challenges, including managing real-time media workflows that demand low latency and high reliability.

“To tackle this, it’s important to ensure workflows are consistent to reduce training time and use real-time monitoring tools to keep an eye on network and media performance,” said Bryan Bedford, director of consumer industries and business solutions at Cisco Systems.

“Automation and orchestration can simplify operations and help scale efficiently. Plus, collaborating with vendors and adopting open standards ensures everything works well together.”

Reliability Concerns

Reliability, especially for real-time media workflows that demand low latency, remains a constant challenge. Organizations must design their systems to survive multiple problems, from public internet performance issues to data center and region outages.

Mike Pilone, enterprise architect at National Public Radio, suggested that any system deployed in the cloud has to “utilize multiple regions to ensure they can survive an interruption. Using multiple cloud providers can give you an additional layer of availability as well as flexibility if a provider is no longer attractive due to service or pricing changes.”

Content protection and ownership in a cloud-first world are also new challenges facing content owners, especially with the need to protect their assets and set clear parameters in case a platform goes down.

“Most broadcasters don’t ask these questions until something goes wrong,” Aziz said. “Redundancy and contracts with clear data ownership language are two critical starting points. Security should also be treated as an ongoing operational priority, not just a one-time setup. The same care you would apply to protecting a finished master should apply to every stage of your cloud pipeline.”

The growth of AI is also linked to the move beyond a basic cloud deployment. Most AI tools, such as automated captioning, content tagging and quality control, are cloud-based. AI models are resource-intensive operations that may only be practical in a shared computing environment such as the cloud.

“As we see more AI adoption in various use cases, we can expect to see greater use of the cloud to provide the core models and compute,” said Jon Cyphers, senior manager of product and support, distribution at NPR.

AI is transforming how broadcasters operate in the cloud, Bedford agreed, helping to automate and optimize media production and delivery, making workflows more efficient and reducing manual errors.

“Combining AI with cloud and edge computing opens up exciting possibilities like personalized content delivery and intelligent network orchestration,” he said.

“This integration helps broadcasters stay competitive by enhancing efficiency and creating new ways to engage audiences.”

According to Aziz, organizations that have already started migrating to the cloud will be able to adopt and adapt to AI incrementally, with human judgment still a large part of the workflow.

“Organizations still anchored to legacy systems will have a harder time making the leap all at once,” he said. “We’re all watching how quickly AI is evolving. The honest truth is, it’s moving faster than any of us can set editorial and ethical standards, and that’s a conversation our entire industry needs to be having.”

© 2026 NAB

PLANO, Texas—Diversified has announced that it is working with Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) to support the expansion of CTS’s new global Broadcast Operations Center at its Dry Creek facility in Colorado.

The initiative reflects the growing need for an advanced centralized, fully IP-based infrastructure to support modern content delivery across broadcast, streaming and live sports, the two companies said. The expansion will help CTS offer clients scalable, cost-effective, next-generation media operations for its clients.

This initiative focuses on scaling CTS’s playout infrastructure to meet increasing customer demand for outsourced content management while improving operational efficiency, speed to deploy and system resilience.

As part of that, Diversified has worked alongside CTS’s engineering and operations teams to modernize and expand its playout environment, including the integration of SMPTE ST 2110-based IP infrastructure, advanced monitoring technologies and centralized network operations capabilities.

The result is a new unified monitoring and control environment that consolidates multiple workflows, businesses and clients into a single operational view—enabling more efficient staffing, automated and swift issue resolution and improved scalability, they reported.

The expanded facility is designed to serve as both an operational hub and a showcase environment for clients and partners, highlighting the next generation of playout and distribution technologies in a live environment, the companies said.

“This expansion represents more than a facility upgrade. It reflects where the industry is going,” said Jason Kornweiss, senior vice president of advisory services at Diversified. “As playout and distribution operations become more critical to growth, media companies need partners who understand both the technical complexity and the operational realities of these environments. Diversified has been investing in that exact capability, and this collaboration with Comcast Technology Solutions is a strong example of the impact.”

To support ongoing growth, Diversified has also established a dedicated on-site presence at the Dry Creek facility, embedding engineering and delivery teams directly alongside CTS operations. This model enables real-time collaboration, accelerates decision-making and ensures continuous optimization as the environment scales—allowing CTS to stay focused on client engagement, workflow optimization, 24/7 operational support, scale and reliability that CTS provides sports leagues, teams and premier media entertainment companies.

“As demand for next-gen playout services continues to grow across broadcast, streaming and sports, having the right team in place is critical,” said Bart Spriester, senior vice president and general manager, streaming, broadcast & advertising at Comcast Technology Solutions. “Our collaboration with Diversified allows us to continue scaling, innovate confidently and deliver the level of performance our clients expect.”

The collaboration reflects a broader industry shift toward centralized, IP-based media operations. As content distribution expands across streaming, live event platforms and FAST channels, playout is evolving from a standalone technical function into a scalable service layer—one that must support increasing channel volume, multi-platform delivery and real-time audience engagement. In response, media organizations are consolidating operations, outsourcing non-core functions and investing in infrastructure that can adapt quickly without increasing operational overhead.

Attendees of the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas will be able to get a deeper diving into some of these trends from executives at Diversified and Comcast Technology Solutions for a deeper look at these trends.

On Monday, April 20 at 2 p.m., Kornweiss will join Comcast Technology Solutions’ Director of Sports Management Solutions Kyle Eichman and Anthony Brock, vice president of business strategy and analytics for the Philadelphia Flyers, for a featured session titled “From Playout to Platform: How Comcast Technology Solutions Is Evolving Media Operations for Scale.”

The session will examine how media organizations are connecting playout, distribution and direct-to-consumer experiences to create more responsive, data-driven engagement models—and why the link between operational infrastructure and fan experience is becoming a critical competitive advantage.

When Imagine Communications announced last fall that it was acquiring Pixel Power from Rohde & Schwarz, the company said its main goal was to “broaden Imagine’s live production ecosystem and playout offerings via integration of Pixel Power’s software-defined, deploy-anywhere platforms.” This week, Imagine President Steve Reynolds updated TV Tech on how the integration is progressing.

Of particular importance to Imagine is Pixel’s playout and multiviewer solutions, two parts of the production workflow chain Reynolds thinks are key to expanding the company’s presence in these markets.

“Imagine has been in the playout business pretty much since the playout and automation business started all the way back to when we were Harris, and it's always been a really important segment for us,” he said. “We like to be in those mission-critical operational systems, the things that our customers depend on day in and day out in order to run their business.

“Those are the kind of products that Imagine has really focused on as we made the transition from a hardware centric company—which is what Harris really was—towards the software centric company that we are today,” Reynolds added.

The Power of a Combined Solution
The acquisition of Pixel Power, Reynolds says, will not only help strengthen its current playout solutions portfolio—which include ADC, Versio and in more recent years, the Aviator orchestration platform—but also expand its geographic footprint, Reynolds said.

“Pixel Power—which is a company that we have competed with for years—has built a really great solution for the European public broadcaster space, where they had a lot of success,” Reynolds said. “With customers like TV2 in Norway, SVT in Sweden, the work that they've done with the German public broadcasters, the work that they've done with TV5MONDE in France, they had a really great customer base around those public broadcasters.”

The two main products Pixel had built its success on in this market, according to Reynolds, were the company’s Gallium automated multiplatform content management solution and StreamMaster platform for realtime graphics and control. Combining automation plus a media server “really formed a nice bundle for anybody that's in that kind of public broadcast space,” Reynolds said.

“Pixel had done a good job of winning market share with those [national broadcast] customers, so the reason we wanted to acquire Gallium and StreamMaster was really aimed at that market segment,” he added. “We saw the success that they had in that segment, and as we continue to move forward with investments in Gallium and StreamMaster, it's going to be focused, at least initially, in Europe, to continue to build on that customer base.”

Reynolds said the combination of the two created a powerful and sophisticated graphics solution for Pixel Power, which was beating Imagine when it came to bidding for business with European broadcasters.

“Imagine was bidding on a lot of those same projects, and Pixel Power was winning,” Reynolds said, “And one of the things that we consistently heard is that the graphics package that is in StreamMaster is a top-tier integrated graphics package that a lot of those national broadcasters were leveraging because it had the capabilities that they needed not only to be able to do the 2D graphics—which Imagine already had—but they had some more advanced capabilities to be able to handle some 3D and to be able to handle a lot of the kind of the more advanced and more sophisticated on-air look that that those broadcasters were looking for.

“They had a sophisticated graphics package that was integrated into a playout system that met all of the criteria—it supports all the formats, it supports all of the different resolutions, it supports all the ingest workloads that those guys need,” he added. “So it had it checked all the boxes on kind of the basic set of competitive features. But it also added in that higher power graphics.”

Scaling Up
The second product Imagine was keenly interested in was multiviewers, specifically Pixel’s Prismon platform, which is designed to scale up to support hundreds of channels. This large-scale type of monitoring platform was high on Imagine’s shopping list, according to Reynolds.

"Imagine has always been in the multiviewer business, but we had a different focus—we were more on the production multiviewer side of things,” Reynolds said. “[Imagine’s] SNP was intended to be a production multiviewer, very low latency, very high quality, but not large scale.”

Integrating Prismon into Imagine’s multiviewer product line gives Imagine the ability to build facility-scale, multiviewers, especially in production facilities, turnaround facilities including satellite and cable operators, or in large scale, playout operations where there's dozens or even hundreds of channels being played out of the same facility, Reynolds said.

“So we now have multiviewer offerings for large scale and for smaller scale, low latency, and that would be in OB vans, production galleries, or control rooms at a sporting venue, where the number of feeds that you're dealing with is 10, 20 or maybe 30.”

Reynolds said Prismon helps Imagine respond to more market demands for integrated solutions. “What we realized was we really need to have a product in our portfolio that lets us create that fully bundled solution, because increasingly, that's what the market wants to buy,” he said. “It's the same thing as with the playout solution, right? The market wants an integrated solution, they don't want to have to build, or have to be their own systems integrator. They want to buy something that is integrated. And so Prismon filled that gap for us.”

The timescales for building new media production facilities has been declining for years, according to Reynolds, another reason for increased interest in integrated solutions.

“The idea of having these multi-year facility builds… that's in the past,” Reynolds said. “And in many cases now, we're looking at time frames that are measured in months between the time somebody acquires rights and they want to be on air. And that's what's really driving the demand for these fully integrated solutions. Customers want to know that it's already been tested, it's already been integrated, and you can deploy it quickly, easily and within a set of budget constraints to get on air.”

The acquisition of Pixel Power was completed at the end of 2025 and Reynolds said not a lot will change in terms of what existing customers should expect, including keeping the product names.

“That's why we bought them, we like the products, we like the differentiation of those products, they fit well within our portfolio, and they give us something new to offer to the customers that want to buy that kind of solution,” Reynolds said.

NAB Show Plans
Imagine’s booth (N1328 in the North Hall of the LVCC) at the NAB Show, April 19-22 in Las Vegas, will reflect this expanded market focus, according to Reynolds. Among the highlights will be the company’s cloud-based XVR playout engine, which was introduced at the 2025 IBC Show.

Gallium StreamMaster will be demonstrated running on COTS and its expanded multiviewer portfolio will be highlighted, including advanced automation features such as intelligent monitoring, automated audio/video issue detection, and “penalty boxing,” which elevates problem signals for immediate operator attention.

"The other thing you're going to see is this kind of fully integrated solution of gateways—the ability to use the SNP as the gateway between the SDI and IP world, and to do format conversion with JPEG access and things like that, directly into ingest,” Reynolds said. “And we'll be using the new XVR engine, which is the Linux-based ingest engine with multiple playout systems. So you'll see StreamMaster, XVR, and Nexio all sitting side by side in a kind of a multiserver environment.”

DEVENTER, Netherlands—Cloud-native, AI-driven playout specialist BCNEXXT has deployed live HLG-based HDR playout capabilities within its Vipe platform, enabling broadcasters to integrate High Dynamic Range into live production workflows while maintaining parallel SDR services.

The implementation is focused on real-world broadcast environments where HDR and SDR audiences must coexist, particularly in live sports production, where HDR origination is accelerating.

BCNEXXT’s Vipe now supports UHD 2160p BT.2100 HLG live ingest and playout, with file-based content rendered into HLG during pre-processing to ensure visual consistency across programming and commercial insertion.

Rather than promoting universal HDR feature support, BCNEXXT’s approach prioritizes workflow architecture and controlled deployment.

“In classic broadcasting fashion, we’ve adopted four different HDR standards,” said Graham Sharp, vice president of sales and marketing at BCNEXXT. “The formats themselves are relatively easy to understand. The real complexity comes from cross-conversion and managing HDR and SDR simultaneously.”

BCNEXXT’s current deployments focus on receiving and playing out live HLG feeds directly, while rendering file-based content into HLG before playout. In many cases, customers provide a parallel SDR feed from the venue or production, eliminating unnecessary HDR-to-SDR conversion within the playout chain.

“That round-trip conversion is where risk lives,” said Sharp. “HDR implementation is all about the workflow and minimizing unnecessary format movement and cross conversion.”

Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all HDR strategy, Vipe is configured based on each broadcaster’s operational model, distribution endpoints and commercial requirements.

“Our approach is customer-led,” he added. “To simply claim universal HDR support misses the point. Every broadcaster’s environment is different. The implementation must reflect that.”

The company has recently posted a blog on HDR workflow.

Network18 Media & Investments, one of India’s largest media conglomerates, has deployed Grass Valley’s Playout X solution based on its AMPP OS to modernize the network’s news playout operations. The deployment is now live across Network18’s linear, OTT and web services.

The collaboration extends a relationship between the two companies that has spanned more than 15 years. Network18, operating over 25 television channels and with a growing OTT and digital presence, wished to consolidate and streamline its operations under a single solution that could support its broadcast and digital workflows.

It selected Playout X for its open, format-agnostic architecture and its ability to integrate seamlessly across multiple platforms, ensuring a unified approach to playout while futureproofing operations.

“With Playout X, we now have a unified platform that brings together our linear, OTT and web channels under one interface,” said Rajesh Sharma, senior vice president of Technology and Operations at Network18.

“Previously, we relied on multiple vendors to provide separate solutions, but Grass Valley’s open, integrated and flexible approach has allowed us to simplify operations, reduce costs and accelerate workflows. This deployment not only addresses our immediate needs but also positions us strongly for future growth and innovation.”

The new system, deployed across Network18’s facilities in both Noida and Mumbai, India, introduces a fully integrated ecosystem for playout, ingest, secondary recording, ad-replacement, watermarking and OTT delivery. By replacing fragmented, multi-vendor solutions with a single, consolidated AMPP OS-based platform, Network18 is gaining efficiency, operational simplicity, and scalability for the future.

COLUMBIA, Md.—LTN has announced several innovations aimed at helping U.S. local television broadcasters extend their reach, enhance efficiency and create new monetization opportunities via its purpose-built IP video network.

“Broadcast stations can massively grow the value of their local content if they move quickly and operate across every available platform,” said Rick Young, senior vice president and head of global products at LTN.

“Our new capabilities are built into our global network, allowing us to give local broadcasters the speed, simplicity and shortest path to ROI [return on investment] when launching streaming experiences, expand their footprint to MVPD, vMVPD, and OTT partners and power digital revenue with localized, live news and sports.”

The new LTN capabilities make it easier for broadcasters to bring news programming and live sports quickly on air and elsewhere. They include:

• A complete digital playout stack supporting hosted linear and FAST Playout for creating versioned channels with minimal operational and engineering effort.
• Live sports master control offering a fully managed environment for acquiring, customizing and managing local and regional sports broadcasts across platforms.
• Integrated dynamic graphics, including L-bars, tickers and real-time visualizations tied to sports and news content.
• SCTE-driven automation.

For local sports, LTN enables stations to receive high-quality, low-latency game feeds from venues across the country, helping them expand their live sports programming with speed and reliability, LTN said.

The company is also helping broadcasters reinvent local news for the streaming era. It has expanded its offerings to enable local stations to extend live news into new formats and platforms. Six major broadcast groups with stations covering 80% of the top U.S. TV markets currently rely on LTN for these services, it said.

Additionally, it is powering MVPD and vMVPD reach and scale with its go-to aggregation hub for local station feeds. It provides MVPDs and vMVPDs with seamless high-quality access to live broadcast signals nationwide, it said.

LTN’s purpose-built IP network for real-time video delivers nearly 8,000 channels and millions of live events annually, making it the critical backbone for bringing live news and sports to every screen. LTN enables instant, reliable delivery to 98% of U.S. pay TV households, with a clear path to 100% by 2026, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

MONTREAL—Grass Valley today announced that Sky Network Television, New Zealand’s largest pay-TV provider, has chosen Grass Valley’ AMPP to overhaul its playout operations.

Sky plans to implement Playout X across 10 HD channels, upgrading from Grass Valley Morpheus ICE, with full UHD support, to establish a flexible, cloud-ready environment capable of on-premises, hybrid and cloud-burst operation. This deployment leverages the open APIs made available with AMPP OS, to integrate seamlessly with Sky’s existing business management and traffic systems.

“AMPP delivers the agility and extensibility we need to meet today’s demanding broadcast requirements and to prepare for future growth,” said Justin Loza, Platform Owner – Broadcast & Network at Sky Network Television. “We particularly value the platform’s hybrid deployment options and the flexible commercial model, all of which align with our goal of rapid channel expansion and event-driven operations.”

By committing to a fully featured playout solution that can automatically scale resources in response to viewer demand such as major sporting events, Sky aims to achieve streamlined operations and accelerated channel launches, according to Grass Valley. The platform’s robust support for both HD and UHD workflows is designed to ensure audiences receive high-quality, uninterrupted content, while Sky plans to retain tight control over monetization through seamless ad insertion, the company said.

The partnership strengthens the company’s presence in the Asia-Pacific market, according to Evan Boyd, Senior Vice President of Sales, APAC at Grass Valley. “The successful transition of a tier-one broadcaster like Sky Network Television to AMPP OS highlights the strategic importance and agility of software defined infrastructure,” he said. “We’re proud to deliver a solution that empowers Sky to scale confidently and maintain its leadership in a rapidly evolving media landscape.”

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.

LANCASTER, Pa.—At Take One Productions, we’ve been producing professional video content from Lancaster since 1984. What started as a corporate video company has grown into something bigger, especially in our work creating long-form commercial spots for the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau (PMVB), and in 2023, when we took over full broadcast operations for the Pocono Television Network (PTN).

PTN is a 24/7 television network available on streaming, over-the-air and cable. Designed to promote the Pocono Mountains region, PTN presents original segments like “Pocono Perspectives” and “Pocono Mountains Magazine,” local weather, live webcams and features on small businesses and regional events. Since its inception in 2017, the network has gained significant traction, quickly outgrowing the capabilities of its original distribution provider.

More Than Playout
To support this growth, we needed a platform built for demanding broadcast television operations. Our checklist included a playout system that managed ingest, media storage, graphics and master control, all while delivering scalability and rock-solid reliability. And because our studio is in Lancaster and PMVB is two hours north in Stroudsburg, it had to be cloud-based.

All these requirements led us to Imagine Communications’ Versio fully integrated on-prem and cloud playout system with the Versio Control configurable master control dashboard.

We reviewed a lot of playout systems and most felt bare-bones. But when we saw Versio in action, we immediately knew it was different—providing a fully integrated, cloud-capable playout system that could do everything we needed and more. We didn’t want a system we’d outgrow in a year; we wanted something we could build on, and Versio has proven to be exactly that.

Today, Versio is the engine behind PTN’s master control. We’re using the Versio Control dashboard to switch between live production, clip-based feedback and live weather from the Poconos area. In addition, the dashboard plays a critical role in our workflow. Before we go live, we check the interface to confirm that everything is properly synced and running as it should. That final verification step is essential—and Versio has become our go-to tool for ensuring broadcast continuity.

No Downtime
Not only has Versio been incredibly easy to operate, its reliability has been exceptional. In more than two years of continuous 24/7 broadcasting, we haven’t experienced a single minute of downtime due to a system failure—that’s virtually unheard of in this industry. On the rare occasions when we’ve had a question or issue, Imagine’s support has been outstanding. We open a ticket and within minutes, we’re on a live call with a team that resolves the issue right then and there.

With the Versio platform’s scalability and cloud capabilities, we’ve extended PTN’s reach far beyond what was possible just a few years ago. We’ve expanded from a handful of local cable systems to nearly a dozen across Pennsylvania. We stream live and on-demand content to major streaming platforms, and we’ve also added over-the-air broadcasting in six markets—with more on the way.

For a regional tourism network, that kind of reach is a major step forward. And as we look at future possibilities such as launching a second PTN channel, we know we have a platform that’s ready to grow with us.

More information is available at imaginecommunications.com.

PADUCAH, Ky.—It’s no secret the world of TV news is changing faster than a June storm. Folks don’t just wait for the 6 o’clock news anymore—they want content on every screen, anytime. At WPSD-TV, a leading television station in Kentucky owned by Paxton Media Group (PMG), that put us at a crossroads: We had to modernize how we work or risk falling behind the very people we serve.

WPSD-TV has always prioritized delivering community-focused news and information. To maintain this standard, we’re always looking for ways to continuously improve our operations by modernizing workflows, positioning ourselves as a next-generation regional media hub equipped with cutting-edge technology. This led us recently to turn to our longstanding partner Bitcentral to enhance efficiency while minimizing costs.

Multiplatform Challenges
Whether it’s travel and lifestyle stories, high school sports, breaking news or weather coverage, WPSD-TV keeps our community informed and safe. But with viewer habits rapidly evolving, we found ourselves at a crossroads. We needed to rethink how we operated to keep up with the demands of today’s multiplatform media environment. We knew that modernizing our workflows was no longer optional; it was essential.

For that, we needed tools that were not only reliable and cost-effective; they also needed to streamline operations across departments, help us archive and access years of valuable media assets more efficiently, support our digital transformation and create a technology foundation that will remain strong well into the future.

To meet our goals, we chose several Bitcentral solutions, including ViewNexa Channels to launch and manage FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) channels, efficiently distributing both live and on-demand content. We also deployed Core News Suite, which completely reimagined how we produce news by allowing our team to adopt a “produce once, publish many” workflow. This lets us get more mileage out of every story over every platform.

We also adopted Bitcentral’s Fusion Hybrid Storage (FHS) for our media library. This smart, scalable storage solution enables us to support our high-res video, metadata and proxies without overwhelming our infrastructure. And because we wanted to overhaul and future-proof our master control operations ahead of our move to a new facility, we installed Bitcentral’s Central Control system, which offers automated feed recording, traffic system integration, and real-time monitoring.

Something Invaluable
Partnering with Bitcentral has ushered in a new era for us at WPSD-TV. We’ve been able to bring innovation and efficiency to the forefront of everything we do. Today, we’re better-equipped to meet the demands of a fast-moving multiplatform
media world—and we’re in a strong position to explore new ways to grow and monetize our content.

Bitcentral’s technology has helped us streamline operations across the board. From simplifying maintenance to reducing day-to-day costs, their solutions have freed our team to focus on what matters most: delivering outstanding local news and storytelling to our community.

Most importantly, working with Bitcentral has given us something invaluable: peace of mind. We know we can rely on their systems and support, not just today, but for many years to come. With that kind of confidence, we’re able to stay ahead of the curve, innovate with purpose, and unlock new opportunities as our industry continues to evolve.

More information is available at bitcentral.com.

Pebble has announced that it has implemented a complete, software-defined playout architecture for Brazilian broadcaster Rede Minas.

The new system allows much more sophisticated and tailored playout across multiple channels, the provider of automation and virtualized playout technologies reported.

Rede Minas is the government-owned public broadcaster for the state of Minas Gerais, in central Brazil. It broadcasts from its production base in Belo Horizonte, across a very large footprint, using terrestrial, satellite and streaming distribution.

“We needed to make the move to a modern playout environment, but we knew it would be a significant undertaking for us,” said Caroline Santos, director of technology at Rede Minas. “Pebble and their local distributor Videodata were able to show us, through a proof of concept demonstration, how its software systems could deliver all we needed and more.

“What was really important, though, was that they were able to manage the entire project,” Santos continued. “That included transferring all the data from our current asset management and integrating seamlessly with our planning workflows. It meant that the switchover was accomplished quickly, cleanly and without problems.”

As part of the effort to replace its old playout infrastructure, Rede Minas looked to add functionality, capacity and capabilities with the new solution. To meet these goals, it selected a turnkey solution from Pebble that included its proven and popular Automation, paired with Integrated Channel devices to replace the legacy playout hardware.

As well as being very cost-efficient, the Pebble Integrated Channel devices save considerable rack space and power consumption with consequent air conditioning. For Rede Minas, this meant it could expand its output, adding three education channels as well as providing tailored services for terrestrial, satellite and streaming, Pebble reported.

Each Integrated Channel device has dual independent outputs, which Rede Minas is using to provide opt-outs for some regions within its territory, to serve local interests and regulation. The Pebble Automation layer ensures that the correct content for each output is loaded and quality checked before transmission.

Rosalvo Carvalho, general director at Videodata explained that “We have a long and successful relationship with Rede Minas. The modernisation of playout was a very important project for them, and while as a government body the procurement was by public tender, we introduced them to Pebble as a globally-renowned automation specialist.

“Ultimately we all collaborated on a comprehensive proof of concept exercise which answered all of their concerns,” he added. “The result is transformational for Rede Minas, through a project which respected the need to minimise disruption to existing operations. We are all very proud of how well the implementation and subsequent operation went.”

For more information on Pebble Automation, Integrated Channel and other solutions, see www.pebble.tv.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia & MONTREAL—Arabsat, a global satellite operator and the primary provider of satellite services across the Arab world, has announced that it is working with Grass Valley to launch a new suite of cloud-based broadcast services.

The new Playout X offering uses Grass Valley AMPP OS (Agile Media Processing Platform) to provide a scalable, cloud-native media platform for the evolving needs of broadcasters across the Middle East, Africa, and beyond.

This collaboration, formalized at CABSAT 2024, marks a significant milestone in Arabsat’s digital transformation journey. It will allow Arabsat to offer clients a state-of-the-art cloud-based architecture that features more flexibility, faster deployment, and enhanced operational efficiency, it said.

“At Arabsat, we are committed to staying ahead of industry demands and delivering cutting-edge media services to our customers,” said Eng. Alhamedi Alanezi, CEO and president of Arabsat. “By leveraging Grass Valley AMPP, we’re enabling a new generation of agile, multitenant, cloud-based services that support our video customers’ growth and innovation across the region.”

The Playout X suite features three tailored service tiers:

• TV Pinnacle Package – A premium playout option with multiple live sources with switching capabilities, advanced graphics and subtitling, Dolby support, and full operator assistance.
• Advanced Package – A balanced solution with essential live capabilities, native graphics, and operator support.
• TV Starter Package – A streamlined entry-level tier focused on core broadcast needs.

AMPP, Grass Valley’s cloud-native platform, was selected for its scalability, secure multitenancy features, and seamless integration into Arabsat’s private cloud. Together, the two companies have completed extensive technical evaluation, customizing AMPP to meet Arabsat’s operational standards and security requirements while ensuring high-quality broadcast delivery, they reported.

“This collaboration with Arabsat is a major step forward for Grass Valley in the MENA region,” said Jon Wilson, CEO at Grass Valley. “Arabsat’s vision aligns perfectly with AMPP’s strengths – offering broadcasters the flexibility, performance, and reliability needed to succeed in today’s fast-evolving media landscape.”

As Arabsat begins commercial rollout following CABSAT 2025, broadcasters across the region will benefit from faster service launches, lower hardware infrastructure dependency, and seamless access to next-generation broadcast capabilities—all from a trusted regional provider, the two companies explained.

Grass Valley and Arabsat will be jointly showcasing their partnership at CABSAT 2025 at Arabsat Booth S2-D10 in Hall 2 and at Grass Valley at Booth S1-H10.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—WPSD-TV, the NBC affiliate in Paducah, Ky., has selected Bitcentral’s Central Control playout system to upgrade the station’s master control operations. The station is relocating its operations to The Paducah Sun newspaper facility; both are owned by Paxton Media Group.

WSPD is a longstanding Bitcentral customer, leveraging multiple solutions including the Core News suite, ViewNexa Channels, Fusion Hybrid Storage, and now adding Central Control for its playout/master control system.

This move marks a major step forward in WPSD’s digital evolution, equipping the station with the tools to engage audiences across all platforms and stay ahead in today’s fast-paced media landscape, the station said.

Central Control includes a full suite of advanced features, such as automated feed recording, traffic integration, and system monitoring, all designed to maximize efficiency and deliver seamless playout across multiple channels.

“With Bitcentral’s Central Control, we are ready to transform how we deliver high volumes of broadcast content to our communities,” said Bill Evans, President of the West Kentucky Media Division at Paxton Media Group. “This technology allows us to deliver full linear channels to people faster and more reliably, fulfilling our goal of becoming a regional media hub that’s closer to our audience than ever before.”

"Central Control is the ideal solution for media companies which are looking to modernize their business,” Bitcentral Chief Operating Officer Sam Peterson said. “Central Control navigates this complexity through a set of tools that are organized around the logical best practices for handling high volumes of content, traffic coordination, and playout. We have long been committed to WPSD’s success through our extensive product portfolio, and this is the latest step on that journey.”

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Harmonic says it has added “industry-first innovations” to its comprehensive playout-to-delivery solution, empowering broadcasters and content owners with streamlined media workflows, optimized control and significant cost savings. Harmonic’s playout-to-delivery solution, which combines advanced playout and branding with premium encoding, streaming and broadcast delivery, now features innovative loop record, delay line and enhanced hybrid cloud and on-premises support for more flexible and efficient playout workflows.

Harmonic will demonstrate these new features at the 2025 NAB Show.

“With the introduction of new playout-to-delivery features, we’re giving customers greater control and flexibility over every stage of their media pipeline,” said Gil Rudge, senior vice president, solutions and Americas sales, video business at Harmonic. “Harmonic is the first company to provide a comprehensive solution for managing the entire media workflow in hybrid cloud and on-premises environments, which is a critical advancement as broadcasters and content owners look for operational efficiency and cost control in an increasingly complex video landscape.”

Harmonic’s playout-to-delivery solution is available on the company’s VOS360 Media SaaS for cloud deployments and on VOS Media Software and XOS Advanced Media Processor for on-premises deployments. The same automation, user interface, playlists, assets and advanced graphics are shared across all deployment models — enabling true hybrid playout, Harmonic said.

The playout-to-delivery features can be controlled via API and efficiently managed by third-party automation systems. Whether recording live streams, scheduling branded playout or originating linear channels for streaming and broadcast distribution, Harmonic says it now offers a "unified playout-to-delivery workflow."

At the core of the latest updates to Harmonic’s playout-to-delivery solution are powerful loop record and delay line features. Loop record enables broadcasters and content owners to simultaneously record and replay live streams—a “breakthrough capability” that transforms live streaming and broadcast workflows, according to the company.

Broadcasters and content owners can also edit recorded assets via a built-in clip editor for quick trimming of video content for rapid replay. The addition of delay line features to Harmonic’s playout-to-delivery solution allows playback of streams with an adjustable delay, supporting applications such as time zone shifting.

Harmonic will demonstrate its latest playout-to-delivery advancements at Booth W2821 in the West Hall of the LVCC during the 2025 NAB Show, April 6-9.

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil—Brazilian media conglomerate Grupo RBS has selected Appear to deploy Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) primary distribution solutions to centralize master control and playout functions at a single site.

The deployment relies on Appear’s hardware-accelerated SRT technology to connect 11 sub-affiliate sites across the nation to a central master control room (MCR) and playout operation in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Previously each site had its own MCR and playout, the company said.

“Centralizing our MCR and playout operations required a robust solution that seamlessly connects a multitude of feeds from various sites across [the] South of Brazil into our facility in Porto Alegre. Appear’s SRT-enabled X Platform meant we could integrate feeds from different interfaces and sources with ease,” Grupo RBS engineering manager Roberto Hoffmann said.

SRT is rapidly becoming the preferred protocol for primary video distribution for broadcasters thanks to its ability to overcome the obstacles of traditional broadcast delivery over unreliable networks, according to Appear. This is especially important when streaming content from central playout facilities to geographically dispersed local affiliate stations, Appear said.

One of the main challenges in primary distribution over the public internet is ensuring broadcast-quality signal integrity, where packet loss, jitter and unpredictable bandwidth can challenge traditional transport protocols. SRT effectively tackles these issues with error correction mechanisms, adapting to network quality, Appear said.

“Appear’s proactive approach in understanding our needs from the beginning was paramount to the project’s success,” Hoffman said. “It was actively involved in the proof-of-concept process, proposing effective solutions that perfectly aligned with our needs. Moreover, the X Platform met all technical requirements and was the right size for the project. Our partnership with Appear not only enhances our operational efficiency but also paves the way for better broadcast experiences in Brazil, through reducing points of failure and enabling us to concentrate on ensuring that our single super-playout center is the most advanced in LATAM.”

Appear’s X Platform SRT solution provides low-cost channel transmission over the public internet, according to the company. It enables replacement of expensive satellite links and dedicated fiber circuits. SRT also empowers operators to reduce the transport budget of moving studio functionality such as media asset management to the cloud, Appear said.

In a single 2RU chassis, Appear’s X20 Platform as an SRT gateway can handle up to 1,536 connections (12 cards with 128 connections per card) and up to 72 Gigabits of SRT traffic. SRT enables organizations to change the economics of migration to Internet distribution in their favor, it said.

DENVER, Colo.—In advance of the 2024 IBC Show, Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) has announced a new multi-year agreement with AMC Networks to serve as its centralized video platform for Managed Channel Origination (MCO) and Video On Demand (VOD). 

CTS will also serve as the primary video archive to enforce viewing rights and availability of AMC Networks’ vast library of premium shows, films, and brands across third-party content distribution partners.

Under terms of the new agreement, AMC Networks will use CTS’ Managed Channel Origination (MCO) service to ingest, manage, and distribute linear TV, on demand, and OTT video content across North America and South America for 28 channels including AMC, AMC+, BBC AMERICA, IFC, Shudder, SundanceTV, We TV, and others. 

In addition, CTS’ VOD service will be used to deliver on demand and OTT video content to MVPD, vMVPD and OTT partners globally. 

CTS’ Managed Channel Origination delivers a fully managed 24x7 service aimed at improving operational efficiency, reducing capital expenses, and future-proofing customers’ ability to monetize world-class viewing experiences at scale. CTS’ MCO and VOD capabilities provide media companies, content owners, and broadcasters with a platform for unified video workflow from content ingest through delivery, the company said. 

“AMC Networks is home to many of the best stories, characters, and brands across TV and film, and a premier destination for global fan communities,” said Bart Spriester, senior vice president and general manager of streaming, broadcast, & advertising for Comcast Technology Solutions. “We’re honored that AMC Networks will rely on us to help streamline their efforts to reach and monetize audiences across the Americas and around the globe. At Comcast Technology Solutions, our mission is to help leading media companies, like AMC Networks, reduce workflow complexity and redundancy, lower capital and operational expenses, and deliver exceptional quality viewing that today’s consumers demand across their screens of choice." 

"During this time of evolution and change across our industry, AMC Networks is laser focused on achieving the highest levels of efficiency and service quality across our video portfolio,” said Stephanie Mitchko, executive vice president, global media operations and technology at AMC Networks. “Whether it’s to support of our premium channels, our archives, or distribution of our acclaimed original franchises such as The Walking Dead Universe and the Anne Rice Immortal Universe, we believe that Comcast Technology Solutions provides us with the right technological backend for our future. CTS is committed to helping us shift towards a single ingest model, consolidate workflows, and manage our linear TV and VOD efforts across our networks and our third-party distribution partners. By centralizing with CTS, we expect to streamline operations, automate highly complex tasks, and free up valuable resources to focus more on creating and monetizing our extensive programming assets.”

CTS' Managed Channel Origination provides media companies with a unified workflow, from content acquisition through delivery, with 24x7 service level agreements (SLAs). In addition, CTS’ VOD services enable MVPDs, virtual MVPDs, and OTT providers to launch and manage their own SVOD, TVOD, and AVOD offerings. It provides companies the ability to ingest, store, process, distribute, and monetize their video assets to set-top boxes and connected devices while optimizing C3/C7/D4/D7 windows.

At the 2024 IBC Show, CTS will showcase its solutions for streaming, broadcast, entertainment, and connectivity experiences in Hall 5, Stand C80. Experts will be on-hand to discuss CTS’ full suite of products for content and streaming providers, MVPDs, and advertisers. 

In addition, Peter Gibson, VP of Product & Marketing at Comcast Technology Solutions will also present on “The New Age of Cloud TV” on Friday, September 13 at 12:15 p.m. on the IBC Content Everywhere Stage. 

To learn more about Comcast Technology Solutions’ entire portfolio of solutions, visit: https://www.comcasttechnologysolutions.com/our-products.

For more information about AMC Networks visit https://www.amcnetworks.com/ 

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. 

AMSTERDAM—Pebble, a provider of automation, content management, and integrated channel technologies, says it will highlight its approach to the “true economics” of live playout at the 2024 IBC Show, Sept. 13-17 at the RAI Amsterdam.

“Pebble has always led the way in using powerful, reliable, secure and intuitive software to automate workflows in broadcast delivery,” explains Sally Wallington, senior vice president of sales said. “Today’s rapidly evolving needs in the playout market are more demanding than ever and that’s why, on our stand at IBC2024, you’ll see interactive demonstrations for sports, entertainment and news – all in a live playout environment.

“But it’s not all about the functionality. It’s important to understand and realise the costs involved, and optimise the commercial aspects of playout,” she added.

Pebble says its software suite has integrated seamlessly with devices in the playout chain from all the key manufacturers. The company also offers its own Integrated Channel device, replicating in software all the functionality of a traditional broadcast playout operation, but at a completely different price point. Another growing requirement to manage costs is the need for remote and multi-site operations and for that, Pebble says it now offers secure monitoring from any location to any linked installation. This web-based tool gives access to authorised users from any location, through a special hardened portal, to a dashboard and control panel.

“We appreciate customers have varying, economic, as well as technical challenges and these need a different approach. At IBC many companies will be focused purely on technology, for me it’s important that Pebble addresses all of our customers’ business requirements, including offering innovative commercial solutions, such as billing down to the hour,” said Peter Mayhead, CEO, Pebble.

Pebble says it develops its software to meet open standards and develops integration links with other key vendors where it adds value for the user. Pebble has also announced a collaboration with Virtual AI and its Op2mise application to enhance Pebble’s functionality for FAST channels.

Pebble will be in Stand 8.C58 at RAI. To register for the show, visit https://show.ibc.org/

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.  

MELVILLE, N.Y.—Chyron will showcase new data-driven graphics capabilities and playout control, enhanced newsroom visual storytelling and new cloud developments at IBC 2024, Sept. 13-16, at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Center.

“At present, our industry is in a period of volatility and uncertainty,” said Alain Polgar, Chyron senior vice president of sales, EMEA and APAC. “Media companies need to serve more outlets with less resources.”

“Without compromising on graphics quality, we have tailored our solutions and optimized our workflows to allow our customers to streamline their production and distribution process at a predictable total cost of ownership for the entire usage lifecycle.”

Recent Chyron PRIME releases have included functions stemming from customer collaborations, including NBC Sports. Chyron will feature a new playout workflow that simplifies operation while enabling greater control over the types of data displayed in live-to-air graphics, the company said.

New dynamic data functions that allow playout operators to control the display of real-time data in graphics as well as the data source and the actions that the data will trigger. PRIME’s easily customizable control panels allow designers to provide access to specific parameters and give playout operators the appropriate amount of control, it said.

Other updates to the company sports production portfolio include enhancements to its illustrated replay solution, PAINT, including UHD/4K capabilities and a new playlist module to eliminate the need for a traditional replay server along with new telestration tools and options for skinning the interface for branded on-air display, it said.

Chyron will show VSAR with support for Unreal Engine 5 and new ready-made components and tools to enhance time-to-air. It also will feature VP for placement of in-video offsides lines and virtual ads on the pitch, around the arena or on buildings, it said.

The company will show the latest features for Chyron LIVE, including those for sports production, news and talk shows. The latest include expanded audio control, advanced playlist features, more graphics templates and improvements to the user interface, it said.

See Chyron at IBC Stand 7.B49.

More information is available on the company’s website.

SAN JOSE, Calif. —Harmonic has announced that Vivo Worldwide Productions is using Harmonic's comprehensive playout and distribution solutions at Caliente TV, a new sports TV channel in Mexico. 

In the deployment, Harmonic’s VOS360 Media SaaS and ProView IRD and stream processor are being used to simplify all stages of media processing, playout and distribution to affiliates and partners.

"Caliente tasked us with rapidly launching its new linear channel, which ignited our search for a flexible video platform," said Juan Carlos Velazquez, director of Vivo Worldwide Productions. "Harmonic's team of experts exceeded our expectations, enabling us to deploy Caliente TV within two weeks. The Harmonic solution streamlines the full playout to distribution workflow, empowering Caliente TV to focus on reinventing sports coverage. Adopting Harmonic's SaaS solution gives us the flexibility to easily add extra channels and more cutting-edge graphics in the future."

The comprehensive offering from Harmonic provides Caliente TV with a powerful solution for its video workflows, the companies said. 

The cloud-based VOS360 platform unifies the entire media processing chain for Caliente TV, including playout, advanced graphics, transcoding and SRT distribution to leading Mexican pay-TV operators. The VOS360 Media SaaS is based on a flexible business model that allows Caliente TV to only pay for what they use. Harmonic's ProView IRD and stream processor supports the reception of broadcast-quality video over the internet, simplifying implementation.

"Vivo Worldwide Productions is a powerhouse for producing live sports content in Mexico, and we're thrilled to have them as a customer," said Gil Rudge, senior vice president, products and America sales, video business at Harmonic. "As one of the only technology providers that offers a complete solution for media processing, playout and distribution, Harmonic is enabling Caliente TV to deliver top-notch live sports viewing experiences with unparalleled agility, resiliency, video quality, security and scalability. Using our award-winning VOS360 Media SaaS and ProView 8100 IRD, Caliente TV can bring exceptional video quality and advanced graphics to its new sports TV channel."

Further information about Harmonic and the company's solutions is available at www.harmonicinc.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. 

MUNICH, Germany—Regional German broadcaster Südwestrundfunk (SWR) has deployed the Rohde & Schwarz Pixel Power graphics and playout solution.

Based in Baden-Baden, Germany, SER is part of the German federated ARD consortium. It provides the primary playout facilities for its own channels and other southern German broadcasters, including Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR), Hessischer Rundfunk (HR) and Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR).

SWR chose a software-defined playout replacement for its existing playout infrastructure as it reached its end-of-life. Having graphics and branding integrated into the solution was a key part of SWR’s strategy.

“In our search for a modern playout solution, we wanted a solution that is truly future-proof, flexible and highly scalable,” said SWR project matter Udo Fettig. “Gallium and StreamMaster are our chosen solutions providing all necessary information in one graphical user interface, without restrictions. We could lay the system out to suit all our operational workflows.”    

The broadcaster required the ability to manage live events and schedule breaks as well as add live graphics, ranging from lottery results to severe weather warnings. The new system also offers a text-to-speech function to meet the needs of the visually impaired in emergencies, Rohde & Schwarz said.

The Rohde & Schwarz Pixel Power Gallium and StreamMaster software applications run on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware. They can operate on premises, in the cloud or as a hybrid, the company said.

They also support remote access. SWR has already run output with the solution’s channel controller from a home office location without sacrificing the flexibility and interactivity needed for live breaks and unscheduled events, it said.

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. 

Pebble is well known among broadcasters for offering playout and channel management for Tier 1 channels.

At the 2024 NAB Show, however, the company took a major step forward to address the needs of the broader market with the introduction of Pebble PRIMA, a software platform equally adept at running on-prem or in the cloud. As shown at the NAB Show, PRIMA performs several key functions, including a workflow solution focused on handling file-based media, management of baseband and SMPTE ST 2110 streams and, of course, playout.

However, that’s just the beginning. Pebble aims to make PRIMA a full-featured media workflow platform by adding new capabilities over time that solve the challenge of how to both put channels on air and stream them in an affordable way without sacrificing the look and appeal viewers have become accustomed to seeing on their favorite channels.

Under development for four years, PRIMA will become “the basis of all our future technology introductions,” says Neil Maycock, chief commercial officer at Pebble.

That’s not to say the company will not continue investing in its existing products while Pebble focuses R&D resources on PRIMA, he says.

On-Prem and in the Cloud

PRIMA was designed to run on premise as well as in the cloud, which offers a special appeal for a large swath of users ranging from top broadcasters looking to launch Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) channels and temporary channels to meet short duration needs, such as hurricane coverage, to those outside the broadcast paradigm wishing to stream directly to viewers.

One of the downsides of relying on the cloud is that costs can mount quickly. With that in mind, Pebble designed PRIMA to make sure that it was affordable to run both on-prem and in the public cloud. For instance, PRIMA software is designed to run on Linux, not Windows. That fact alone can reduce the expense of running in the cloud by half, says Maycock.

Pebble made other critical tech choices while developing PRIMA that further drive down the expense of running in the cloud, he adds.

Security represents another major concern for media organizations whether they choose on-prem workflows or those in the cloud. Recognizing security to be key, Pebble took a variety of steps beginning in the software design of PRIMA all the way through to the external interface—where APIs reside—to maintain security.

“[P]ublic cloud security has to be leading edge,” says Maycock, “and that’s what we believe we have with PRIMA.”

Maycock recently sat down with TVTech contributing editor Phil Kurz for a one-on-one interview about PRIMA. The video is available online by clicking here.

ABOUT PEBBLE

Experts in delivering leading playout and management solutions for the broadcast and media technology industry.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.—Cablecast Community Media has announced that it will be previewing its new Social Streaming and Control Rooms features, which simplify direct streaming and simulcasting to social media platforms from Cablecast Automation software, at NAB Show 2024 in Las Vegas (April 14-17). 

Cablecast exhibits at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel, Suite 839, next to the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. 

Building on the ability to playout and record unlimited network stream sources, the new Social Streaming feature for Cablecast VIO video servers provides municipalities, educational institutions, PEG stations, and businesses with a reliable, straightforward way to stream live events directly from their Cablecast video and automation server to social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch, the company reported. 

Designed specifically for events televised from the TV studio or city council chamber, social streams can be scheduled directly into the playout schedule the same way all live events are scheduled in Cablecast, or as a user-initiated switch in the virtual switcher. 

“Social Streaming is a vital tool that empowers our clients to schedule live events to be streamed directly to their audience's favorite social media platforms. With Cablecast, simulcasting to social media is now a simple and seamless part of your public communication strategy,” said Steve Israelsky, president, Cablecast Community Media.

The new Control Rooms feature will simplify broadcast and streaming event workflows for Cablecast operators by giving them customizable views for live switching. As organizations add more network sources and digital distribution platforms to their channel operations, a single Cablecast system may include several live sources, network encoders, multiple channels, and live streams, the company explained. 

“We see so many PEG operations supporting multiple channels, it can become difficult to navigate the manual controls, even in our streamlined interface,” added Israelsky. “Control Rooms lets you configure a separate, simplified set of devices and outputs – just the ones you need for that particular production – to streamline the live event process.”

With Control Rooms, a station covering council meetings for several cities can create a control room for each municipality that displays only the specific channel, source locations, and outputs needed for each city, the company reported. 

Combined with the Social Streaming feature, the Control Rooms user interface also gives users a shortcut to start an RTMP stream and begin streaming directly to social media platforms like YouTube. Additional tools in the event bar include a countdown, controls for starting and stopping the live event, and testing the live streams. 

Cablecast is scheduling meetings for the 2024 NAB Show to demo its new accessibility upgrades and other PEG channel solutions here.  

LAS VEGAS—Cinegy has announced that it will be showcasing the company’s latest enhancements to its ingest, playout and multiviewer products at its booth SL6031 during the NAB Show in Las Vegas, from April 14 – 17.

The Cinegy team will be demoing a host of new features that are designed to improve day-to-day operations for the broadcast and adjacent markets. These enhancements, which are based on user feedback, will make the Cinegy products more powerful, easier to use and more efficient in terms of energy and costs, the company said.  

“Cinegy can deliver 8k ingest, playout and production on a laptop, including all the functions you can think of that used to require the connection of endless boxes,” said Jan Weigner, managing director of Cinegy. “Nowadays, all that’s needed is a single optimized software pipeline on one CPU with a GPU as accelerator. We have minimal latency from end-to-end. It’s just about providing enough hardware to make it happen and maximizing that hardware, which we can help you do. In a crowded market, our products leverage decades of in-house engineering, knowledge and customer feedback to offer both power and cost-efficiency, which makes us unique.” 

More specifically, the company reported that the recent updates within the Cinegy Air 24.1 playout platform will provide more operational security by preventing monitoring activities from unintentionally interfering with live output. An easy-to-access enable/disable setting in the Air GUI prevents operators from accidentally launching items or skipping them at the wrong time, for example.  

The user interface is also more intuitive and secure, allowing operators to identify different categories of content in the playout timeline without needing to zoom in. In addition, Cinegy Air 24.1 now incorporates the RossTalk protocol in the secondary event menu, making it easy to program switchers and routers from Ross Video. This allows operators to perform simple or sophisticated actions as part of an automated event, making the final output smoother and more engaging.  

Also new at NAB 2024 is Cinegy Capture 24.1, the renowned Cinegy ingest platform that replaces the many ingest and transcode boxes and wires that used to be required to deliver this result in mixed-environment productions. This updated version improves the convenience and usability of the product, making it more stable, which will be of particular interest to broadcasters delivering live, high-value, high-stakes entertainment and sporting events. The number and brands of supported GPUs that can be used to offload encoding operations has been expanded by adding AMD and Intel GPUs support. 

In addition, capture gang control has been enhanced, allowing the group management of many recording engines with the click of a single button. Other features include: a reset error information function, the introduction of the “strict format” option for MPEG-TS and NewTek NDI sources, the ability to use the Avid DNxHR codec as a proxy UHD format with automatic downscaling to 720p resolution, as well as added support for DNxHR in MXF OP1a in the archive-based templates (added bit depth conversion from 10-bit to 8-bit for Avid DNxHR encoder and improved NDI reception stability). To round it off Capture now also supports BlackMagic’s Decklink IP cards providing an additional way to ingest SMPTE ST-2110 video feeds. 

Cinegy Multiviewer 24.2 will also make its debut at the show. This long-awaited version stands on the shoulders of decades worth of experience and customer feedback, taking broadcast monitoring technology another step forward. Meticulously fine-tuned, this release comes with a host of new features, bug fixes and codebase-related optimizations.  

These include support for AMD GPU acceleration, expanding the range of compatible hardware and providing users with greater power, choice and flexibility with Intel GPU support on the cards for the next release. Also available is an NDI source tolerance mode, allowing users to monitor a broader range of sources, even those that deviate from industry standards; enhanced remote-control API to help users monitor their workflows more precisely; further GPU acceleration to optimize performance and efficiency, enabling users to maximize the power of their hardware. Blackmagic Decklink IP card support has also been added to Cinegy Multiviewer as one of the supported SMPTE ST-2110 devices. 

More information is available at www.cinegy.com and https://open.cinegy.com/products/. 

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.

SÃO PAULO, Brazil—The largest independent TV broadcast organization in Brazil has chosen Playbox Neo media production and playout technology to support newly launched streaming channels, the company said today.

Stenna Group will use four new PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box units in two-plus-two main and backup configuration as well as SafeBox Neo and LixtBox Neo-20 modules, the company said.

“We needed a solution that would integrate with our existing server network and operate transparently,” says Stenna Group CFO and CTO Fabio Buhr. “PlayBox Neo was the logical choice given its proven track record here in Brazil and globally.”

Pointing to the user friendliness of its interface, Buhr said the UI offers several notable advantages. “The user interface allows every aspect of the scheduling and playout routine to be managed quickly from a single desktop,” he said. “The display is eye-friendly, easy-to-learn and ergonomically efficient with all the tools necessary for each step of the process immediately to [at] hand.”

Besides its support of automated alerts when a source freezes or gaps appear in the schedule, PlayBox Neo offers a user environment geared to 24/7 transmission, he said, adding that the platform even allows the freedom for playout staff to work remotely if required. 

“We particularly appreciate the modularity of PlayBox Neo’s product range as this allows us to configure solutions that match our current business model while retaining the flexibility to respond to future demands on a workflow,” he said.

SafeBox Neo is a turnkey playout server solution for broadcasting single or multiple television channels in HD or UHD. It provides a seamless workflow to keep a channel on-air by combining scheduling, ingest, playout, title and rolling-text management and interactive graphics within one module. It also offers remote tools to enhance QC checks, preparation and monitoring. The output can be SDI or IP-streamed. 

ListBox Neo-20 provides the editing facilities required for playlist creation, such as search, cut/copy/paste, multi-selection editing, ordering facilities and playlist printing. Each offers multiple levels of undo/redo. The integrated clip trimmer allows unnecessary segments to be removed as well as clip splitting and last-minute order reversal within the same clip. It can even be used to edit the on-air playlist. 

Neo distribution partner CIS Group, based in São Paulo, negotiated the deal. CIS Group also will train Stenna Group on use of the new technology.

More information is available on the Playbox Neo and CIS Group websites.

MUNICH—Cinegy GmbH has announced that it provided all the core functionality for a new broadcast center for the TV and Radio Complex of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (PTRK). 

The project, led by DNK Kazakhstan, Cinegy’s systems integration partner in Kazakhstan, brings all aspects of two major channels – Jibek Joly TV and Silk Way – into a new building in Almaty. 

Jibek Joly and the international service Silk Way previously were based in separate locations and used a variety of systems for production and playout. In moving to a new headquarters, the aim was to provide a common working environment for news, production, playout and archiving. PTRK had some experience with Cinegy software, and the solution is unique in being able to provide everything needed in a single environment, the companies said. 

Cinegy solutions are also widely used at other broadcasters in Kazakhstan, which also gave PTRK confidence that the technology is readily supported. Finally, the single-source solution promises to be cost-effective over the lifetime of the system. 

“One of the critical advantages of Cinegy is that it is very user friendly,” said Yernar Ibragimov, CTO of PTRK. “The intuitive design makes the system easy and efficient, significantly speeding up the training process for new employees. Today about 100 Cinegy users work simultaneously, and we produce as much as 40 hours of content daily.” 

DNK Kazakhstan developed a proof-of-concept system for PTRK, then supplied all the hardware and software licenses for the full system. It includes Cinegy Air PRO for playout, Cinegy Convert PRO for signal processing, plus Cinegy Multiviewer, Cinegy Route, Cinegy Prompter and Cinegy Archive Enterprise. More than 75 Cinegy Desktop licenses are also included. 

“With Cinegy, the customer can handle all content production stages in a single infrastructure,” said Mike Efimov, international sales manager for Cinegy. “This allows clients to focus on the creative aspects without worrying about the complexities of integrating different systems.” 

“What it means for the production and broadcast teams within PTRK is efficiency,” Efimov added. “By eliminating the need to hand work off from one system to another, it speeds everything from editing to publishing. It also means you do not need to store content in multiple locations, so media management and storage is much more efficient, saving the cost of hardware and the space to operate it.” 

PTRK and its broadcast channels moved into the new center earlier in 2023 and have been reliant on the Cinegy integrated solution since then. 

 EPSOM, Surrey, U.K.—In the runup to IBC2023, Pebble has announced a major release of its playout solution, with Automation 2.0. 

This release represents a major R&D investment to address two key market requirements, cloud deployment and security and strengthens their long-term commitment to the enterprise playout market, the company said. 

Pebble Automation is designed for leading broadcasters who need to handle the most demanding playout requirements. The solution already supports on-prem, hybrid, and cloud deployments, but in the new Pebble offers users more efficient cloud deployments and greater levels of network security. This has been achieved with Automation 2.0 through redesigning core aspects of the system architecture and incorporating state of the art technology.

Miroslav Jeras, Pebble CTO, explained that “Instead of trying to address security issues individually, we decided to introduce changes on an architectural level bringing the internal communications in line with the latest industry best practices. By doing the overall security refresh and consolidation of communication protocols, we have also optimized Automation for public cloud deployment scenarios.”

The company is showcasing Automation 2.0 along with a host of other upgrades to its playout and IP infrastructure management product portfolio at IBC. 

“It is very important to Pebble that our customers know that when they partner with us, they are buying into a company that continually invests in our portfolio ensuring their solutions stay current and meet their evolving needs,” stated Peter Mayhead, Pebble CEO, “I’m looking forward to meeting customers at IBC and sharing the great progress we’ve made”.

Pebble will showcase Automation 2.0 at IBC booth# 8.B75. To book a meeting visit: Leaders in Playout.

LEEDS, U.K.—Cloud playout specialist Coralbay.tv Ltd has announced that the company has integrated Nielsen watermarking into its flagship coralPlay product.

The integration with Nielsen means that Coralbay.tv customers playing out channels into geographical regions supported by Nielsen can benefit from Nielsen’s audience measurement technology. 

“We are really pleased to have integrated coralPlay with the Nielsen SDK and to have completed the qualification,” explained Peter Hajittofi, CEO of Coralbay.tv. “Our coralPlay customers can now insert Nielsen watermarks into the TV signal and this enables them to benefit from audience measurement and analytics data that Nielsen can produce.”

Via the Nielsen Software Development Kit ( SDK), coralPlay inserts watermarks into the audio stream of the TV signal that identifies the programs that are being distributed to Nielsen clients, enabling Nielsen audience measurement, the company explained. 

The watermarks are decoded by downstream devices that can detect the programs that each viewer watches. Using this information, Nielsen can generate important analytics data, such as how and when people watch programs, the popularity of certain programs, demographics and other useful analytics.

As well as developing the software to interface to Nielsen’s SDK, the integration involved extensive testing and QA as part of Nielsen’s qualification process. This has now been completed and Nielsen watermarking integration is now available to coralPlay customers.

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. 

Cinegy GmbH, has announced that during IBC2023 it will be showcasing media solutions that deliver rich functionality and address environmental concerns.

During IBC2023 in September 15 to 18 at its stand 7.A01, the provider of software technology for digital video processing, asset management, video compression and automation, and playout, said that it will be showing a ultra-optimized software stack that offers clients very low energy consumption. 

Drawing on the benefits of its partnership with Supermicro, Cinegy said it will be demonstrating this by running a staggering 256 channels of HD playout using Cinegy Air software from a single 4RU server. With a power consumption of around 1500W, that equates to consumption of less than 6W for per complete playout channel, a huge reduction in carbon footprint. 

In addition, Cinegy said it is delivering huge performance in a compact form with the Micro OBVAN demonstration. That demo shows a complete four camera broadcast system fitted in the trunk of a Microlino car. The Microlino is a tiny electric town car, only 2.5m long and weighing just 500kg. Its trunk is a tiny 230 liters, yet Cinegy has put all the hardware and software for production and delivery into it, including 5G connectivity, drawing power from the Microlino’s traction batteries. 

“Our goal when developing all our products has been to create high functionality in very compact software,” said Jan Weigner, managing director of Cinegy. “Delivering high performance with the minimum of processor resources makes for high availability systems in a low physical footprint, but it also means that the continuing costs of running the installation – including power and air conditioning – are also minimized.” 

“We can all see the catastrophic damage that climate change has wrought,” he added, “and our very efficient software is playing its part in minimizing the carbon footprint.” 

The company also stressed that IBC2023 will see the introduction of enhanced functionality across all of Cinegy’s key products, including Cinegy Air multi-channel playout, Cinegy Multiviewer and Cinegy Capture for ingest. 

These continuing enhancements reflect the company’s continued close relationships with broadcasters and media enterprises around the world who rely on Cinegy software. The greatly enhanced subtitling capabilities in Cinegy Air, for example, were developed in response to a requirement from a major French broadcaster, the company explained. 

Cinegy will also be showing a new tool, Cinegize, which provides remote control of graphics and broadcast equipment with features that are critical for broadcast applications: frame accuracy, color fidelity and low latency. 

Cinegize can connect over any fabric, across a room or across the world. It is standards-based, so can use encapsulated data streams like SRT for remote connectivity, and for high bandwidth streams it can use the Cinegy Daniel2 codec providing very high quality, right up to lossless. 

“We see Cinegize as a utility,” Weigner said, “which is why we are making it available free of charge. It is open, so you can use it to access any suitable software on any remote device, but we hope that in time users will recognize the need to organize and manage the content, which is where our solutions excel.”

“The media market grows ever more crowded and competitive,” Weigner added. “Our products are designed to scale with the user, whether that is the need to move from HD to 4k or even 8k, or the need to add more channels and sub-channels, or the need to link remote workers and locations with rapidly growing content stores. 

“At IBC we look forward to talking these issues through with the many visitors from around the world,” he continued. “We are catching the visitor’s eye with demonstrations like the complete OBVAN in my Microlino, and a single box running 256 HD channels – or 64 Ultra HD, or eight 8k – but the importance of IBC is having the time to talk through solutions in detail, showing how we can match users’ expectations, on premises, in the cloud, and across multiple locations.” 

More information is available at cinegy.com. 

EPSOM, Surrey, U.K.—Pebble has announced that the major Indonesian broadcaster Trans Media has successfully launched a new playout system delivered by Pebble and their channel partner system Integrator, PT. Interindo Multimedia. 

The upgraded solution has replaced Trans Media’s legacy infrastructure, providing a range of more advanced features to overcome the challenges of moving to a new broadcast system for the future, the companies said. 

“We’re delighted to have partnered with Pebble to deliver such an innovative future-proof solution for Trans Media,” explained Alfie Torrijos, senior broadcast engineer at PT. Interindo Multimedia. “Our local knowledge and expertise, together with the reliability of Pebble’s robust playout systems have enabled us to support Trans Media with their move to a new CER with new technology.”

"At Trans TV, we strive to deliver innovative and engaging content to our audience, and our new playout system is an important step towards achieving that goal," added Sakti Lubis, Broadcast Support and Multimedia Section head. 

The playout system, which is now live on air, is based on Pebble Automation controlling Pebble Integrated Channel and is designed to ensure seamless broadcasting for the two free-to-air channels which are Trans TV and Trans 7. 

The solution also offers 2+2 channel redundancy, controlled through the Pebble Automation Channel Manager. This includes the capability to automatically switch to a backup channel via a third-party router when a failure is detected in the main channel. 

In addition, native Flash and HTML5 graphics are now used to deliver complex visuals, while simpler PNG or TGA sequences are used for logos. Trans Media can also now insert SCTE-104 messages within its program output, with all of these capabilities under playlist control.

"We are thrilled to see both Trans Trans TV and Trans 7 go live on air with our playout system in their new central equipment room (CER) and new MCR location," commented Pebble’s Samir Isbaih, vice president of sales Middle East and APAC. “It has been incredibly important working with our valued channel partner PT. Interindo Multimedia to deliver this project successfully. The solution will enable Trans Media to broadcast their free-to-air channels seamlessly and reliably, with the added benefit of 2+2 channel redundancy to ensure uninterrupted broadcasting.”

DENVER—As part of an effort to provide media companies with practical migration paths to the cloud, Imagine Communications has announced it is working with Vizrt to integrate Viz Vectar Plus cloud live production solution with the Imagine Aviator Make TV cloud playout solution. 

Imagine will demonstrate this advanced, end-to-end cloud workflow at the 2023 NAB Show from April 16-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, booth W2775. 

By expanding the capabilities and workflow integrations of its Aviator platform, Imagine reported that it continues to broaden the appeal of cloud-based solutions and that the partnership between Imagine and Vizrt brings dynamic live production and playout in the cloud together in a well-orchestrated solution. 

Enabling live production workflows for sports, news, and live events to feed downstream live linear workflows, it combines the dynamic and fluid nature of live production with the content acquisition, playout, branding, master control switching, SCTE decoration and ad insertion at the heart of Aviator. 

“The demand for cloud-based production and playout continues to grow,” says Brendon Mills, general manager of Networking and Playout at Imagine. “By partnering with Vizrt, we’re making it easier than ever for our mutual customers to leverage the flexibility and agility of the cloud to quickly respond to evolving market demands.” 

“Vizrt’s live production in the cloud is based on tried-and-true products and Imagine has a proven track record in cloud-based solutions,” he continued. “Combining the low-latency live production power from Vizrt with the system orchestration and premium-quality cloud playout capabilities of Aviator makes the resulting solution a powerful and compelling way to solve the most pressing problems our industry faces in the continued migration to cloud.”

The Vizrt Live Production system runs in the cloud and is operated via web browser or via a physical control panel. The user can access incoming live streams uplinked from on-prem and remote locations for contribution. These streams, along with clip and graphics resources accessible to Viz Vectar Plus, are combined to deliver the final production output. This output is available to Aviator, along with all other accessible live streams in the cloud. The production feed can be switched to air by Aviator based on a schedule or as needed with its master control solution to break into live programming. Aviator will return to the playlist after the live production based on the schedule — or unscheduled if the live event ends sooner or later than expected, the companies explained. 

Each Aviator playout channel supports up to two live inputs per channel at any one time and controls cloud routing via Imagine’s Magellan Control System. It switches seamlessly between live streams, between live and clip-based content, and between two clips simply by selecting the appropriate source in the web browser user interface — no delays and no configuration required — delivering immediate on-air results. This includes support for DVEs for each input for both live and clip content. As a result, the combined Vizrt and Aviator approach offers the flexibility and immediacy of cloud production with the agility of cloud playout that can handle demanding multi-source workflows in a vast array of practical scenarios, the companies reported. 

“Cloud production isn't 'the future', it's happening now,” states Ulrich Voigt, global head of product management, Vizrt Group. “Whether a broadcaster wants the flexibility to create in the cloud, or hybrid, our partnership with Imagine and its Aviator platform enables new possibilities in live production and playout workflows in the cloud. It's guaranteed, tried and tested and the results are indistinguishable. The benefits of low-latency video workflows, including true scalability, remote collaboration, and cost and carbon savings, are pioneering a new era of live production. We are proud to work together with Imagine to see pure cloud production become reality.” 

For more information about Imagine Communications’ products and solutions visit https://www.imaginecommunications.com.

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.

Considering the much-reported news of consumers cord cutting and reducing streaming costs, FAST channels (Free Ad Supported Streaming TV) have entered the crowded TV entertainment market as a much-touted growth area for content distributors. 

Given current economic conditions, FAST channels are particularly appealing for distributors looking to streamline infrastructure and reduce production expenses while expanding program offerings. FAST apps feature scheduled; linear shows delivered to a mass audience through connected devices - without a subscription.  

Launching a FAST channel provides a huge opportunity to use content libraries for the creation of niche FAST channels for revenue generation and to drive more subscriptions for premium content.

Content creators can create a FAST channel and distribute content from existing SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) or AVOD (Advertising-based Video on Demand) libraries. They can also create channels specifically for short-form content or live events, such as sports, newscasts, and studio shows. 

Linear and OTT
Since all data is processed over the internet, the playout infrastructure is simpler with FAST than traditional TV. And with its linear delivery, it emulates broadcast-style distribution, using master control to schedule the day’s programming, commercials and SCTE triggers. FAST channels can take advantage of the powerful but cost-effective playout systems developed for broadcast applications. 

With the right support and technology, it’s easy to create flexible linear streaming channels that include broadcast-quality ads. With just one box content distributors can schedule and run all playout functions, including commercial and graphic overlay insertion. 

Be it a server- or cloud-based system, the most important elements to look for when evaluating a playout system for FAST channel usage are transfer speeds, adaptability, and ease of use. 

Adaptability and Cost are Keys to Success
Within this competitive market, it’s critical that content owners can quickly and easily add/remove channels while determining the right programming mix. If ad revenues are good, owners may want to launch similar FAST channels or add new platforms to expand their reach. 

If the channel is not gathering ad dollars or viewers, the initiative may be scaled back or removed. It’s a very agile business model that requires an equally agile distribution system. The success of a FAST channel relies on a cost-effective, adaptable playout infrastructure. 

PlayBox Neo’s server-based Channel-in-a-Box and the cloud native virtual channel solution Cloud2TV feature automatic transcoding, fast file transfers, a flexible SaaS pricing model, and support for UHD/HD/SD UDP/IP In/&Out with SCTE- 35 triggers in Transport Stream format. 

With transcoding included as part of the system along with a monthly SaaS billing structure, content providers can monetize their live and pre-recorded content without a substantial increase to the bottom line. The PlayBox Neo system includes SCTE triggers for automatic ad insertion with the ability to perform QC checks. 

SCTE triggers also allow the content distributor to change the programming at a moment’s notice and to personalize the ad experience of the viewers. PlayBox Neo solutions are designed from the ground up to be easy to use, fast and adaptable to any environment. 

Why FAST, Why Now?
There are several factors contributing to the increasing popularity of FAST channels with viewers. Among them: the programming is free to watch, doesn’t require any dedicated set up like cable and pay TV, offers a wide array of linear and on-demand content, and its program guides make it a ‘no-brainer’ to find a show. (FAST services offer a linear-style viewing experience with programming guides for channels typically dedicated to specific and niche genres or single-series and on-demand content.)

According to Jeff Shultz, chief strategy and business development officer of streaming at Paramount, that model of engagement can lead to very long watch times with content they find accidentally. Shultz came to Paramount from Pluto TV, which was an early pioneer of FAST channels. Shultz said that people often appreciate a break from searching for something to watch.

“FAST channels produce more engagement in terms of yielding more monthly active users (a key performance indicator for FAST channels), total viewing hours, and thus, more revenue.”  With existing content, this can be attributed to the fact that viewers are comforted by a particular show or feel nostalgic for a specific program or time period. 

The growing popularity of FAST channels can be seen in their many iterations and the number of players in the market. Some are run by a single provider such as E.W Scripps’ Newsy, PocketWatch and FilmRise, who provide their content for linear viewing on aggregators’ apps. 

A growing number of large media companies are investing in FAST, including Viacom (Pluto TV), NBCU (Peacock) and Fox (Tubi). TV manufacturers also have their own FAST channels: The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Vizio’s WatchFree+, and more. It’s also been widely reported that Google is about to launch 50 free ad-supported channels. 

The economic case for developing FAST channels is strong, with ad revenue in the United States growing at an accelerated clip.  S&P Global Market Intelligence recently estimated U.S. FAST business in the range of $4 billion in revenue this year and will more than double to almost $9 billion by 2026.3  In Q4 2022 65% of consumers said they used at least one FAST service. That marks a 10-percentage-point gain over Q2 2021.

With no cord connection required at the consumer’s end and minimal infrastructure on the delivery side, launching FAST channels can be a simple solution to provide entertainment at no cost to the viewer and minimal expense to the distributor. It’s important to find a playout solution that’s easy to use and fits your needs for expansion as you add new FAST channels. 

Currently, PlayBox Neo is working with a major sports league in the U.S. on the creation of its FAST channel, which will use a powerful and innovative server configuration.

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.

BANGKOK—Amarin TV 34HD has deployed a new high-definition playout system that leverages Imagine Communications ADC automation and Nexio+ AMP media server at its headquarters here, Imagine said today.

The setup allows the broadcaster to achieve efficiencies in its operations as well as greater reliability. It also integrates with the broadcaster’s existing server and distribution architecture, it said.

“We had a clear idea of what we needed to achieve with our new playout automation network—both for our operations today, as we develop our workflows, and as a building block towards a more file-based future,” said Amarin TV CTO Cheewapat Nathalang.

On air since 2013, Amarin TV was reaching the end of life of its original playout system. The broadcaster identified Imagine Communications as offering the automation and playout solution that best met its existing and future requirements, it said.

The broadcaster appreciated the fact that Imagine’s software-based solution could integrate seamlessly with the rest of its SDI infrastructure, the company said.

At the heart of the new deployment is Imagine’s ADC automation. The software-based solution tightly integrates with the Nexio+ AMP channel playout services and Nexio Motion asset management software Amarin TV selected. Nexio Motion provides a dynamic link between the Nexio on-air network and Amarin TV’s existing shared storage, the company said.

The new workflow reconciles all incoming SDI feeds ingested using the ADC Media Client before being handled as files and transferred to the intermediate and long-term storage as appropriate.

Close integration the Imagine solutions enables routine operations to be highly automated. Transfers between Imagine’s IOX SAN storage pools are done via watch folders. ADC can interrogate the system for missing material based on playlists and purge content based on business rules. As all content is handled as files within the playout and asset management system, transfers are swift and secure and can be prioritized for urgent demands, it said.

Local systems integrator SWS Group Company implemented the solution.

More information is available on the company’s website.

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—DeSales Media is a direct provider of Catholic news, events and original content through print, TV, digital and experiential, to engage Catholics and drive them to put their faith into action. With more than 100 years since the launch of our first newspaper, “The Tablet,” and an evolution spanning parochial schooling, prayer channels, evangelization television, an additional newspaper and a 24/7 cable channel carrying live mass, devotional programming, educational programming, news, and entertainment, DeSales is devoted to covering the Catholic perspective through a multifaceted 360-degree approach.

We’ve recently transformed ourselves into a content hub for the faith-based community and its creators. With focused programming and live feeds from local sites including the Cathedral Basilica of St. James and the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, in Brooklyn, St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan and international locations including the Vatican, we sought a scalable master control solution to simplify playlist management and streamline efficiencies. We wanted something that had the proven ability to handle a variety of content distribution modes including playout to air for a regular channel and distribution of content to affiliates for their play to air. 

A Scalable Solution
That’s when we learned about Crispin’s master control automation and quickly implemented it for prep, storage, management and playout of live and pre-recorded content. Crispin runs control for a series of Harmonic Spectrum X playout devices, controlling the graphics. 

For us, Crispin has been transformative. When compared to our previous solution, Crispin gives us a lot more flexibility in handling the playlists and making adjustments. It has also changed the way we do live events—allowing us to program a live event without manual intervention has given us a whole new lease on how we can program, and even what we can program.

With Crispin’s master control automation, we don’t have to worry about server availabilities—we can see everything that we need to do and we’re able to record on multiple recorders if we need to. During the pandemic, when the church decided to do eight live masses every day in different languages, we were able to program that very simply: The ones that they wanted us to record, we were able to record and program it as a secondary record. If we needed to re-air that, we were able to schedule it for re-air and we were even able to QC it while we were on another live event. Those capabilities give us a lot more power and flexibility.

In addition, there are also some really nice features in the Crispin environment to handle getting back on time coming out of a live event. You can pre-build blocks and store them off to the side in the file cabinet and you can have some evergreen content there in case something goes wrong with the feed, which we’ve found to be an elegant and simple solution that gives us peace of mind.

Simplified Playlists
Something else we really appreciate about Crispin’s solution is that when we make changes on the playlist, being able to do a “ctrl R” and insert and replace everywhere a show is going to air on that whole playlist saves us a lot of time. You can also make one single replacement just for the master control instead of going through 800 lines of content trying to find and replace a single line. That alone has been a major blessing.

It’s evident that Crispin’s master control automation was thoughtfully built and designed by people in the industry. It accounts for a lot of the workflows that people are used to in other aspects of their computer life, where find and replace, and search are far more developed than the competition.  

Additionally, training operators on Crispin is easy. The speed with which new operators who don’t have a master control background catch on to Crispin is impressive. As a not-for-profit religious broadcaster, this is ideal since many of our staff are either experts or fairly green—and both ends of the spectrum have managed to pick it up quickly. 

For more information, visit https://crispincorp.com/.

CAMBRIDGE, U.K.—Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting Company will deploy 19 Pixel Power StreamMaster software-defined graphics, playout and channel branding systems to replace its existing Pixel Power Clarity and LogoVision systems.

A Rohde & Schwarz company, Pixel Power offers StreamMaster BRAND as a virtualizable, software-defined unit for playout branding along with a single CREATE device, a virtualizable software application for creating graphics templates, the company said.

“We needed updated graphics capabilities that allowed us to tie into our asset management system to create dynamic and fully automated graphic overlays for our national networks. After testing against two other Tier 1 graphics vendors, StreamMaster was the only platform that gave us a complete workflow, including master control for channel branding, within one platform,” said Weigel vice president of technology Kyle Walker.

“We know firsthand just how robust and reliable Pixel Power’s technology is, and with these StreamMaster BRAND devices we now have the capability to take our branding to a new level of sophistication," he continue. "Being a software-defined solution also gives us future-proof flexibility to add new features as they come along or move to the cloud.” 

StreamMaster BRAND is easy to deploy in single or multi-channel broadcast playout environments. Built to support a wide range of automated graphics playout and channel branding needs, StreamMaster BRAND enables live lower-thirds, bugs, promos and other branding, the company said. 

Requiring no operator intervention, StreamMaster BRAND can be triggered by station automation, relying on a set of defined rules to determine what content is inserted. The new StreamMasters will integrate seamlessly with Weigel’s proprietary automation system, which was modified to control them, the company said. .

More information is available on the company’s website. 

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.

WATERTOWN, Mass.—Watertown Cable Access Corp. (WCA-TV) here has replaced its automation and playout system with the Cablecast Community Media solution from Tightrope Media Systems, the vendor said.

"We were increasingly unhappy with our previous system,” said Andrea Santopietro, assistant director at WCA-TV. “The manufacturer released what they considered major updates to their software, but the upgrades were buggy and seemed more like cosmetic changes rather than what customers like us wanted or needed. Lots of updates that we had been promised were never delivered, and it was frustrating going back and forth with their customer support staff but not seeing any real changes or fixes. Our programming was suffering to an extent, as was the public’s ability to access our content. We were ready to move on to something new.”

WCA-TV operates three public, education and government (PEG) channels from its facility in Watertown High School.

WCA-TV purchased a complete Cablecast solution from Brockton-based technology supplier Ockers Company in May 2021. A Cablecast VIO 4 Plus server provides automation and playout for the three channels, while three Cablecast Live units and a Cablecast Pro VOD server power 24/7 live streaming and video on demand. Cablecast CG software running on the Cablecast VIO server drives unique bulletin boards for each channel.

Cablecast apps bring live streams and VOD clips to viewers on over-the-top (OTT) and mobile platforms with digital content delivered over the Cablecast Reflect cloud-based streaming service. The Cablecast RTMP service lets the station easily integrate Zoom and hybrid meetings into its channels, the company said.

“I really enjoy how the Cablecast scheduling interface is laid out, and how easy it is to drag and drop shows, replace content, and move things around. “It’s so simple and straightforward. It has been a huge time-saver for us, cutting my scheduling time roughly in half,” said Santopietro, who added that publishing VOD content with he Cablecast system is fast and easy.

The Cablecast system also makes it easier for viewers to find the VOD content they are seeking. “…[W]ith Cablecast, we have a distinct VOD site for each channel, and visitors can search across all three,” she said. “We can also easily group and reorder content to make it more discoverable.”

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.

MONTREAL—Grass Valley has launched a new offering, Playout Xpress, that is designed to help customers quickly respond to consumer demands by quickly rolling out new services. 

Karl Mehring, senior commercial director, playout for Grass Valley, noted that “in today's dynamically shifting media market, customers need to engage with global audiences that can no longer be reached through one or two platforms. Playout is crucial to enabling customers to spin services up and down quickly in the most cost efficient way possible. Our portfolio of playout solutions is designed to support everything from high density, enterprise-level applications to cloud-native systems that meet the needs of temporary pop up channels, and we are excited to launch Playout Xpress to further expand our offering."

With Playout Xpress, broadcasters and rights holders can quickly originate more content, across more pop-up feeds and social media, without the overhead of complex and lengthy installation projects. GV Playout Xpress was built to be deployable, by the customer, within a day, the company noted. 

Users can easily define their specific requirements and it supports up to four channels of playout.  

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Bitcentral has formed a strategic partnership with Veset to sell and support Veset Nimbus, a cloud-based broadcast playout solution, in the Americas.

Bitcentral will offer Veset Nimbus as well as its own on-premise Central Control playout system, thereby making it possible for broadcast customers to create new services quickly and efficiently. The new partnership ensures Bitcentral’s U.S. customers will receive the same expertise and support they’ve experienced with Central Control when it comes to Veset Nimbus, the company said.

“Veset’s advanced playout solution, Veset Nimbus, allows broadcasters to work with the flexibility and dynamism demanded of live television today. Whether that is for launching multiple 24/7 channels, pop-up channels for specific events or backup for disaster recovery, Veset Nimbus offers the most technically advanced solution I have seen in the cloud,” said Sam Peterson, general manager of the Core Products Business Unit at Bitcentral.

Veset Nimbus removes the investment risk of a CAPEX approach to launching long-term channels, offers those launching ad hoc channels fast deployment and a pay-per-use SaaS model and provides the security of a cloud-based backup for disaster recovery, the company said.

“We are really excited to be partnering with Bitcentral. The company has an amazing track record in providing broadcasters with the tools and support they need for live playout. When it comes to operational experience there is no-one better,” said Veset CEO Igor Krol.

More information is available on the company’s website.