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Snell & Wilcox Extends Industry-Leading Standards Conversion Range with Launch of Six New Products

Compact and Powerful New Standards Converters Boast New Audio and DV Interfaces

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HAMPSHIRE, U.K. -- Feb. 8, 2006 -- Snell & Wilcox announced today that it is expanding its world-leading standards conversion product portfolio with the launch of six new compact converters. Branded as part of the company's Kudos Plus range, the new converters offer a range of options including comprehensive audio handling and DV interfaces.

Small enough for a fly-away pack or a crowded desktop, these new ½-RU Kudos Plus products perform signal stabilization and standards conversion on nearly any type of video for applications ranging from backhaul monitoring and remote newsgathering to dubbing and duplication.

Each of the new entries in the go-anywhere CVR standards converter + synchronizer family is equipped to handle embedded audio while giving users a choice of three external audio I/O options -- professional balanced analog, balanced AES, or unbalanced AES. Three of the new products additionally include a FireWire® interface for DV input or output. All six feature composite, SDI, and Y/C video inputs and outputs.

The new products are ideal for use in teleport and lines-in applications where a wide range of video and audio signals must be converted. For example, the CVR600AD standards converter with an analog audio interface can be used to provide a stable SDI NTSC (525-line) output with embedded audio from a composite PAL (625-line) with analog audio input. The DV interface provided in three of the new units makes them the ideal companion in a desktop environment where a broadcast-quality standards converter is required, since now conversion can take place without slowing down any other processing.

"The Kudos Plus range offers a compact but powerful solution with exceptional performance, whether it's being used in a studio environment for broadcast, a mobile truck to convert satellite feeds in the field, or a facility to ensure maximum quality in duplicating or digitizing tape-based analog material," said Joe Zaller, vice president of marketing at Snell & Wilcox.

The feature set of the new range is complemented by the addition of noise reduction and enhancement to effectively handle a wide range of sources. These new standards converters are also provided with a range of preset aspect ratio conversions and can be used as a space-saving, standalone solution for aspect ratio conversion applications.

More information about Snell & Wilcox's complete product line can be found at www.snellwilcox.com or at the company's NAB2006 booth, SU156.

Snell & Wilcox designs and builds the world's most advanced systems for video playout, mastering, repurposing, infrastructure, and live production switching. Providing solutions that deliver immediate value while enabling a controlled and cost-effective transition to HD and file-based systems, the company serves a worldwide base of customers in the broadcast, postproduction, cable, satellite, and IPTV markets. In business since 1973, Snell & Wilcox maintains its U.S. headquarters in Burbank, Calif., and European headquarters in Hampshire, U.K. 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, and Kudos are all trademarks of the Snell & Wilcox Group.