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With Kahuna Care, Snell & Wilcox Launches New Gold Standard of Customer Support for Industry's First SD/HD Production Switcher

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LAS VEGAS (NAB) -- April 18, 2005 -- Snell & Wilcox today unveiled an extraordinary customer support program for users of its new multiformat SD/HD Kahuna switcher. The new program is designed to exceed customer expectations with options that include on-site attendance by a Snell & Wilcox engineer or backup TD at critical events.

The multitier Kahuna Care program provides a preventative maintenance regime, as well as offering services that address all the practical eventualities that might occur in the course of using a Kahuna production switcher.

A renewable "Comfort Care" option, provided free of charge for the first 12 months after product commissioning, includes 12x5 telephone diagnostic and troubleshooting guidance from a skilled engineer. Hot spare replacement service is also included, as well as free software maintenance.

The "Complete Care" option builds on the Comfort Care option and includes telephone support service on a 24x7 basis, two on-site visits per year by a Snell & Wilcox representative to perform system and documentation checks, and on-site commissioning of major software releases.

In addition to these care packages, Snell & Wilcox is introducing an "Event Care" option designed to provide an extraordinary level of service support for those occasions when a Kahuna customer has a special event or critical production. Event Care options include the provision of a complete spare Kahuna unit for shadow switching, a complete spares kit at the event site, and the assistance of a fully qualified Snell & Wilcox service engineer or backup TD on site during the event.

Tailored to suit the needs of each individual user, Event Care is available as a standalone service for any Kahuna user, regardless of whether the system in question is covered by one of the other two Kahuna Care packages.

"We're offering this series of options to give our customers peace of mind while ensuring that their Kahuna production switchers meet operational requirements at all times," said Dick Crippa, U.S. president of Snell & Wilcox. "Everything we make is built to the most rigorous standards as an integrated in-house process, and we aim to implement similar quality standards in the service we provide to our customers."

In addition to the Kahuna Care options already mentioned, Snell & Wilcox offers a series of operational and technical training courses as well as online documentation, forums, FAQs, and news updates for Kahuna users at www.snellwilcox.com.

About the Kahuna Production Switcher
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 seamlessly integrated into HD products and vice versa, without the need for conversion. Not only does this capability make Kahuna the most versatile production switcher available on the market, it eliminates the need for additional upconverters and other peripheral equipment, saving space, weight, power, and money.

Beyond offering users the ability to work with both SD and HD video simultaneously with no compromise in picture quality, Kahuna offers tremendous value to end-users by enabling an easily controlled and smooth migration from SD to HD production. Kahuna puts broadcasters in control of their transition to HD operation, enabling them to make the transition in a measured, intelligent, and cost-effective way.