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Atlanta's WXIA-TV Streamlines HD Ingest and Playout With Snell & Wilcox MEMPHIS Encoder

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BURBANK, Calif. -- Nov. 8, 2006 -- Snell & Wilcox today announced that Gannett-owned NBC affiliate WXIA-TV in Atlanta, Ga., is using a Snell & Wilcox MEMPHIS encoder to ingest uncompressed HD content and enable file-based storage and flexible delivery of that content over its SD and HD broadcast channels. The MEMPHIS encoder serves as an easy-to-use platform for real-time processing of HD-SDI signals, which are output as ASI streams onto the facility's Omneon Spectrum media server system for storage and subsequent playout in the appropriate format for each channel.

"We selected the MEMPHIS encoder from Snell & Wilcox not only for its superior MPEG-2 processing technologies, but also because of the respect it has earned from other key vendors involved in our new HD-capable technical operations center," said Lenard Thomas, chief engineer at WXIA-TV. "The MEMPHIS is clearly the industry's product of choice for integration with HD server systems."

The MEMPHIS encoder incorporates two Emmy® Award-winning technologies to provide superior image quality at lower bit rates. Snell & Wilcox Ph.C phase correlation motion estimation technology and Prefix compression preprocessing together enable an unprecedented level of compression efficiency while also reducing noise and fine-tuning images to achieve an unusually sharp and crisp picture quality. Both the MEMPHIS and Omneon Spectrum systems support common SMPTE specifications, and their high level of interoperability enables WXIA-TV to maintain frame-accurate time codes, proper mapping of PCM and Dolby E to maintain audio phase, and full surround-sound capability.

WXIA-TV is feeding uncompressed HD signals into the MEMPHIS system, which creates a high-quality MPEG-2 signal and places it within an ASI transport stream. The ASI stream is then passed to the Omneon Spectrum, where the MPEG-2 material is de-multiplexed and stored as a file-based asset and when required by a playout schedule, the HD clip is retrieved from storage and decompressed to create an uncompressed HD signal. This HD clip is simultaneously downconverted to provide an SD feed for playout. The SD signal broadcast by WXIA-TV is devoted to NBC's Weather Plus, a digital weather channel, and the primary program stream is output via an analog channel and a digital channel that offers HD wherever possible.

"Every piece of Snell & Wilcox we've ever used has performed well, and the MEMPHIS has been no exception," added Thomas. "The support we received from Snell & Wilcox during the integration and installation was very impressive, and once the MEMPHIS encoder was configured, it operated smoothly, providing reliable day-to-day operation without the need for any adjustment. Our experience with Snell & Wilcox and the MEMPHIS system has been excellent."

WXIA, a member of the Gannett news and information company, serves a weekly audience of 1.6 million households in the Atlanta, Ga., area. From its founding in 1951, WXIA has provided its viewing audience with strong local, live programming. The station's 11 Alive news program is the winner of a record 13 Emmy® Awards in the most recent regional competition. More information about the NBC affiliate is available at www.11alive.com.

Snell & Wilcox designs and builds the worlds 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, mobile TV, 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. Further information is available at www.snellwilcox.com.

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

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