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TV Skyline Delivers the 2006 FIFA World Cup in HD With Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD Production Switcher

Kahuna Enables Smooth Integration of SD and HD Sources Into HD Broadcast for German Pay-TV Operator Premiere

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HAMPSHIRE, U.K. - June 15, 2006 - Germany's TV Skyline, a television production company and provider of innovative broadcast solutions to the European market, is using a Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production switcher to deliver HD coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup for pay-TV provider Premiere.

Installed in TV Skyline's state-of-the-art HD production truck, Ü5HD, the Kahuna switcher is being used to integrate sources from as many as 12 external HD services, six additional cameras from the truck, and a variety of other SD and HD sources in the production of both an SD and a 16:9 HD 1080i broadcast signal.

"From our point of view, the Kahuna is the only high-end mixer on the market that really offers multiformat possibilities," said Wolfgang Reeh, owner and managing director of TV Skyline. "The Kahuna is alone in allowing us to work with SD and HD signals in several formats and to integrate all these different signals and formats in one mixer, without the need for external downconversion. At the end of the day, no other production switcher can offer the same functionality provided by the Kahuna."

In multiformat SD/HD mode, Kahuna users can mix existing SD camera feeds, graphics, handheld shots, and archive footage directly into an HD production with no need to purchase expensive HD upgrades or extra HD upconversion equipment. A Snell & Wilcox technology called FormatFusion allows SD sources to be integrated seamlessly into HD productions, and vice versa, without the need for conversion.

Switcher operators in Ü5HD can allocate the Kahuna's mix/effects banks (M/Es) to output either in SD or HD and then mix any of the inputs, regardless of format, to produce a seamless HD or SD result. This operational flexibility extends Kahuna's ability to network multiple control surfaces to different mainframes, to allocate one mainframe to separate control panels, or to operate in SD or HD as required, making maximum use of all available M/Es.

TV Skyline's Kahuna system features 60 inputs and is equipped with four M/E banks, each with four-channel 3D DVE and a RAM recorder to enable high-quality slow motion playback. In addition to the main control interface, which is operated by the technical director, the system features a second smaller panel, equipped with two M/E banks and 24 signals per key bank for direct access by a second director.

More information about the Kahuna and other Snell & Wilcox products is available at www.snellwilcox.com.

TV Skyline has been an innovative service provider for film, television, and broadcasting since its launch in 1991. The Mainz, Germany-based company specializes in meeting the production challenges in television-related fields, and its offerings include professional studio and outdoor productions, as well as development of special camera and broadcast solutions through the company research and development department, located near the Technical University in Ilmenau. TV Skyline also partners with the university's Media Engineering Institute to continue bringing new advances to the broadcast market. More information about TV Skyline is available at www.tv-skyline.de.

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, post-production, 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 Europe, Phone: +44 (0) 1622 684592. Email: becky@ella-beck.co.uk.

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