BVE 2014: PlayBox Technology to introduce ProductionAirBox

A new addition to PlayBox’s expanding portfolio of broadcast and production workflow solutions, ProductionAirBox will be introduced at BVE 2014, taking place at London ExCel exhibition centre from 25-27 February.

“ProductionAirBox is an extremely fast media manipulation and delivery system with the near-zero latency demanded for the fast-paced work environment of broadcast news, sports and live production,” says PlayBox Technology UK Ltd managing director Don Ash. “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 multi-language 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 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 is ideal for use wherever instant access to stored content is needed, including studio displays and presentation screens.

“We will also be demonstrating our complete Channel-in-a-Box broadcast playout system,” adds UK sales director Ben Gunkel. “This is based on software modules which can be configured to match a channel or network’s current requirements and easily expanded. The entire system runs reliably and efficiently on compact PlayBox Technology servers and processors.”