In Broadcast - March 2014 - 32

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 29 - MARCH 2014

N E W S

InFORM

PlayBox: 15 years & 14,000 TV Channels
PlayBox Technology was one of the first companies to focus totally on the PC-based channel-in-a-box
concept which can accommodate practically every element of a television channel onto a single server...

By Ben Gunkel, Sales Director,
PlayBox Technology UK

Cs have b e e n u s e d in
broadcasting since their original
launch in 1981, initially in ofﬂine
roles such as script preparation,
timecode logging and image
manipulation. They were an
improvement on earlier platforms,
not least because they introduced a
degree of technical standardisation.
Their role has now grown to the
point that the channel is literally
in a box.

CIAB

Since the introduction of AirBox
in 1999, PlayBox Technology has
deployed no less than 14,000
playout and branding channels,
making it by far the most successful
CIAB automation system in
the entire history of television
broadcasting.
Like any other broadcast
installation, AirBox can be
conﬁgured as a full n+1 system to
ensure no single point of failure. As
a typical AirBox occupies a single
chassis, even an n+1 installation
demands very little space.
The PlayBox Technology approach
to CIAB eliminates practically all
the integration complexities that
can arise when a typical broadcast
system is assembled from hardware
and software developed by a variety
of manufacturers.
We write all our own software
which means we can guarantee that
an entire AirBox system is easy to
operate and is highly reliable. We
also provide the PC platform and
any attached servers to ensure
that these are fully compatible and

capable of continuous operation.
PlayBox Technology was
established, and is today still
largely run, by broadcasters who
understand the need for ﬂexible
system design to meet a wide range
of creative needs. Equally important
is scalability to allow easy future
expansion. The UK team includes
our founder and Managing Director
Don Ash, Ananth Sam, Alan Bunting,
Maurice de Jonghe and Phillip
Neighbour, all well-known ﬁgures
with excellent broadcast industry
credentials.

Production AirBox
BVE 2014 saw the launch of
ProductionAirBox which offers the
near-zero latency demanded for
the fast-paced work environment
of broadcast news, sports and
live production. It complements
our NewsRoomBox production
system by allowing practically
instant switchover from one clip
to another. A wide range of ﬁle
formats and resolutions can be
imported into the playlist, with
up to 16 digital audio channels to
accommodate multi-channel multilanguage programmes.
Based on multi-channel engine
architecture, ProductionAirBox can
deliver content rapidly in one-shot
mode or from a playlist. Files with
an alpha channel are output as
independent ﬁll and key sources.
Supporting capabilities include clip
timecode on the SDI output plus a
clip trimmer with a dedicated SDI
output. ProductionAirBox can be
controlled via VDCP and Media

Typical example of AirBox-based broadcast playout workﬂow including simple
Media Asset Management

Object Server (MOS) protocols.
Changes to the playlist can be
made even while on-air. Every
clip in the playlist can be trimmed
or repositioned on-the-fly using
commands such as next, jump or
shuttle. All changes are performed
seamlessly without interrupting the
current playout session.
Up to four independent players
can be accommodated on a single
server. Each player has separate
playlist and playout control. Four
SDI interfaces can be assigned
as programme or preview outputs.
Operation can be streamlined using
single channel or multichannel
user interfaces.
The ProductionAirBox feature-set
also includes forward or reverse
shuttle at up to 32x speed, mixing
of different video resolutions and
formats in a single playlist, logical
content trimming, multi-channel
audio output, plus support for a wide
variety of compression standards
and media containers.
In addition to its broadcast
production
applications,
ProductionAirBox can be used
wherever instant access to stored
content is needed, including studio
displays and presentation screens.

Dual Channel TimeShiftBox
Looking ahead to NAB 2014 in
Las Vegas, PlayBox Technology is
expanding the range of models in
its TimeShiftBox series of television
playout delay servers.
Previously available in standard
or high-deﬁnition versions, the new
Dual Channel TimeShiftBox allows

Examples of Production AirBox graphic user interface

between one minute and one month
of time delay on two simultaneous
channels. It has been developed in
response to demands from satellite
broadcasters who need to transmit
SD and HD variants of a television
channel across multiple timezones.
Dual Channel TimeShiftBox
can be installed as a fully selfcontained system or integrated
with our wide range of channel-ina-box solutions. Like all PlayBox
Technology products, it has an IPbased interface to allow efﬁcient and
fully secure control from practically
any location.
All three versions of TimeShiftBox
are equipped with SDI inputs and
outputs and can be genlocked to
station sync. They can be expanded
easily to accommodate additional
storage or greater RAID protection.
Timeshift delay can be set in
multiples of ten seconds via an
intuitive menu. All other functions
are fully automated and require
no user intervention. High bit-rate
MPEG-2 compression ensures the
maintenance of optimal video quality.
TimeShiftBox is fully transparent to
audio and ancillary data carried in
the SDI stream. Optional character
generation facilities are available for
three models.
Dual Channel TimeShiftBox will
make its ﬁrst exhibition appearance
in the North Hall of the Las Vegas
Convention Center.
P l a y B o x Te c h n o l o g y i s
celebrating its 15th anniversary
of the AirBox broadcast playout
automation system.

PlayBox Technology system in Noorsat Bahrain MCR

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