PlayBox Neo And EMAM Complete Playout And Media Asset Management System

PlayBox Neo and EMAM, have announced the completion of a fully integrated playout and media asset management system for Thai TV5 at the network's studio headquarters in Bangkok.

The project encompassed the replacement of a legacy third-party equipment with a solution designed to combine high operational efficiency, reliability and scalability.

"The system we proposed in Q1 and have now completed is based on PlayBox Neo AirBox Neo-20 Channel-in-a-Box systems," says David Srikalra, Managing Director of PS & Sons (Thailand) Co Ltd. "These successfully power a large number of television channels and playout services here in APAC and around the globe. We also recommended EMAM Inc as the vendor for content management storage. EMAM products integrate easily with AirBox Neo-20, enabling operators to archive programs and interstitials complete with fast-searchable descriptive metadata. They are deployed in the master control room used for the HD channel."

"A key strength of AirBox Neo-20 is that it is based on a range of software modules which allow customers or their system integrators to select a configuration that exactly meets their current workflow," adds Nut Deesamer, Director of PlayBox Neo's Thailand branch. "David Srikalra and his colleagues together with the Thai TV5 operations team specified the features and facilities they needed. The resultant playout system comprises three AirBox Neo-20 Channel-In-a-Box playout servers including TitleBox Neo-20 channel branding plus our Capture Suite and latest-generation Multi Playout Manager. This combination allows the network to function with high efficiency and flexibility.

Content arriving at TV5HD, or created in the network's studios, is ingested into the eMAM Enterprise storage servers. The ingest process is supervised using two Capture Suites. Material required for transmission is then transferred to playout server storage within AirBox Neo-20 for on-air playlist preparation, graphics and title generation. Much of this process is handled using Multi Playout Manager. Communication within the PlayBox Neo and eMAM system is over 10G Ethernet IP. The system is configured to function as main and backup with the additional protection of a cool spare.

"The media asset management solution chosen for TV5HD is based on our eMAM Enterprise platform," details EMAM, Inc. VP of Business Development Chuck Buelow. "eMAM manages the content transcoding process and extraction of metadata. Additional metadata can be added during or after ingest, by human or AI tagging. From the web interface, operators can search, browse, preview, organize, mark, subclip, build sequences and download content. Creatives can use their existing applications to perform editing and share the results back to eMAM Enterprise. Content can be shared via links in an email or social media. Operators can generate embedded links or deliver media in multiple formats and to multiple locations. Single clips or multiple files associated with a category or project can be archived to a more cost-effective storage platform."

"We are pleased to have been selected as technology partners in this high profile project," summarizes PlayBox Neo CEO Pavlin Rahnev. "Owned and operated by the Royal Thai Army, TV5HD is now in its 64th year of operation which makes it one of the country's longest established free-to-air television networks, transmitting news and variety programs in 1080i over Thailand's digital terrestrial network and by direct-to-home satellite."

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