Cinegy Air PRO’s playout and automation software handles channel origination at TBC with a single server, including logo and overlay insertion, subtitling and control of external devices.
Tanzanian Broadcasting Corporation, the national broadcaster in Tanzania with headquarters in Dar-Es-Salaam, operates under government ownership and oversight. Aiming to expand its network, TBC wanted to acquire a reliable multi channel-in-a-box (CIAB) system that would support the larger broadcast unit they were planning to build, with a fairly quick installation time and a straightforward GUI and operation.
TBC worked with Britt Broadcast, a systems integrator based in Nairobi. Britt Broadcast specialises in the supply of bespoke systems, custom-built for the broadcast networks and customers across the region, and represents major vendors in the market.
Britt Broadcast recommended and implemented Cinegy Air PRO as a software-based playout server and broadcast automation system well suited to their specific requirements, significantly enhancing the network’s broadcasting capabilities. Consequently, Cinegy has recently delivered a new four-channel playout system to TBC.
Cinegy Air PRO’s playout and automation functionality is designed for channel origination with a single server, and is able to support multiple channels at resolutions from SD to 8k, including mixed formats on each output. This single-point system was important for TBC – their logo and overlay insertion, subtitling and automated control of external devices are all included in the software.
Cinegy Air comprises a control panel and a playout engine. The control panel is the interface for controlling playout channels connected via TCP/IP, and the playout engine executes the playlist and renders video and audio to air. It also sends real-time video stream feedback directly to the control panel interface, making video monitors and SDI cabling and routing unnecessary.
Cinegy Air supports playout of several playout channels simultaneously, which can be controlled by a single Cinegy Air control application. Multiple instances of the software can run on one high performance machine, transforming it into a playout server broadcasting multiple independent channels. Cinegy Air playout channels can also be set up to stream programs live, without extra hardware or software.
Also important to TBC was the ease of integration into its data networks. Cinegy Air PRO natively supports SDI, NDI and IP streams, including SRT for secure delivery, and plays mixed format and mixed resolution content or unrendered edit sequences straight to air.
Charles Karanja Mwangi, technical manager of Britt Broadcast, said, “We demonstrated Cinegy's capabilities to TBC, and configured a package that could be swiftly delivered, complete with training to promote their on-air operations and ongoing support for the years ahead.” www.cinegy.com
