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MBC Korea Takes Control of HD Transition With Snell & Wilcox IQ Modular Installations in 10 More Cities

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MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation), Korea's multimedia public-service broadcaster, is relying on Snell & Wilcox IQ Modular products to support a multistation expansion into digital and HD broadcasting that has now grown to include facilities in 18 cities.

MBC is already using Snell & Wilcox IQ Modular equipment as a central infrastructure element of its TV stations in eight cities. In 2005, MBC will continue its transition to digital and HD with upgrades of TV stations in 10 additional locations, using IQ Modular HD upconverters, downconverters, and switchers as their backbone.

The equipment will be provided by Seokwang Tech, a leading broadcast solutions distributor. The facilities include MBC stations in Chungju, Jeonju, Jeongju, Jeju, Chuncheon, Masan, Mokpo, Samcheok, Yeosu, and Seoul.

“MBC is one of the first broadcasters in Asia to show such substantial progress in making HD a reality for the end-user,” said Mark Parlett, managing director for Snell & Wilcox Asia Pacific Limited. “In selecting IQ Modular as part of its ongoing investment in HD, MBC will enjoy all the benefits of the industry’s most flexible and future-proof solution on the market for digital and HD infrastructure.”

The IQ Modular range offers a wide choice of modules and enclosures, with customizable control interfaces that are designed to support the broadest array of activities while still maintaining ease of use and control. All essential information about any module — its status, setting, menu structure, configuration details, and PC window — is held on the card itself for instant access by the central control system. This system integration allows users to configure video, audio, digital, analog, SD and HD functions all in the same box, which holds 16 modules per 3-RU enclosure.

MBC will rely on the new Snell & Wilcox IQDEC series and IQDMENCS modules to provide high-quality decoding and encoding solutions, respectively. Using multi-aperture spatio-temporal filters, the IQDEC modules combine adaptive frame comb, adaptive line comb decoding, and audio-processing features such as analog audio embedding. These modules also provide frame synchronization to lock incoming signals to a local reference. Analog audio can be input directly to the card, timed to match the video-processing delay, and embedded into the resulting SD-SDI stream. AES outputs are also included to enable easy signal monitoring if required.

A noise-reduction feature in the IQDEC range makes MPEG compression more efficient, saving valuable bandwidth. An auxiliary SDI input allows future SD-SDI lines to be accommodated. Additional features include video and audio firewalls to enable a continuous valid output, horizontal and vertical enhancers, video and audio proc. amps, and four assignable 8-channel audio mixers.

The IQDMENCS provides 10-bit composite encoding for SD-SDI signals with frame synchronization, full genlock, and minimum delay operation. Standards include PAL, NTSC, and SECAM.

As part of the installation, MBC will also use IQUDC, an advanced universal up-, down-, and crossconversion module. This module provides a level of HD conversion that was only previously available in 2-RU box-type converters. Moreover, it provides the unique ability to function as the upconverter for SD signals and as a synchronizer or downconverter for HD signals. This means local stations working in multiformat networks can always achieve the correct output format from any input type.

Snell & Wilcox, the leader in its field, delivers technologies and products that give television and satellite broadcasters, post-production facilities, filmmakers, and communications professionals the freedom to move content seamlessly between analog, digital, high definition, and file-based systems and to bridge the world’s multiplicity of line/field and color standards, without sacrificing picture quality. The company provides switchers and keyers, standards conversion systems, networked infrastructure components, and products for noise reduction, image enhancement, and restoration. In business since 1973, Snell & Wilcox maintains its Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong and its European headquarters in Hampshire, United Kingdom. Additional offices are located in New York, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Russia. Visit www.snellwilcox.com for more information.

Snell & Wilcox, Engineering with Vision, Alchemist, Ph.C, Kudos, Magic Dave, IQ Modular, RollCall, RollTrack, Mosalina, and Kahuna are all trademarks of the Snell & Wilcox Group.

Snell & Wilcox Asia Pacific Headquarters Contact: Mark Parlett, Managing Director, Snell & Wilcox Asia Pacific Limited, Phone: 852-2356-1660, Fax: 852-2356-1603, or Email: mparlett@snellwilcox.com.hk

Asia Pacific Press Contact: Genevieve Hilton, Ketchum Newscan Public Relations Limited, Phone: 852-3141-8112, Fax: 852-2510-8199, or Email: Genevieve.Hilton@knprhk.com

International Press Contact: Karen David, Wall Street Communications Europe, Phone 44-1865-512662 or Email: karen@wallstreetcom.tv