Latest news with #Blinx
The National
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Culture Summit Abu Dhabi 2025: What to expect during the three-day event
Since 2017, the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi has attracted cultural figures and intellectuals from across the world, offering a platform to reflect upon contemporary societal challenges. Opening today for its seventh annual event, the three-day programme of panels, artist talks, workshops and creative conversations will explore the theme Culture for Humanity and Beyond. Hosted at Manarat Al Saadiyat, the programme will cover a range of subjects that seek to identify common grounds that may help in building a shared, sustainable future. The event will feature three sub-themes, with one for every day of the event. Reshaping the cultural landscape will be the focus of the inaugural day. Renowned artists, leaders, intellectuals and creatives will discuss the ever-evolving global power dynamics during a period marked by the digital revolution and economic inequality. Participants will examine the volatile geopolitical circumstances and how they are redefining cultural identities and societal values. Today's events include highlights such as tech expert Mo Gawdat sharing wisdom on the challenges of AI, followed by a panel discussing the role of culture within global governance. The National's Razmig Bedirian will also share thoughts on heritage rehabilitation during a panel discussion. The National's editor-in-chief, Mina Al-Oraibi, will form part of a panel titled Creative Expression at a Time of Disruption. The day will also feature key performances from artists such as Kirill Levski, a screening of Wael Shawky's Drama 1882 and many creative workshops. The second day of the event will be held under the theme New Frontiers of a Post-Human Environment. Discussions will address recent advancements in technology, including artificial intelligence and biotechnology. They will highlight how these developments can enhance human experience, especially if cultural and creative sectors mould their business models and policies to make the most of these opportunities. Panels will tackle topics such as the culture of humanity in the digital era, machine culture, the interplay between human and technological experiences and more. The National's Farah Andrews will share thoughts on the rise of AI in creative industries in a panel of the same title. Other highlights include Sami Tabchouri, strategy lead at Blinx, hosting a talk discussing how generation alpha is consuming content, while author Emily Kasriel will host a deep listening workshop. The day will conclude with a Jazz Concert by Herbie Hancock Jazz Institute at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. New Frames to Redefine Culture for Humanity and Beyond will be the theme for the final day of the event. The programme will examine the rise of glocal approaches. The portmanteau reflects upon policies that have both global and local considerations. Panels will highlight the innovative and collaborative nature of these approaches. They will also underscore how cultural innovation and technology can help combat growing global polarisation. Some highlights from the day will include a talk by Gilbert Sinoue, writer and historian, on the golden age of Arab civilisation, a panel on culture leaders taking action for the planet and a discussion tackling on-screen storytelling in a post-human era. The day will conclude with a performance by jazz pianist Jesus Molina. More information is at
Broadcast Pro
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Vizrt and Blinx collaborate on real-time XR integration for TikTok Live
The livestream aired on Blinx's TikTok channel on April 2 and will be recreated at NAB 2025 at Vizrt's booth in Las Vegas. Vizrt has partnered with Dubai-based Blinx Media to introduce an industry-first TikTok Live livestream featuring advanced extended reality (XR) graphics. This collaboration reportedly marks the first time content has been created in a virtual studio where audiences can interact and transform the environment in real-time through TikTok's gifting features. Hosted by prominent media personalities and regional influencers, the livestream allows users to influence the visual experience dynamically. For example, when a viewer gifts a virtual 'Galaxy,' the studio shifts into a galactic-themed animation, with their name prominently displayed in 3D within the scene. This will enhance audience engagement and interactivity, and elevate the live-streaming experience. The XR experience is powered by Vizrt's Viz Engine 5, a cutting-edge real-time 3D graphics rendering and compositing engine. Integrated with Unreal Engine, Viz Engine 5 manages video I/O, camera tracking data and video wall projections, ensuring seamless execution of the immersive graphics. Chris Black, Chief Marketing Officer, Vizrt, said: 'With TikTok driving $400m in user gifting in the US alone last year, this collaboration with blinx showcases the potential of real-time XR experiences to revolutionise industries like live media production, influencer-led initiatives, and branded digital engagement.' Black added: 'More content creators are looking to monetise live streams, and this technology demonstrates how greater levels of monetisation can be achieved without the hard sell – instead driving transactions with deeply immersive entertainment opportunities for audiences.' This initiative marks the first use of TikTok's Live API with Viz Engine, broadening access to AR-driven content creation on the platform. Vizrt's XR solutions are widely adopted by top global broadcasters and entertainment networks for delivering captivating AR storytelling through a streamlined interface. Fadi Radi, Chief Creative Officer at Blinx, commented: 'Blinx is committed to pioneering gamification and fostering one-to-one interactions in live streaming. With this project, we've demonstrated technology that is years ahead of current real-time audience engagement features on platforms like TikTok. By integrating TikTok's API with Vizrt's XR capabilities, we're redefining how people connect with live content. This fusion creates an entirely new experience, where gifting players and viewers actively shape immersive, ever-evolving visual narratives within a dynamic virtual environment they control.' The initial livestream took place on Blinx's TikTok channel on April 2 and will be recreated at NAB 2025 in Las Vegas. Attendees can experience it at the Vizrt booth from April 5–9, with live broadcasts on Vizrt's TikTok account (@vizrtofficial). Vizrt experts will also be available at NAB to showcase the latest advancements in extended and augmented reality solutions.
Broadcast Pro
07-02-2025
- Business
- Broadcast Pro
Blinx boosts production efficiency with EVO shared storage upgrade
Blinx needed to triple their online storage capacity and improve performance. Dubai-based media company Blinx has upgraded its media production capabilities by increasing storage capacity by 300%, achieving faster read/write speeds and optimising its 4K NDI and XR video workflow with EVO shared storage. Producing around 50 pieces of content daily in its NDI-based studio, Blinx faced a major challenge—its existing storage system couldn't keep up with the demands of high-volume 4K video production. Seeking a solution that offered both speed and reliability, the company turned to EVO, marking a transformative shift in its workflow. 'Before implementing EVO, we faced performance challenges with our old video production storage,' said Basel Al Rouh, Technical Manager at Blinx. 'Particularly during peak usage, multiple users accessing our on-premise storage system or working with large project files would slow everything down.' 'We needed a high-performance, post-production storage solution that could handle our growing volume of media assets, maintain consistent speed, and support a larger number of concurrent users without bottlenecks. EVO's speed and ability to support heavy workloads were critical in addressing this need.' Al Rouh explained: 'In the past, when we experienced a disk failure with our previous storage system, the rebuilding process caused severe degradation in performance, rendering the storage almost inaccessible during that period. We needed a system that could maintain stability and functionality even during disk rebuilds. EVO offered the resilience we were looking for.' Affordability was another decisive factor. Blinx needed to triple its online storage capacity—and improve performance—without breaking the bank. With EVO, Blinx could increase its 4K video storage capacity at a fraction of the cost of other options they considered. Not only did they increase on-premise storage capacity by 300%, they also improved their entire post-production workflow, all at an affordable price. EVO's scalable architecture allows Blinx to easily add capacity as their needs continue to evolve, ensuring a cost-effective solution for today and well into the future. 'EVO stands out for its beautiful and easy-to-use management interface, which makes it easy to monitor and control storage resources without needing extensive technical expertise. We can quickly scale storage, manage user access, and maintain high performance. This simplifies day-to-day operations and keeps our team focused on production,' Al Rouh added. 'Additionally, EVO's file transfer tool, Slingshot, has proven to be extremely useful for automating file transfers and streamlining our workflow. It allows us to automatically move large amounts of data efficiently across different storage systems.' From cameras to operating systems, EVO works with everything in Blinx's forward-thinking studio. 'Another notable feature of EVO is the easy access from different operating systems,' Al Rouh continued. 'Our team uses macOS and our servers are mainly Linux. EVO's cross-platform compatibility ensures that everyone can collaborate seamlessly without the need for additional software or complex configurations.' 'While we work with various file types, all of our production is in 4K, and our infrastructure is entirely NDI-based, allowing us to handle video over IP with low latency and high-quality output. In terms of equipment, we utilize cinematic cameras, which align perfectly with our vision as a cutting-edge digital platform targeting Gen Z and youth audiences. Additionally, we have implemented an XR (extended reality) setup to enhance our production capabilities.' EVO's widespread compatibility is important as Blinx continues to push the boundaries of digital storytelling in the Middle East and North Africa. Given Blinx's demands for performance, scalability, affordability, advanced features, and compatibility, they turned to their trusted local distributor, MediaCast, for guidance. 'We worked closely with Blinx to understand their requirements, recommend EVO, and provide the expertise and local support needed for its implementation,' said Bala Menon, Sales Director at MediaCast. 'This collaboration was key to ensuring EVO was the perfect fit for Blinx's needs, surpassing other solutions under consideration.' If you're considering SNS products and services, I highly recommend them based on our experience at Blinx,' concluded Al Rouh. 'EVO has proven to be an effective choice, providing the reliability and speed we require to maintain productivity and streamline our workflows. And the SNS support team has been excellent, providing us with reliable advice and assistance whenever needed, which further adds to the value of the system.'
