LONDON PlayBox Technology has announced the completion of a new transmission playout and graphics management system at the London studios of Loveworld Television, a UK-based Christian television station. The new installation forms the central element of a major technical modernisation programme, replacing earlier third-party equipment.
"Loveworld currently transmits in standard definition via satellite and online," says Phillip Neighbour of PlayBox Technology. "The upgraded system is initially being used in SD but gives the channel the ability to start a 1080i high-definition service whenever it chooses to do so. At the core of this project are two 3U servers, each running PlayBox Technology AirBox playout and TitleBox integrated graphics.
"An automatic changeover switch brings the second server online if the primary server fails. This is much a more reliable procedure than human intervention. Other PlayBox Technology equipment in this project includes a high-definition CaptureBox, a 16 TB network-attached storage server running a SafeBox content replication module which manages content sharing across multiple devices.
The new system also includes two third-party digital routers (which replace Loveworld's former analogue patch bays) plus a production monitor and related infrastructure, all housed in a single rack. The ingest router takes feeds from DVCAM and Digibeta video tape. The system is operated from Loveworld's transmission control room which feeds direct to the Sky satellite multiplex and to the web. The system was assembled and fully tested at the Brookmans Park headquarters of PlayBox Technology UK. It was then installed at Loveworld followed by onsite training.
