Neon Broadcast's new HD mobile unit features UK's first Kahuna multi-format switcher

The first Snell & Wilcox SD/HD Kahuna production switcher to be installed in the UK is at the heart of the newest mobile truck in Neon Broadcast Services' fleet.
Chosen both for its unique SD/HD support and compact, highly integrated design, Kahuna gives Neon's compact new truck the capabilities of larger vehicles in a unit specifically designed to serve smaller, urban venues in locations where supersize OB units won't fit.
"We have built our business on the idea that big is not always better," said Colin Vinton, Managing Director at the Middlesex-based company. "Instead of competing with companies that serve the largest venues, we have tailored our fleet to meet the requirements of professional production in areas with very tight space constraints. The Kahuna is a good fit because it can take any flavour of signal, identify it, and resize and convert it, all within one box. It offers real savings in terms of space and efficiency."
Kahuna is the first production switcher ever to offer simultaneous standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) operations in the same mainframe with the same control panel. Enabled by Snell & Wilcox's Format Fusion technology, Kahuna allows SD sources to be integrated seamlessly into HD products and vice versa, without the need for upconversion. Not only does this capability make Kahuna the most versatile production switcher available on the market, but it also eliminates the need for additional upconverters and other peripheral equipment, saving space, weight, power, and money.
Neon Broadcast's new truck measures just 11 meters in length. Within this space, Neon has installed the Kahuna multi-format switcher along with 12 cameras, four VTRs (additional VTRs are housed in its operations tender), and high-resolution TFT monitors. The truck's comprehensive audio capability, ideal for professional concert recordings made at London clubs, includes two audio desks that allow sound engineers to mix down and multi-track record up to 48 tracks.
Kahuna's compact 11-RU mainframe is the smallest ever for a switcher with its capabilities, yet it contains up to four M/Es and eight channels of 3D DVE effects (optional) together with redundant power supplies. Its low weight, power consumption, and heat generation make Kahuna equally at home in weight-sensitive OB vehicles and in fixed installations.
(GB)