In Broadcast - May 2020 - 60

60

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 10 - Issue 5 | May 2020

InMedia

PlayBox Neo Powers New TV
Channels for Minacord Media
M

inacord
Media,
founded
and owned by composer,
songwriter, singer and instrumentalist
Zeljko Joksimovic, has chosen PlayBox
Neo Version 19 Channel-in-a-Box
systems to power three new television
channels: Kazbuka, K1 and TV Doctor.
All three will be transmitted via
cable and IPTV in Serbia, and on the
Go4TV mobile-TV platform across
Croatia, Slovenia, Austria plus the
wider European Union, Switzerland,
Canada and the USA. The project was
negotiated and completed by PlayBox
Neo distribution partner PBT Adria,
from initial design and cabling through
to on-site integration, configuration
and testing.
"Our aim is to establish a dynamic
group of channels which, between
them, will appeal to every age group,"
Joksimovic comments. "Kazbuka,
meaning 'Alphabet', is reserved for
youngsters who are eager to discover
new things, adventures, music, and
entertainment. It is a blend of content

which will make kids laugh, learn and
enjoy dubbed cartoons. K1 is a mix
of videos and shows following the
work of well-known performers; we
anticipate that its rich music content
will give this channel a really strong
following. TV Doctor deals with family
health issues including diet and use of
pharmaceutical products in everyday
life."
Joksimovic adds: "PlayBox Neo
was the obvious choice for channel
branding and playout as it gives us full
control over the entire process from
scheduling, titling and interstitials
management right through to delivery.
A key requirement was the ability to

Multiscreen playout display

automate as much as possible while
keeping our production options open
to accommodate live inserts or lastminute changes in running order.
Efficient expandability and easy thirdparty device integration were also
important so that we are free to add
extra channels easily at any time in the
future. PlayBox Neo answers at every
level."
PBT Adria's General Manager
Vladimir Stanić says: "The system
we have provided comprises four
complete channels with three-plus-one
redundancy protection. Structurally
they include four PlayBox Neo-19
servers, each with AirBox Neo-19
playout automation and control,
TitleBox Neo-19 graphics preparation,
subtitling and text manipulation, Multi
Backup Manager for monitoring and
supervision and SafeBox Neo-19 for
automatic content and playlist transfer
across the channels."
"Two 96 terabyte network-attached
storage servers give fast access

PlayBox Neo servers at
Minacord Media in Belgrade

to a very large amount of content,
supplemented by an LTO tape archive
which can be searched and accessed
from any connected workstation. We
also integrated our own Traffic Box
traffic management software to handle
programme rights, commercials and
promos."
The entire system is connected via
10G SDI infrastructure including KVM
control interfaces, signal routing
and distribution, multiviewers, video
monitor displays and equipment racks.
PBT Adria organised onsite training
for Minacord's production team and
technical staff.

High End TV Deploys Cobalt Solutions
H

igh End TV, a premiere video
production company specialising
in multi-camera systems for broadcast
and high-profile entertainment events,
has tapped Cobalt Digital's card-based
platform for 4K HDR Multiviewer and
HDR conversion solutions in its newest
truck.
Symphony, High End TV's most
sophisticated endeavour to date,
is fully fabricated with 4K HDR
technology and will be rolling out
with Cobalt Digital's 4K in and 4K
out 9971-MV6-4K Multiviewer and
9904-UDX-4K HDR processor on
board. Cobalt is an industry-leading
designer and manufacturer of awardwinning edge devices for live video
production and master control. The
company is also a founding partner in
the openGear® initiative.
"People want 4K and they want
HDR," said Adam Mills, High End
TV's President. "Cobalt's 4K HDR
Multiviewer solution also has TSL
protocol and HDMI built-in on the
same card making it the perfect
product to drive what I'd say is the
best monitor wall in existence. This

truck is built to be future-proof first
and foremost, and capable of shoots
with full 4K throughput. Cobalt makes
that possible."
High End TV's Symphony is outfitted
with 4K cameras and a 60-input
HDR monitor wall, prompting Mills
to seek solutions that could support
the heightened level of image quality
that the advanced formats deliver.
"There were other manufacturers that
supported 4K in, but only 1080p out,"
explained Mills. "Cobalt had the only
solution that takes 12G HDR signals in

Adam Mills, President, High End TV

and outputs 12G HDR signals out. Now
clients don't have to trust that we're
shooting in 4K and recording in HDR;
they can actually see for themselves."
Following a thorough search and
evaluation, Mills chose Cobalt's
9971-MV6-4K
12G/6G/3G/HD/SD
UHD Multiviewer to drive Symphony's
monitor wall.
The openGear® card represents
Cobalt's
next
generation
of
advanced UHD high-capacity channel
Multiviewers and offers the ultimate

in flexible 4K monitoring. Ultra-simple
setup and ease-of-use are achieved
with one-button template presets, and
its fully-flexible design allows custom
configurations that can be changed
on-the-fly, a necessity in a production
truck.
Mills also noted that the 9971-MV64K allows users to view the monitor
wall in full-resolution even if the
production isn't being shot in 4K, a
feature he particularly likes. "You can
have a 4K consumer monitor coming
out of the HDMI with 1080p inputs
and a quarter of that screen shows
you all 1080p lines. Once you see it,
everything else just looks blurry," he
explained.
"The 9971-MV6-4K along with
Cobalt's 9904-UDX-4K are two
breakthrough
products
that
make Symphony an outstanding
accomplishment," said Mills.
High End TV also selected Cobalt's
9904-UDX-4K for SDR/HDR and HDR/
SDR conversion. The card incorporates
Technicolor's
Intelligent
Tone
Management (ITM) as well as its single
layer HDR (SL-HDR) technology.
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.playboxneo.com http://www.playboxneo.com http://www.playboxneo.com http://www.playboxneo.com http://www.cobaltdigital.com http://www.cobaltdigital.com
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