LONDON–PlayBox Technology announces a major new addition to its modular Neo broadcast playout system. Scheduled for launch at IBC2017 in September, Neo TS Time Delay is a 1U IP-based delay server for single or multichannel time zone shift and disaster-recovery applications. It provides fully transparent delay of IP transport streams such as DVB/ATSC MPEG broadcast-quality compressed video and audio.
"Physically compact and easy to install, Neo TS Time Delay is ideal for use in countries or federations with multiple time zones," says PlayBox Technology President Don Ash. "It also has applications in DR centres where it provides operators with a very wide range of timing options. Neo TS Time Delay integrates fully with the AirBox Neo product family with control assignable to a single administrator or specified operators."
Designed for fully automated operation, Neo TS Time Delay can be configured with multiple input channels and multiple delayed outputs. Each input also has one zero-delay output. All operating parameters are easily adjusted via an integral web-based user interface, including channel-specific time delay in 15 second increments. Maximum delay duration depends on input bit rate and storage capacity. Additional features include programme information display of MPEG-compliant transport streams plus automatic error logging.
Neo TS Time Delay incorporates UDP/RTP input/output, allowing unicast or multicast via standard Gigabit Ethernet ports. A typical Neo TS Time Delay workflow would include zero-delay pass-through for a broadcaster's home-region timezone plus one hour or one week delay for a unicast MPEG programme stream. The same unit can simultaneously process a multicast MPEG stream with its own playout time settings (zero plus one and two hours for example). A third channel is then available to carry auxiliary data such as UDP.
Like all elements of the PlayBox Technology Neo product series, Neo TS Time Delay can be configured for single-unit operation or twinned for use in main and backup modes.
Neo TS Time Delay will be demonstrated at IBC 2017 as part of a complete channel branding, scheduling and playout system centred on the AirBox Neo platform.
