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BSkyB Purchases Seven MEMPHIS Encoders to Master Content for New HD Services

First HDTV Services in U.K. to Rely on Advanced MEMPHIS Encoding to Enable Highest Possible HDTV Picture Quality

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HAMPSHIRE, U.K. - June 22, 2006 - To ensure the best possible high definition viewing experience for its subscribers, BSkyB - operator of the UK's largest digital television platform - has purchased seven Snell & Wilcox MEMPHIS encoders to master content for its new HD services.

BSkyB will use the MEMPHIS systems to create high quality HD Long GOP MPEG-2 streams which will then be stored on Omneon Spectrum servers, with which MEMPHIS has been fully integrated. The Omneon servers will then playout HD content in SD, HD (720p or 1080i) or both. The integration of MEMPHIS encoders and Spectrum servers gives BSkyB flexible interoperability for both playout and archiving applications.

"Quality of image is critical to the success of any HD service, and we conducted extensive testing in selecting systems for our HDTV infrastructure," said Chris Johns, director of technology at Sky. "Thanks to Snell & Wilcox Ph.C motion estimation technology the MEMPHIS encoder provides the superior picture quality we require for MPEG mastering, and the system's flexible interfacing and easy expansion options will help us maintain the status of digital satellite services as the home of the highest-quality viewing experience."

BSkyB's premium services are launching now with a set of dedicated HDTV channels featuring sports, movies, entertainment and factual programming - plus access to select events produced in HDTV.

"BSkyB's HDTV launch is among the most significant events in the advancement of the European broadcast industry, and we're pleased that our MEMPHIS encoder has been chosen to support the network's transition to HD broadcasting," said Joe Zaller, vice president of marketing at Snell & Wilcox. "The BSkyB HDTV service is a significant expansion and improvement to the network's channel offering and the launch will be examined closely by consumers and industry professionals alike."

MEMPHIS is an SD and HD MPEG-2 encoder that combines two Emmy® Award winning technologies from Snell & Wilcox -- PREFIX compression pre-processing and Ph.C, the industry's most powerful and accurate motion estimation technology -- to deliver superior results at a given bitrate when compared to any competing system available today.

The Snell & Wilcox MEMPHIS encoder accepts SD and HD 1080/720 format inputs, as well as uncompressed PCM, MP1L2, Dolby E and AC-3 audio. It has been installed by a wide variety of leading broadcast customers and integrated with a wide range of automation systems and playout servers.

British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB) reaches more than 17 million viewers in seven million households, which enjoy an unprecedented choice of movies, news, entertainment and sports channels and interactive services on Sky digital, the U.K.'s first and most popular digital television platform.

In addition to offering almost 400 channels, Sky digital, which launched in October 1998, offers a range of innovative interactive services that allow viewers to send emails, shop on screen, play games, select their own camera angles, vote, place bets, and manage their finances - all via TV. BskyB's own channels, such as Sky News and Sky Sports, are available in a further 5.4 million cable and digital terrestrial homes in the U.K. and Ireland. Visit www.sky.com for more information.

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.

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, MEMPHIS, PREFIX and Ph.C are trademarks of the Snell & Wilcox Group. All other trademarks mentioned herein are acknowledged as the property of their respective owners.