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YES Network Hits HD Home Run With Kahuna SD/HD Multiformat Production Switcher

Snell & Wilcox Kahuna Enables Seamless, Efficient Integration of SD Content Into HD Sports Programs for New YES HD Channel

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BURBANK, Calif. -- Sept. 25, 2007 -- Snell & Wilcox today announced that its Kahuna SD/HD multiformat switcher has been installed at the heart of newly upgraded HD studios at the YES Network, the most-watched regional sports network in the nation the past four years, which televises the New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets. The Kahuna is used in the YES Network studio within Ascent Media's Stamford, Conn., facility to enable seamless mixing of SD archive material into HD production of pre-game and post-game shows, as well as other studio-based programs aired on the YES Network SD channel and on YES HD.

"We have a lot of legacy SD material and some SD content from out-of-town games that we need to integrate into our HD pre- and post-game shows, and the Kahuna's internal conversion capability provides us with a very efficient means of working with both formats," said Ed Delaney, vice president of operations at YES Network.

The Kahuna installed for the YES Network also features the Snell & Wilcox IMPAKT 3-D DVE and Cliptrax audio options. The IMPAKT option offers a broad range of effects and transition models, and it provides up to four twin-channel 3-D DVEs that work in source-based or bus-based modes, allowing both background and fill-and-key manipulation. Cliptrax simplifies airing of animated transitions with sound effects by enabling one-button control over simultaneous playout of audio and video clips during live production.

The YES Network began using its Kahuna at the start of the 2007 MLB season in April and over the course of this season is using the switcher in production of programming for 129 regular season pre- and post-game shows wrapped around its Yankees telecasts. The YES Network is also using the Kahuna for its "Yankees Hot Stove" off-season original series and, during the NFL season, it's "This Week In Football" series. Programs are produced in HD and broadcast on the YES Network's new HD channel, YES HD, while a downconverted version of network programming is delivered to YES' SD channel.

"Viewers expect a great deal of HD sports programming, and the Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production switcher offers the tools broadcasters require to deliver high-impact television shows," said Joe Zaller, vice president of strategic marketing at Snell & Wilcox. "Using the Kahuna, the YES Network has been able to make the most of SD archives, even with the network's shift to picture-perfect HD broadcasts, and maximize the impact of visual and sound effects used to tie elements of the show together."

More information about the Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production switcher and other products from Snell & Wilcox is available online at www.snellwilcox.com.

The YES Network, the most-watched regional sports network in the country the past four years, features exclusive telecasts of the 26-time World Champion New York Yankees and the New Jersey Nets. The network is available in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania on cable and on the new television services provided by telephone companies, and is also available nationally on DirecTV. In addition to the Yankees and Nets, YES televises other pro and college games, as well as Emmy® Award-winning biography, interview, and magazine programs. The network also presents a live daily simulcast of WFAN's Mike and the Mad Dog show. Further YES Network information can be found at www.yesnetwork.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@wallstcom.com.

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