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Post Production

SOLUTIONS FOR POST PRODUCTION

The core video technologies of Snell & Wilcox have long been used in the world's most advanced post production suites. Whether the source is 35mm film or high-definition video, prime time television depends on S&W's key innovations to speed the workflow.

In 1989, Snell & Wilcox introduced DEFT, a technology that changed the way American prime time film-originated television programs were made. An acronym for Digital Electronic Film Transfer, the original DEFT technology corrected major 3:2 pulldown problems encountered when filmed dramas were edited on 525-line NTSC videotape and subsequently converted to 625-line PAL. The enormous benefits in convenience and cost savings that resulted from the use of DEFT were recognized in 1994 with an Emmy award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Today, DEFTplus addresses SD/HD program integration and 3:2 pulldown issues through an upgrade to Snell & Wilcox's highly acclaimed Alchemist Ph. C. Standards Converter. DEFTplus allows program producers, for the first time, to seamlessly convert standard definition material to 24p and integrate standard and high definition material within the same program.

Also widely used in post is S&W's Ukon universal converter, a platform that provides up-conversion, down-conversion, and cross-conversion, either singly or in any combination. Designed to handle different frame rates, image sizes, and aspect ratios, Ukon includes features such as tilt, pan and zoom, timecode conversion with precise frame mapping, comprehensive audio handling, and 3:2 cadence detection and repair. Unlike any other format conversion system, Ukon executes all these functions at the same time, in a single pass.

The Snell & Wilcox Archangel Ph.C restoration system offers real-time motion-compensated video archive processing to clean up, fix and stabilize deteriorated standard definition video material. It is ideal for optimizing video material for DVD encoding or broadcast in an HDTV environment.

Snell & Wilcox's wide range of television infrastructure, conversion and restoration products have a single goal: creating the finest possible television image. Look for our products in the world's leading post houses.

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CASE STUDIES

Ascent Media - one of America's largest post production operations with facilities in Burbank, California and Northvale, New Jersey - has created virtual telecine environments to eliminate the need for separate transfers when creating various widescreen and full-screen DVD versions of feature films.

These virtual telecine environments depend on Snell & Wilcox's Ukon universal conversion platforms. Used in this application, Ukon dramatically reduces the amount of time required for DVD aspect ratio versioning and ensures that all versions of the video material are absolutely identical.

In the UK, Metro Broadcast also uses Ukon in its video duplication and restoration departments. Here, Ukon is being used as an upconverter for restoration on a Snell & Wilcox Archangel Ph.C system and as a duplication tool for Metro's increasing volume of HD mastering work. Ukon has given Metro the ability not only to crossconvert 24p masters to formats such as 25 or 60 fps as required, but also to upconvert SD material for HD broadcast.

Advanced Digital Services (ADS) in Hollywood, California began as a duplication/standards conversion facility, but has, in the last ten years, branched out into DVD authoring and HD services. Today, ADS depends on S&W's Archangel Ph. C for essential restoration services needed prior to re-mastering.

Archangel's real-time motion-compensated video archive processing is used to clean up, fix and stabilize deteriorated video material, allowing ADS to meet its customers' needs and raising its profile as a one-stop production service. There are sound reasons that the world's best post production houses depend on Snell & Wilcox.