Stenna Group, Brazil’s largest independent broadcast television organization, has selected media production and playout solutions from PlayBox Neo to support a series of newly launched streaming channels.

São Paulo, BR, 29 January, 2024

The recently completed system, located at Stenna’s São Paulo facility, includes four PlayBox Neo Channel-in-a-Box units in two-plus-two main and backup configuration plus SafeBox Neo and ListBox Neo-20 modules. The project was negotiated by PlayBox Neo distribution partner CIS Group, based in São Paulo, who also provided training.

“We needed a solution that would integrate with our existing server network and operate transparently,” says Stenna Group CFO and CTO Fabio Buhr. “PlayBox Neo was the logical choice given its proven track record here in Brazil and globally. The user interface allows every aspect of the scheduling and playout routine to be managed quickly from a single desktop. The display is eye-friendly, easy to learn and ergonomically efficient with all the tools necessary for each step of the process immediately to hand. Additional operational elements can be accessed quickly if or when needed and critical elements such as gaps in the schedule or a frozen source are supported by automated alerts. The PlayBox Neo user environment is geared for 24/7 transmission, including the freedom for playout staff to work remotely if required. We particularly appreciate the modularity of PlayBox Neo’s product range as this allows us to configure solutions that match our current business model while retaining the flexibility to respond to future demands on a workflow.”

“Our success as a company has long been in helping our customers meet their operational challenges and achieve their goals,” adds Felipe Andrade, VP of Sales Americas at CIS. “We maintain an ongoing study of product and service developments across the broadcast media sector, ensuring that we can recommend the best possible solutions for any given project. Our clients vary widely in the regions and themes they cover but all share a common desire to expand their business activity in line with market demand. PlayBox Neo’s long experience in the media channel management, presentation and playout marketplace is reflected in the ease with which its hardware, software and cloudware can be scaled to any required business level or reconfigured to accommodate additional channels or changes in workflow. The PlayBox Neo approach has become increasingly flexible over the years with recent additions such as Media Gateway and Capture Suite offering powerful new options which can be integrated during the initial system design or at any future time.”

“Stenna is an excellent example of an efficient and future-focused media service company making good use of the Channel-in-a-Box concept which we pioneered and continue to refine,” comments Sonya Chakarova, PlayBox Neo Business Development Manager. “Our approach integrates easily with legacy production and transmission systems and has achieved great popularity among operators for its very logical user interface.”

“The Channel-in-a-Box model continues to be very popular throughout the media industry among content owners and broadcasters as well as third-party playout service providers,” summarizes Pavlin Rahnev, PlayBox Neo CEO. “We anticipate this mode of operation retaining a strong following both in the satellite and terrestrial mainstream as well as for the expanding number of IP-based live-stream channels. Our strategy as a company will be to continue offering our customers the great possible flexibility in how and where they choose to operate, be it with onsite hardware, server-based software, network-connected hybrid or fully cloud-based.”

About SafeBox Neo

SafeBox Neo is a turnkey playout server solution for broadcasting single or multiple television channels in HD or UHD. It provides a seamless workflow to keep a channel on-air by combining scheduling, ingest, playout, title and rolling-text management and interactive graphics within one module. Also included are remote tools to enhance QC checks, preparation and monitoring. The output can be SDI or IP-streamed. SafeBox Neo can work in playlist-dependent or mode with Channel-in-a-Box and/or Cloud2TV. It can also be operated standalone.

About ListBox Neo-20

ListBox Neo-20 provides the editing facilities required for playlist creation, such as search, cut/copy/paste, multi-selection editing, ordering facilities and playlist printing, all with multi-level undo/redo. The integrated clip trimmer allows unnecessary segments to be removed as well as clip splitting and last-minute order reversal within the same clip. It can even be used to edit the on-air playlist. AirBox Neo-20 will automatically reload the new playlist on the next event. ListBox Neo-20 also imports traffic logs from third-party scheduling and traffic systems. This is achieved by using universal tab-delimited and comma-separated values (CSV) and flat fixed-width text import.

About Stenna Group

Stenna Group (www.stennagroup.com) is a holding company that brings together different companies created to meet the needs of the global audiovisual, telecommunications, and entertainment markets. With a presence worldwide, it is also the only independent media development and distribution group in Brazil, and a leader in TV channel launches, content, platforms, and industry projects.

As pioneers in end-to-end delivery, we represent over 35 linear channels globally, with professionals boasting over 15 years of experience in consulting, commercial representation, business development, mergers and acquisitions, and the facilitation of various processes and projects in the market.

About CIS Group

Since 1988, CIS Group (www.cisgroup.tv) has been a media technology solutions provider and systems integrator with core competencies across the professional services spectrum. Over the years our scope has evolved to include consulting and workflow design, integration, full system commissioning and installation, technical and operational training, maintenance and support, DevOps and managed services. Focused exclusively on the mediatech space, CIS has delivered countless solutions aimed at a variety of use cases throughout the content supply chain – including live production, post-production, archiving and distribution.

In relying on CIS’s expertise, our clients, who include a variety of sports teams and networks, have been able to outsource a lot of their technical challenges, and focus their energy and resources on how the technology we implement ultimately delivers business value and creative value to their organizations. Enabling our customers to achieve their desired business goals and operational goals by effectively implementing our solutions is what we mean when we say that customer success is in our DNA.

About PlayBox Neo

PlayBox Neo (www.playboxneo.com) is a globally active leader in the development, manufacture of broadcast media playout and channel branding solutions, powering over 19,500 TV and branding channels in more than 120 countries. Building on 24 years of successful innovation, the company pioneered the development of high-efficiency server-based and cloud-based playout to support every scale and type of one-to-many communication.

PlayBox Neo broadcast products and cloud solutions cover everything from live playout to fully automated transmission. Users include national and international broadcasters, start-up TV channels, webcasters, interactive TV and music channels, film channels, remote TV channels, corporate information channels and disaster recovery channels.

Available for all PlayBox Neo systems, the optional ASM&TS (Annual Software Maintenance & Technical Support) subscription offers extended 24/7 support and software upgrades, ensuring maximum operational reliability and future-proofing. With its commercial headquarters in Europe, PlayBox Neo has offices in the USA (PlayBox Neo LLC), Singapore (PlayBox Neo Asia Pacific), India (PlayBox Neo India), and the UK.