Island TV Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Switch to PlayBox Neo

May 18, 2021 – Reliability is critical for a network that broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week in three different languages throughout Florida and 13 Caribbean islands. Playout server failure is not an option. When its playout system started to freeze several times a day, the team at Miami-based Island TV turned to PlayBox Neo to get them back up to speed and on-air.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, Island TV is intent on creating the largest Caribbean media platform. The networks’ mix of live and recorded programming runs on regional broadcast stations in Florida and the Caribbean via cable and over-the-air. It’s also available worldwide via its website and digital apps. Programming ranges from current affairs to music videos, movies, talk shows and more.

Island TV selected two single-channel AirBox Neo servers running the latest Neo-20 software, along with the TitleBox Neo graphics generator for graphics overlay and the ListBox Neo offline schedule editor for scheduling. The servers are configured for content ingest, master playout and backup, with TitleBox Neo-20 providing fully interactive 4K UHD/HD/SD channel branding. Utilizing both AirBox Neo -20 and TitleBox Neo-20, Island TV can perform file-based video playback, and live pass-through streaming with graphic overlays.

“We couldn’t be happier with our switch to PlayBox Neo,” said Frantz Parisot, Island TV, Chief Engineer. “They trained us and got the whole team knowledgeable about the system. Their support has been truly above and beyond. But what I’m most impressed with is the software. It’s been so easy to use, integrates within our existing workflow, and its reliability means we’re free to focus on other things without worrying about playout. It’s so flexible, we can insert additional files or switch to a fully live broadcast on any channel at any time. We incorporated the two servers within our network, including our NAS (Network Attached Storage) and our FTP server. It’s a very powerful system.”

Updates within the new Neo-20 software include: the ability to mix different media formats, frame rates and resolutions in a single playlist; a Web-based multi-viewer; and low latency, high-quality streaming via the public internet. The PlayBox Neo set up at Island TV schedules programs, commercials and promos for a fully automated playout model.

“We were confident we could solve the playout issues they were having,” said Van Duke, Director of U.S. Operations, PlayBox Neo, “and I’m thrilled we were able to support them as they continue in their mission to create the premiere online Caribbean cultural hub.  We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Island TV.”

PlayBox Neo solutions provide a seamless workflow to keep channels on-air by combining scheduling, ingest, playout, CG and interactive graphics within one box and remote tools to enhance QC checks, preparation and monitoring. The output can be SDI or IP streaming and is suitable for a variety of applications including traditional broadcast TV, Pay-TV, playout centers, satellite operators, etc.

AirBox Neo-20 provides automated content streaming and broadcast playout for any kind of TV channel: cloud-based, satellite, cable head-ends, over-the-air broadcasters, corporate TV, or internet-based TV. Via its multi-format parallel output playout/streaming engine, AirBox Neo-20 can mix a variety of media files in one playlist and provides multiple SDI/IP streaming UHD/HD/SD outputs simultaneously. Live productions are streamlined to allow insertion and/or execution of various events or live streams into the playlist. For automated playout/streaming AirBox Neo-20 allows playlist scheduling weeks in advance. Gaps and time overlaps are automatically resolved for continuous operation even when there are conflicting timed events.

TitleBox Neo-20 allows infinite layers of high-quality graphic overlay to be created and manipulated during on-air.  Its capabilities include text selection with transitions, the creation of horizontal crawling text, vertically rolling credits and messages, still and animated logo graphics, clocks and countdowns, coming-up-next banners and the display of data coming in real time from sources such as live RSS feeds and social media.

For more information, please visit PlayBox Neo at www.playboxneo.com.