PlayBox Puts More in the Box at IBC
PlayBox Technology, now with over 10,500 playout and branding systems in over 120 countries, is the #1 international “Channel-in-a-Box” manufacturer. At IBC2011 PlayBox Technology is offering more power inside the ‘box’; expanding modular capabilities within a Windows platform ‘box’, while further driving down the costs of TV channel playout.
NEW QCBox – Includes Automatic Loudness Normalization
QCBox, a new product at IBC2011, offers automatic quality control, giving an assessment of the technical quality of the media to guarantee successful playout on the PlayBox Technology AirBox playout server. The checks, applied to relevant media files in a playlist, folder or to selected files, test for the correct duration, continuity (no missing or overlapped frames), blocking, frozen and black frames etc. All test results are stored in a metadata file accompanying the media file.
AirBox can also offer automatic loudness normalization according to EBU R128 recommendations, when working within QCBox. This provides a very cost-effective, zero space solution to regulate loudness to within agreed defined limits. Measurement of different audio parameters such as Program Loudness, Loudness Range and True Peak is also available with QCBox.
AirBox MPO
AirBox Multiple Parallel Outputs enables different video formats (SD, HD and 25fps, 30fps) and different outputs (SDI, analogue, IP streaming, etc.) to run at the same time from a single AirBox playout server. AirBox MPO enables the running of two or more multiple outputs so that broadcasters can easily provide parallel outputs in any required combination. For example AirBox MPO can simultaneously output SDI in HD, SDI in SD, using real-time rescaling, and IP streaming in H.264 (MPEG-4) and MPEG-2 all at the same time.
For broadcasters AirBox MPO represents a much more compact and efficient way of providing a channel in multiple formats and resolutions. This one-box solution is efficient and very cost effective, removing the need for multiple boxes, additional equipment, infrastructure and automation. AirBox MPO also includes video preview that is in sync with the output. In addition, streaming outputs can use optional AC3 digital audio.
NEW TitleBox Player
TitleBox Player provides automation, scheduling and playout for TitleBox, creating a complete interactive CG and graphics channel that can operate independently or be controlled by external automation, such as that provided by AirBox. TitleBox Player enables the full power of TitleBox to be more easily accessible to enhance on-air look by providing scheduling and on-air automation with advanced CG and graphics control. It provides playlist creation and replay automation to run local or remote TitleBox servers on air, and can also integrate with third-party scheduling solutions such as TrafficBox, NewsAir, etc.
TitleBox Player can be compared with AirBox: what it does for clips, now TitleBox Player can do for graphics. It provides a scheduled playlist so users can schedule and playout graphics events based on time, content, etc. Ready prepared templates can now be used in many different ways, even using part of the template when required. It can be applied anywhere that graphics are needed regardless of the video, or even without video.
Previously TitleBox scheduling could only be managed by AirBox playlists. Now with TitleBox Player interactive CG and graphics can be run by third-party applications and templates can set for different objects, making the full power of TitleBox accessible on-air.