Xite TV Brings ToolsOnAir's "TV Station in a Mac Mini" Online

Using ToolsOnAir's just:play software, an Apple Mac Mini becomes an HD broadcast quality playout

Dutch broadcasters Xite have joined the growing ranks of users to implement ToolsOnAir's just: Broadcast Suite into their video playout service. The Amsterdam-based music TV and on demand platform for cable and IPTV networks is one of several early adopters of ToolsOnAir's  "TV Station in a Mac Mini" broadcast server solution. The company uses just two Apple Mac Mini computers to run their 24/7 video playout service.

"We replaced our entire proprietary hardware system with a pair of Mac Minis, with two spares for backup," says Luc Vleugels, Xite's Technical Director. "With the ToolsOnAir solution, we have a more flexible and more future-proof solution than we had before, for a fraction of the cost."

Xite presently runs two channels - one covering most of Holland, the other covering the Flanders (Dutch-speaking) region of Belgium. Each channel utilizes a single Mac Mini, with AJA's Video IoXT device connected via Thunderbolt technology.

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Utilizing the latest Apple Mac Mini hardware, ToolsOnAir is helping to drive the next generation of cost effective "Channel in a Box" broadcast solutions. Using ToolsOnAir's just:play software, an Apple Mac Mini becomes an HD broadcast quality playout, automation and real time graphics server, consuming a mere 85 Watts of power and housed in only one broadcast rack unit (1RU).

"Prior to using ToolsOnAir, we were using a large black box system, and no matter how we tried to make it future proof, it was never really possible," says Vleugels. "We finally got to the point where we couldn't go on. Now, with the ToolsOnAir system running on a Mac, we feel like the sky's the limit. It just works."

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Presently, Xite broadcasts a 24/7 mix of music videos, as well as a video-on-demand service, and will soon launch it's new product myXite, a personalized TV channel. "We also have plans to schedule in commercials, as well as developing more graphics," says Vleugels. "ToolsOnAir is all we need to schedule everything, and it will even allow us to implement real-time graphics. It really allows us to do everything we want."

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