PlayBox Technology heads to Abuja for AfricaCast

PlayBox Technology heads to Abuja for AfricaCast 13 October 2014

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PlayBox Technology will demonstrating the latest additions to its comprehensive range of broadcast playout and branding solutions at the biennial AfriCast exhibition in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, Tuesday October 21 through Thursday October 23. Exhibiting together with C2S Nigeria, PlayBox Technology will be represented by Ben Gunkel (UK Sales Director) and Ananth Sam (Technical Director).

"AfriCast is by far the most important show for broadcasters in sub-Saharan Africa," Ben Gunkel comments. "It gives us the opportunity to meet with many of our existing customers in the region and has certainly proved effective in generating new business. This is a fast growing market. African broadcasters have long appreciated the IT-based approach which PlayBox Technology pioneered and continues to develop. Working in partnership with C2S Nigeria, we are able to deliver a modern, interconnected and highly automated platform plus a very high standard of customer support."

"We will be demonstrating a complete working system centred on our AirBox automated playout system, TitleBox graphics manager and CaptureBox PRO multichannel ingest server.

"AirBox provides automated content playout for satellite channels, cable head-ends, over-the-air broadcasters and corporate TV users. It can be programmed locally or remotely to operate unattended 24/7. The enhanced AirBox incorporates a GPU-enhanced graphics mixer which allows video rotation effects and depth-order laying effects to be performed in real time. Logo animation facilities are also added with a multiplicity of applications in titling, captioning or channel branding. The audio capabilities of AirBox are also expanded with support now provided for AJA Corvid video cards, Dolby E and Dolby Digital Plus.

"CaptureBox PRO allows multiple channels of high-definition or standard-definition content to be captured from SDI digital feeds, analogue sources and MPEG transport streams. Four video sources can be monitored on a single screen and controlled via a new streamlined user interface. The CaptureBox PRO feature set also includes capture-list import from third-party traffic systems, a GPU-accelerated encoding engine, plus expanded metadata handling and creation during the ingest process. Loudness metering with true-peak measurement allows audio level monitoring and adjustment at any time.

"ScheduleBox will make its first ever AfriCast appearance. Available as software for an existing PlayBox Technology system or as an independent server, it allows template-based management of single, or multiple television channels. ScheduleBox is easy to deploy via its web-based user interface. Operators can select daily, weekly or monthly views and perform programme block management per television channel. Gaps or overlaps are easily identified in the programme blocks. Block status such as Draft, New and Ready-for-publishing can be monitored and controlled. Enhancements include nested blocks for easy ad placement and management; validation rules for checking against pre-defined media usage rules; customised playlist item properties; customised schedule view; automated gap-filling based on block category and improved schedule/template view.

"We will also be promoting EdgeBox which allows internet-based remote management of television playout, the AdBox programme and advertisement insert manager and the ScheduleBox web-based schedule manager."

About Africast

Africast (www.africastabuja.com) was established in 1996 by the National Broadcasting Commission, the broadcast regulator in Nigeria. It is a biennial conference platform on which broadcast issues as they relate to Africa are discussed by professionals, academics and policy makers. It is also a marketplace for manufacturers of broadcast equipment and content. The exhibition is held in the Ladi Kwali Hall of the Sheraton Abuja Hotel. Africast 2014 comes at a crucial time for the broadcasting industry in Nigeria as the country switches over from analogue to digital terrestrial television broadcasting and works towards the grant of content-provider and signal-distributor licences.

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