Thai television news broadcaster Spring News has upgraded its playout system to a latest-generation AirBox Neo from PlayBox Technology. The project was completed in partnership with GBS Alliance, a Singapore-based broadcast system integrator with subsidiary offices in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
“We have operated with AirBox as the core of our broadcast playout system for many years,” commented Spring News’ director of engineering and information technology Tawatchai Homhual. “AirBox and its various elements form the nucleus of an extremely reliable system. Our operators like the logical and versatile user interface which lets them achieve their goals quickly and easily. The system is very flexible to configure, highly reliable and supported online by PlayBox Technology from its European headquarters as well as here in Bangkok from PlayBox Technology Thailand.”
Don Ash, PlayBox Technology president, added, “This upgrade moves Spring News forward from standard definition playout on a Windows XP server platform to 1080i high definition on Windows 7, installed at the channel’s headquarters in Bangkok and operated from the master control room. The Neo product series adds a lot of new extra features including UHD compatibility. With its annual support maintenance contract, Spring News 19 has access to ongoing enhancements to AirBox Neo and all other modules in the Neo product series as these continue to develop. That is a great way to stay future-proof in today’s fast-developing broadcast media world.”
Supporting UHD, HD and SD playout, AirBox Neo is designed for 24/7 unattended operation and can also be operated manually, including the ability to handle live-to-air throughput. Parallel outputs enable the running of two or more SDI or IP streaming SD/HD feeds simultaneously. Changes to the playlist can be made during an on-air session. Clips in the playlist, except the one which is currently playing, can be trimmed, edited or repositioned. Playback order can be performed seamlessly without stopping the current playout session. Live productions are facilitated by a live show clipboard which allows insertion and/or execution of various events or live streams.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More