Pixel Power, the global leader in graphics production and playout automation, has appointed Sarah Deas to its head office team. Deas will provide internal sales support to the sales teams in the Cambridge base and regional offices in North America, South-East Asia and the Middle East.

PlayBox Neo announces the completion of a high definition parliamentary broadcast playout system for the National Assembly of Thailand in Bangkok. The new installation is a complete end-to-end solution including ProductionAirBox Neo, TitleBox Neo and CaptureBox Neo. PlayBox Neo partnered in the project with Thai system integrator Broadcast Audio Service Company Limited and Bangkok-based distributor Mahajak Development Company Limited.

"The Thai government required a solution that would be reliable, operator friendly, space-efficient and future-proof," comments Banjongsak Wonggawee, BASC Project Engineer. "This is a complete new-install which gives the production team full control over the entire workflow from ingest right through to transmission. PlayBox Neo was the logical choice on every count. It was also easy to integrate with third-party devices which is crucial in the design of any system. The system we recommended is based on six production servers. Three of these are configured to capture, schedule and transmit proceedings from the 500-seat Chandra voting chamber in the Thai Senate plus three for the Surian chamber in the House of Representatives."

PlayBox Neo announces the completion of an expanded playout system at the Bangkok headquarters of Thai broadcaster TV Direct. The installation doubles the network's capacity from three to six channels, transmitted in high definition via direct-to-home satellite and online.

"PlayBox Neo's Channel-in-a-Box system has the fourfold advantage of being installer-friendly, efficient to operate, easy to expand and highly reliable," says TV Direct's MCR Manager Akarachai Tobsin. "This new investment comprises three additional AirBox Neo-19 servers, each configured with the resources we need to schedule programs, commercials and promos as far in advance as the production team chooses to work. AirBox Neo-19 also allows us to make near-to-air changes in playout running order or to transmit live whenever we choose. In operational terms, the control GUIs go beyond intuitive by being relaxing on the eyes rather than imposing a lot of glare. Content can be accessed quickly, trimmed and finessed, all within the Neo-19 environment. That saves staff time and ensures maximum confidence. The servers are located at our satellite uplink service provider, PSI Broadcasting, here in the same city, and operated via secure IP links which carry complete program files as well as control data."

Minacord Media, founded and owned by composer, songwriter, singer and instrumentalist Zeljko Joksimovic, has chosen PlayBox Neo Version 19 Channel-in-a-Box systems to power three new television channels: Kazbuka, K1 and TV Doctor. All three will be transmitted via cable and IPTV in Serbia, and on the Go4TV mobile-TV platform across Croatia, Slovenia, Austria plus the wider European Union, Switzerland, Canada and the USA. The project was negotiated and completed by PlayBox Neo distribution partner PBT Adria, from initial design and cabling through to on-site integration, configuration and testing.

"PlayBox Neo was the obvious choice for channel branding and playout as it gives us full control over the entire process from scheduling, titling and interstitials management right through to delivery," Zeljko Joksimovic comments. "A key requirement was the ability to automate as much as possible while keeping our production options open to accommodate live inserts or last-minute changes in running order. Efficient expandability and easy third-party device integration were also important so that we are free to add extra channels easily at any time in the future. PlayBox Neo answers at every level."

Trailer Park Group, the award-winning global entertainment marketing company, which counts many of the world’s most prestigious and successful companies, brands, media properties and film franchises among its clients, is the newest customer of IPV and will be using its latest release—CuratorNow—to allow their editors and producers to continue to produce video from home. IPV is delighted to welcome them aboard.

As global events force a change in the way people have to work, CuratorNow gives Trailer Park Group the functionality they need to seamlessly continue to produce secure, high-level content for their clients at full capacity from home.

IPV CEO Mark Fagan said, “As the world headed into temporary lockdown, Trailer Park Group realised that they needed a robust solution to enable their editorial team to continue to deliver new material for their clients under these unprecedented circumstances.

“The nature of their work required a rapid deployment solution that would both scale to meet their urgent needs but also give major studios the assurance that their content was secure even in the current, highly disruptive environment.”

Trailer Park Group CEO, Rick Eiserman, said, “Video editing brings a unique set of challenges to working from home so finding a robust, cloud editing solution was absolutely critical for Trailer Park Group. With over 300 creatives working on projects for the world’s top media and entertainment clients, we required a state-of-the-art product that both we and our clients can trust.

Industry leading media asset management software provider IPV today announced the appointment of Philip McDanell as Chairman of the Board.

McDanell is a highly knowledgeable executive director with extensive experience in the media and technology sector, having held senior board positions at MTV, Chrysalis Group, and most recently Peach, formerly Group IMD, where he helped devise and execute the company’s global business strategy, growing the business value from £14m to £100m.

McDanell said, “I am excited to be joining IPV at this interesting stage of its growth. IPV’s Curator platform is without doubt one of the best products that I have seen. I am particularly pleased that IPV has just launched CuratorNow to help the broadcast industry address the present market difficulties by enabling editors to work remotely on frame accurate proxy videos.”

Available immediately and deployable in days, CuratorNow fast-tracks the ability of creatives to work from any location, including their home, with just basic Wi-Fi for project collaboration using the core tools of Curator, IPV’s proven flagship video content management platform, allowing for simple scalability and an easy upgrade path.

IPV CEO Mark Fagan said, “Philip brings highly relevant experience to IPV, especially from his most recent position at Peach during which time the business expanded from a UK-centric business to operating in more than 40 countries after having transitioned from original legacy software to a world-beating cloud platform.

“We are currently in a similar position with the expansion of our Curator platform to include the remote operation benefits of CuratorNow and very much look forward to gaining from Philip’s expertise at a corporate level, as well as the demonstrable benefits that will naturally accrue to our customers, existing and new, worldwide.”

McDanell’s appointment is effective immediately.

Georgian free-to-air television channel Rustavi 2 has chosen PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box servers as the core of a new high-definition broadcast playout system at its headquarters in Tbilisi. The project includes two systems, configured for operation in main and backup roles. It was completed in co-operation with systems integrator Broadcast Technologies Ltd which is itself based in Tbilisi.

"We recently decided to modernise our playout facilities to increase the channel's operational efficiency," comments George Gocha Kumsiashvili, Director of Production & Technical Support at Rustavi 2. "PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box meets our requirements exactly in terms of technical performance, ease of use, interconnectivity and reliability. It is also very compact which both simplifies installation and conserves space in our central apparatus room."

"Rustavi2 purchased a separate ListBox Neo playlist preparation and scheduling license for each server," adds Sergei Kazaryants, Director of Operations at Broadcast Technologies Ltd. "Both servers are used in conjunction with a Guramex vision mixer, interfaced via an automation module. Part of our role was to ensure the automation was programmed to achieve the closest possible integration. This was achieved quickly and easily and the complete system is now fully on air."

World leaders in Media Asset Management software, IPV, today announced the immediate launch of “CuratorNow”, a private cloud, remote editing studio for professional video editors and producers to continue to create the content their businesses’ need from home, or indeed anywhere else as global events force changes in the way people have to work.

Able to be deployed in days, CuratorNow fast-tracks the ability of creatives to work from any location, including their home, with just basic Wi-Fi for project collaboration using the core tools of Curator, IPV’s proven flagship Media Asset Management platform, allowing for simple scalability and an easy upgrade path.

IPV CEO, Mark Fagan, said, “Curator has demonstrated capability to support complex media workflows across teams and organisations, around the world. CuratorNow, a rapid-deployment version, delivered through private cloud to ensure data ownership is retained by the user, will give enterprise grade video projects the continuity they need by supporting remote, collaborative working and ensure that video projects stay highly organised irrespective of user locations.”

CuratorNow quickly enables media managers to ingest hi-res video and log crucial technical metadata; the ability to easily search and find assets remotely; to edit with frame-accurate proxies using 98% less bandwidth than the hi-res files; to collaborate seamlessly on Adobe Premiere Pro projects and to conform completed content back to hi-res, all delivered through highly secure private cloud.

Fagan adds, “To collaborate quickly and effectively, video teams need, and expect an intuitive user experience. As Curator has been developed specifically for video professionals, CuratorNow benefits from both its best-in-class UI and best-practice media workflows making it incredibly easy to use and ready to go immediately requiring no configuration.”

CuratorNow is available now!

PlayBox Neo announces a key addition to its executive team with the appointment of Shobit Chauhan as Head of Pre-Sales and Post-Sales Support for India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

"A broadcast industry professional with 20 years of experience, Shobit Chauhan graduated with a BA degree from the University of Delhi before joining our New Delhi office in 2000," comments PlayBox Neo CEO Pavlin Rahnev. "There he rose through the ranks to become CTO before moving on to gain experience in the wider computing world. He has an excellent understanding of the broadcast TV media business at its widest and of the technology we have pioneered over the past 20 years. We are delighted to have him back to supervise the support resources we offer our many customers and sales partners across Bangladesh, Nepal and the Indian subcontinent."

"I am very pleased to be returning to the PlayBox mainstream," Shobit Chauhan adds. "PlayBox Neo has sustained the talent for product development which drove the company right from its inception. Our server-based Channel-in-a-Box platform continues to be a market leader with over 18,500 playout and channel-branding systems installed around the world. PlayBox Neo has also proved its industry leadership with the software-centric Cloud2TV virtual channel playout system offering TV channel operators the ideal combination of efficiency, agility and operational simplicity."

PlayBox Neo will demonstrate its full range of broadcast playout and channel branding solutions to CABSAT 2020 attendees at the Dubai World Trade Centre, March 31st - April 2nd. Highlights of the exhibit on stand E4-20 in hall 4 will be the PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box system and the software-as-a-service-based Cloud2TV.

"Our products are built on 20 years of solid experience working with customers ranging in size from globally active broadcast networks to independent channel owners and playout service providers," says PlayBox Neo CEO Pavlin Rahnev. "They include major players in the MENA market such as BHS, EutelSat, Gulsat, Nilesat and ViewMedia, to mention just a few."

"We continue to lead the way in terms of product robustness, refinement, scalability and versatility. Central to our success is modularity, giving operators the ability to perform any or every function involved in television content preparation, from ingest, QC, transcoding, graphic branding and scheduling right through to transmission."

"MENA broadcasters, like their colleagues around the world, are looking for maximum reliability and creative efficiency. Our CABSAT demonstration will show how easy PlayBox Neo systems are to deploy and, thanks to the intuitive PlayBox Neo graphic interface, very easy operate."

Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of media technology and production solutions, has announced the opening of a new office in Istanbul - Cinegy Medya A - in order to provide faster and higher quality customer services to its business partners, system integrators and customers in the local region.

Cinegy's extensive customer base in Turkey includes the area’s largest media groups, training institutions and corporate customers. In order to respond to the ever-changing and developing workflow and transformational needs of these customers, Cinegy has put together a local team of experienced technical and sales personnel.

Cinegy GmbH Manager Director Daniella Weigner says: "We decided to open a local office in Turkey as it’s always been at the forefront of new technologies, research and practice for us and we’ve helped carry out a number of comprehensive and important projects there. We’re proud to have Murat Küçüksaraç heading up Cinegy Medya A as Chief Operating Officer who is building an innovative and experienced team. We are excited about this new structuring and the opportunities it will bring."

PlayBox Neo announces the completion of a new AirBox Channel-in-a-Box playout system for Plovdiv Orthodox TV (PPTV), commissioned by the Metropolis of Plovdiv. It includes a server running Neo-19 ingest, transcoding, titling, scheduling and transmission modules. The new installation augments and upgrades existing AirBox CIAB infrastructure commissioned when PPTV commenced broadcasting 10 years ago.

"This investment provides us with latest-generation software running on new dedicated hardware," says PPTV Technical Director Yuriy Todorov. "It includes many refinements which make our day to day channel management operations more efficient than ever. Particularly appreciated is the low-glare graphic user interface which our presentation colleagues find eye-friendly throughout the duration of a working shift."

"Also appreciated is Neo-19's very logical display structure which provides the information essential to each phase of the content sourcing, finessing and scheduling process without peripheral distractions. Supplementary information, if or when needed, is easily accessible from the main GUI.

"A great strength of Neo-19 is that it alerts the operator if any aspect of a prescheduled playout process still needs attention. The PlayBox Neo system also gives our staff the option of working with full automation while retaining the ability to insert live content whenever required."

SoundView Broadcasting, a global broadcast service provider, has invested in a PlayBox Neo multichannel playout system for its headquarters in the heart of New York City's TV and motion picture district.

"The new installation comprises latest-generation AirBox Channel-in-a-Box servers in content ingest, master playout and backup configurations," comments SoundView Broadcasting Director of Operations Sarmad Zafar. "They are straightforward to install, configure well and perform very reliably. We also have fast access to support from PlayBox Neo USA if needed. The PlayBox Neo user interface is very operator-friendly, easy to learn and displays exactly the information needed at each stage of the operation from ingest right through to transmission."

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

Olympusat CEO Tom Mohler applauds PlayBox Neo’s completion of a large-scale playout system upgrade for Olympusat, a leading provider of broadcast media services. The project includes the enhancement of 26 servers to the latest-generation Version 19 Channel-in-a-Box Neo, TitleBoxNeo and SafeBox Neo.

"We invested in PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box two years ago with an installation at our engineering center in Culver City, California, and we are very pleased with it," said Olympusat Operations Manager Michael Kohl. "Van Duke and his colleagues at PlayBox Neo worked closely with us during the original install to integrate our existing ad sales management tools. Upgrading to Neo-19 software makes our workflow even more efficient. The PlayBox Neo team has added extra engineering features including support for SCTE commands and N+M redundancy."

Olympusat CEO Tom Mohler congratulated both the Olympusat and Playbox teams for the seamless upgrade process: “I want to thank both sides for their teamwork and professionalism as we continue to deliver high quality content to our network audiences."

ChyronHego today released for shipping CAMIO® 4.8, the newest release of the company's award-winning MOS-driven graphic asset management system. Serving as an end-to-end, all-software solution for multiplatform news content creation, production, and playout, CAMIO gives designers, producers, and directors the flexibility and functionality to bring engaging stories to air efficiently. Enhancements to CAMIO 4.8 simplify quality control, add greater control over saved items, streamline media rendering across linear and nonlinear production, and significantly extend the capabilities of CAMIO's popular Replication feature.

"With its template-based and story-driven workflow, CAMIO strips away layers of complexity, empowering both new and experienced producers to fulfill creative elements for any digital canvas," said Teus Groenewoud, vice president of product and technology at ChyronHego. "New features within CAMIO 4.8 simplify day-to-day tasks for these users while further optimizing the system for distributed teams and making it even easier to ‘create once, publish many' in a hub-and-spoke graphics workflow."