KMBC/KCWE, the Hearst-Argyle Television station in Kansas City, MO, has deployed a UTAH-400 routing switcher from Utah Scientific at the core of a new 51,000sq ft facility. With the new facility, KMBC/KCWE becomes the first HD news station in the No. 31 media market in the United States.
KMBC is an ABC affiliate, and KCWE is part of the CW Network. The two broadcast four channels, including 3.5 hours of KMBC's locally produced news in HD each day as well as quick-casts for the Web site. Additionally, plans call for the launch of a 24-hour weather channel.
Besides the HD 288-frame UTAH-400 router with Utah Scientific's SC-4 control system, KMBC/KCWE has deployed three Utah MCP-400 master control panels.
The Kansas City broadcaster specifically wanted a panel that would enable an operator to bypass master control automation in the event of breaking news, traffic or weather with the push of a single button. As a result, Utah engineers have increased the flexibility of the panel by incorporating the feature into the MCP-400.
The UTAH-400 digital routing switcher family includes HD and SD digital video switchers and AES/EBU digital audio switchers in all matrix sizes. The UTAH-400 is specifically designed to address the growing requirement for large switching systems. The UTAH-400 is based on a new matrix architecture that greatly reduces the complexity of large systems, resulting in considerable improvements in rack space and power requirements as well as yielding significant cost reductions.
For more information, visit www.utahscientific.com.
