Press Releases: Latest News

New Cliptrax Option for Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD Multiformat Switcher Offers Industry-First Audio Capability

Cliptrax Enables Storage of Audio in Switcher Stores to Facilitate Accurate, Simultaneous, and Simple Playout of Audio With Video Clips

--

HAMPSHIRE, U.K. - April 24, 2006 - Snell & Wilcox is giving switcher operators an easier way to air animated transitions with sound effects, using a new Kahuna SD/HD production switcher feature that allows one-button, simultaneous playout of audio and video clips during live production.

With the new Kahuna Cliptrax feature, Kahuna users now have the ability to store audio content within the switcher's stores so that transitional animations can be played out easily with accompanying audio content.

"Cliptrax represents a simple yet dramatic improvement to the way audio and video sources are switched," said Joe Zaller, vice president of marketing at Snell & Wilcox. "To our knowledge, no other switcher product offers this level of functionality, an industry first that surely will reduce the complexity of switching during challenging live productions."

Prior to the introduction of this functionality by Snell & Wilcox, the audio device or disk had to be triggered independently alongside the switcher's video output. Cliptrax eliminates the need for external audio hardware and significantly enhances the ease with which audio and video elements can be combined during playout.

The Cliptrax option will be demonstrated as part of the Kahuna suite at the Snell & Wilcox NAB2006 booth, SU156.

About the Kahuna SD/HD Production Switcher
Kahuna is the first production switcher on the market to enable simultaneous SD and HD operations on the same control surface and in the same mainframe. A proprietary Snell & Wilcox technology called FormatFusion allows operators to integrate any SD video into HD productions seamlessly or to output HD material as an SD feed, both without the need for upconversion or downconversion.

Kahuna operators can allocate mix/effects banks (M/Es) to either SD or HD sources, or mix the two together on a single M/E. This operational flexibility makes maximum use of all available M/Es by networking multiple control surfaces to different mainframes, allocating one mainframe to separate control panels, or operating in SD or HD as required. Its capabilities not only make Kahuna the most versatile production switcher available on the market, they also eliminate the expense of additional upconverters, graphics systems, and other peripheral equipment.

More information about Snell & Wilcox products is available online at www.snellwilcox.com.

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.

Americas Press Contact: Susan Warren, Wall Street Communications, Phone: +1 631 261 1013. Email: susan@wallstreetcom.tv.

EMEA Press Contact: Becky Smith, on behalf of Wall Street Communications, Phone: +44 1622 684 592. Email: becky@ella-beck.co.uk.

Snell & Wilcox, Putting Pictures to Work, Kahuna, Cliptrax, and FormatFusion are all trademarks of the Snell & Wilcox Group. All other trademarks mentioned herein are acknowledged as the property of their respective owners.