Can you have a channel in a box?

An overview of the Channel in a Box concept by Fergal Ringrose.
We wanted to shed some light on the Channel in a Box (tapeless playout and branding) concept for readers – the move toward integration of video, graphics, ARC, audio, automation, newsroom, MAM and more at low price points. We called on all vendors in this area to consider providing briefing articles for this issue. And in the following pages, the results of our Call for Editorial!
Why would a TV station want a channel in a box? Should it actually be called PC-based IT playout? Are channel in a box solutions going to replace conventional systems? Or, what type of channel cannot benefit from this ‘box’ approach? Is true mixed playout really an illusion, thanks to the continuation of proprietary file formats – ie can files, formats and conversions really be mixed in one box? Does low cost mean low performance? How does PC-based playout rise to the HD challenge? How do you add processing power and memory without adding cost? The ‘pay for what you need’ approach: is full integration of enterprise IT and broadcast media operation actually possible in this manner? Hopefully, some or all of these questions will be answered by suppliers in the following stories …