Press Releases: Latest News

The EBU Purchases 10 Alchemist Ph.C Standard Converters for Transparent International Program Exchange

Alchemist Ph.C Systems Installed at the EBU's Washington, D.C. and Geneva Sites Deliver Transparent Conversion of High-Value Sports Content

--

HAMPSHIRE, U.K. -- Dec. 14, 2006 -- Eurovision, the operational body of the European Broadcast Union (EBU) and the world's largest television contribution network, has installed 10 Snell & Wilcox Alchemist Ph.C motion-compensated standards converters at its Washington, D.C. and Geneva sites for conversion of its transmissions to and from U.S. and European broadcast standards. The Alchemist Ph.C systems installed at both sites provide the superior motion-compensated conversion performance needed for fast-moving, high-quality content such as sporting events.

Eurovision transmits 15,000 hours of sport and cultural events per year with 70 satellite gateways worldwide, more than 1,700 digital decoders and 400 encoders in operation, and more than 300 television stations equipped with direct reception. The 10 new Alchemist Ph.C converters are split between Eurovision's main U.S. and Europe facilities, where they are linked directly to the transmission site. This enables Eurovision to deliver simultaneous standards conversion in both locations.

"Eurovision has one of the world's most extensive television transmission networks, and the company handles a vast volume of sports content," said Joe Zaller, vice president of marketing at Snell & Wilcox. "The fast-moving images typical of sports content can be extremely challenging for standards converters, but the Alchemist Ph.C enables Eurovision to transmit this material at the best possible quality. It offers exceptional conversion capability and mission-critical reliability for 24-hour operations."

The Eurovision network offers permanent coverage from Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Asia Pacific region, as well as specialized, ad hoc coverage of events in Africa and the Pacific Rim. Its recent special-events coverage includes the 2006 FIFA World Cup; Pope Benedict XVI's recent visit to Turkey; the World Youth Days in Köln, Germany; and the G8 Summit held July 15-17 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Because of its worldwide reach, many of Asia's major broadcasters -- such as CCTV in China, NHK in Japan, and Hong Kong Cable -- also use the EBU to receive high-quality sports transmissions, as well as news reports from their foreign correspondents.

A long-time Snell & Wilcox customer, Eurovision already has a large number of Snell & Wilcox standards converters. These have been used for the international distribution of many high-profile sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Cup, as well as for the international distribution of news content.

About Alchemist Ph.C
Snell & Wilcox's Alchemist Ph.C uses phase correlation-based motion compensation to deliver the world's finest-quality video standards conversion. Producing clear and crisp outputs from the widest range of video input material, the Alchemist Ph.C's highly integrated design offers both analog composite and digital video I/Os. It accepts and outputs 525/625-line serial digital video (SDI) with embedded audio, as well as all composite analog standards, which are processed by an advanced 12-bit video decoder featuring patented Snell & Wilcox "Golden Gate" technology. Recognized as the industry benchmark for quality motion measurement and used by the majority of the world's major broadcasters and postproduction facilities, Alchemist Ph.C has been the industry standard for quality since the first-generation product was introduced in 1992.

More information about the Alchemist Ph.C and other Snell & Wilcox products is available 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, 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, Alchemist Ph.C, and Golden Gate are trademarks of the Snell & Wilcox Group. All other trademarks mentioned herein are acknowledged as property of their respective owners.