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."

Zixi, the industry leader for enabling dependable, live broadcast-quality video over IP, has been recognized with two industry awards: the Gold Award in the category of IP Broadcast Solutions – Distribution from Digital Media World, and a 2019 Product Innovation Award from TV Technology.

The cutting edge Zixi Software-Defined Video Platform was named the Digital Media Awards’ Gold Winner in the category of IP Broadcast Solutions – Distribution. The Zixi Software-Defined Video Platform is the tight integration of four crucial elements that enable broadcast-quality live video workflows to be intelligently and centrally provisioned, deployed, managed and monitored using software and integrated devices, regardless of the underlying network infrastructure. The Digital Media World Awards give recognition to companies that have used their products and services to push media opportunities forward and develop new techniques and possibilities in broadcast content creation, delivery and management.

PlayBox Neo Ltd reports a buoyant 2019 with strong demand for its Channel-in-a-Box and software-based TV channel branding and playout systems. Total unit deliveries reached and surpassed 18,500, supported by product demonstrations at NAB Las Vegas, Broadcast Asia, IBC, NAB New York and regional events in various countries.

"Our Channel-in-Box series, refined over 20 years, continues to sustain us as one of the strongest performing companies in the global playout solutions market," says PlayBox Neo CEO Pavlin Rahnev. "Success in the media playout sector stems from paying close attention to the industry's needs. The primary demand in the playout sector is for operational flexibility. PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box can be configured from a wide range of software modules to match practically any workflow and any required level of backup security. With our SaaS-based Cloud2TV offering, we also offer great flexibility in the way channel managers can handle supplementary aspects such as intelligent archiving, event-specific channels and emergency recovery.

Mongolian broadcaster TV8 Television has expanded the PlayBox Neo playout system at its headquarters in the national capital, Ulaanbaatar. This latest project includes upgrading the existing system to latest-generation Neo-19 software.

"PlayBox Neo provides highly reliable solutions which our staff have used for many years and find very easy to work with," comments TV8 Technical Consultant, Buriad Ganbat. "Especially important is the ability to insert live content or newly-created interstitials between prescheduled programs when an important news story breaks while we are on air. The user interface provides the information needed for each step of the creative process and alerts the operator ahead of transmission if a significant element still requires attention. PlayBox Neo also gives us the ability to advance into UHD transmission if required at any time in the future."

"Our Neo-19 series software includes all the refinements needed to allow full integration with the operating procedure at TV8 Television," details Iulian Ionescu, Regional Sales Director, PlayBox Neo Asia Pacific. "Every step of the workflow from ingest, playlist preparation and graphics creation right through to transmission can be handled quickly and easily with any desired level of automation."

www.playboxneo.com

PlayBox Neo reports a well-supported and highly successful Broadcast Technology Event, held in Lagos, Nigeria, November 4th-6th. Organised by UK-based Medialogy, it attracted representatives from many of Nigeria's broadcast channels.

DVB, an industry consortium that develops open, interoperable technical specifications for the delivery of digital media and broadcast services, today announced the approval of its DVB-I specification by the DVB Steering Board in Geneva. It has been published as DVB BlueBook A177.

The DVB-I specification aims to ensure that linear television delivered over the internet is as user-friendly and robust as a traditional broadcast television experience. It offers the possibility for linear television services to be delivered to any device with a suitable internet connection and media player, including TV sets, smartphones, tablets and media streaming devices.

"In developing an internet-centric solution for linear television services, we are providing the industry with a crucial missing piece that raises internet-based delivery to the same level in the DVB ecosystem as RF-based content delivery," said DVB Chair Peter MacAvock. "With these building blocks, addressing the discovery of DVB-I services and the delivery of programme metadata, DVB offers broadcasters and operators an exciting new deployment option."

The DVB-I specification defines DVB-I Service Lists, a means for internet-connected devices to find curated sets of linear television services that may be delivered through broadband or broadcast mechanisms. It also defines the methods to retrieve electronic programme data for those services, which can be integrated into a single coherent offering that is accessed through a consistent user interface.

Three Media, media specialist and product provider of XEN:Pipeline, today announced the completion of an 18-month project in conjunction with Imperial College London. The goal of the project was to make media supply chain processing more affordable by identifying ways to reduce costs and maximise workflow, process and resource efficiencies.

The project, called Digital Media Data Analytics (DMDA), was initiated and led by Three Media in conjunction with an Imperial College London team headed by Performance Engineering expert Dr Anthony Field. The combined team applied its expert knowledge of data analytics and optimisation techniques to Three Media's XEN:Pipeline development programme.

XEN:Pipeline enables users not only to evaluate and optimise existing workflows and business processes in near real time, but also to model new and changing virtual revenue streams either as stand-alone or alongside the existing. It also provides opportunities to identify, model, and prove new and innovative services and chargeable functions. XEN:Pipeline is a highly configurable, scalable, storage agnostic and performant system that can operate across multiple company and supplier locations and departments, identifying and resolving often-hidden bottlenecks, pinch points and under-utilisation from existing workflows and processes.

Dalet, a leading provider of solutions and services for broadcasters and content professionals, today announced that the latest release of the Dalet AmberFin media processing platform is the first software-based transcoding asset management system to include Dolby Vision® technologies, a leading HDR technology for media professionals, studios and streaming service providers. In addition to Dolby Vision and a raft of new software-only features, Dalet AmberFin can also be enhanced with hardware acceleration tools such as the M820L HEVC encoder plugin card from SoC (System On a Chip) specialist Socionext.

Steve Higgins, Product Manager, Dalet AmberFin, states, “The latest release of the Dalet AmberFin media processing engine marks a new era for this renowned high-quality content processor. Whether you process on-premises, in the cloud or with a mix of both; the efficiency of the processor coupled with high throughput and exceptional audio-visual quality are key for delivering your content in a timely and cost-conscious fashion.”

Unique in its class, Dalet AmberFin media processing capabilities enable automated Dolby Vision mastering and distribution workflows that generate outputs from IMF, through broadcast, cable and satellite packages to OTT HLS and DASH bundles. The integrated BPMN-compliant workflow engine and API let administrators configure user interfaces, assign tasks for operators, and push through ad-hoc QC processes; creating workflows that are just right for their facility.

Exhibiting at IBC2019 (1.B71), DVB, an industry consortium that develops open interoperable technical specifications for the delivery of digital media and broadcast services, announced today that it will present the world's first demonstration of linear television services using the DVB-I solution, which relies on internet-based access and streaming mechanisms alongside classical broadcasting techniques.

Software company EcoDigital will officially launch at IBC2019 (Hall 8, Stand B13) with its exhibition of the DIVA software suite, the world's leading and most trusted object management system for media. EcoDigital acquired the software suite from Oracle and will offer its clients and business partners the full DIVA offering, including DIVA Core, DIVA Connect, DIVA View, DIVA Link, and DIVA Analytics.

Veritone Digital Media Hub™
At IBC2019, Veritone will highlight Veritone Digital Media Hub™, focusing on two main use cases: access and delivery, and monetization. Digital Media Hub is an intuitive white-label portal fueled by Veritone aiWARE™, the world's first operating system for artificial intelligence. With Digital Media Hub, rights holders can offer secure, cloud-native global access to their content to key stakeholders — including news media and corporate partners — and monetize their content via e-commerce functionality.

LTN® Global, the global leader in broadcast-quality IP video transport solutions, has entered into an agreement to acquire Crystal, a provider of software that automates the monitoring, control, and metadata management of end-to-end broadcast and digital media operations. Together, LTN and Crystal will offer mission-critical ad insertion, digital watermarking, and other unique tools that will allow networks and digital platforms to monetize their content across a fully managed IP multicast network.

Veritone, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERI), the creator of the world's first operating system for artificial intelligence, aiWARE™, today announced that Solution Engineer Garron Bateman will give a joint presentation at the AWS M&E Symposium. Bateman will join fellow speakers including Golden Boy, a Veritone Digital Media Hub client and one of boxing's most active and respected promoters, for the session titled "Using AI/ML to Monetize Video Archives."

Today, Bitmax, the Hollywood-based digital media management and licensing company, announced a multi-year deal to provide digital media processing and licensing services for Here Media, a worldwide film and TV creator and distributor. Here Media is part of the successful portfolio of entertainment products run by industry icon and Academy-award winning producer Paul Colichman.