ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion Purchases Kahuna SD/HD Production Switcher

ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion, a leading pan-European broadcasting production and playout facility, has installed a Snell & Wilcox Kahuna switcher fully loaded with the IMPAKT 3-D DVE option at its Munich facility.
Working together with ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion's linear editing suites, the Kahuna and IMPAKT provide a complete solution for rapid mastering of high-quality HD video content for two of Germany's most popular television channels, ProSieben and Sat.1.
Kahuna is the world's first production switcher to offer simultaneous SD and HD operations in the same mainframe with the same control panel. This feature is most important for mastering of long format material for archive and playout at the same time.
ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion engineers implemented an on-line system for editing of both HD and SD video content, in which the Kahuna switcher works in tandem with linear editing equipment. Technicians also use the linear editing suite to master long form programs for European and worldwide distribution.
Jirl Srb, responsible for special projects at ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion, said: "Most of today's non-linear editors are very slow, especially when working with uncompressed HD content. We found we could do the job much faster with a switcher DVE, and a classic linear suite, especially since the Kahuna enables us to run HD and SD content in parallel without requiring us to make time-consuming conversion copies.
"Kahuna allows us to manage the transition from SD to HD quickly and easily, with the lowest-possible signal degradation."
Kahuna's IMPAKT DVE option was another important selling point for ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion, providing a built-in, fully integrated suite of 3-D digital video effects. IMPAKT provides up to four twin-channels for DVE that can be used either as four video/key pairs or eight video-only tiles. Srb said: "The standalone HD-DVE solutions we evaluated didn't come close to the creative toolset that IMPAKT offers and the effects capabilities really bring linear editing up to date.
"Kahuna and IMPAKT give us maximum flexibility and productivity in input and output resolutions, at a reasonable cost - and the system was very straightforward to implement within our existing SD linear suite."
Joe Zaller, Vice President of Corporate Development at Snell & Wilcox, said: "The Kahuna with IMPAKT is the ideal solution for broadcasting organisations such as ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion, who are looking to help their clients make the transition to HD transmissions as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.
"Since the Kahuna can integrate any SD material into HD productions seamlessly, without the need for upconversion, broadcasters can future--proof their operations without having to re-equip with all HD sources."
(KMcA)