Argentina's PromTV and Barcelona-based systems integrator Unitecnic, both part of the Mediapro Group, have upgraded the PromTV studios and playout center with a full range of Snell products to enable the Argentinean launch of ESPN HD. Installed in PromTV's Buenos Aires facility are Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production switchers, Sirius and Cygnus routing, IQ Modular infrastructure, Alchemist Ph.C-HD and MachHD motion-compensated standards converters to support 100 percent tapeless HD production and broadcast of the HD sports channel.
Unitecnic managed the turnkey project, which upgraded the PromTV facility to support production and playout of U.S. sports programming for the Latin American market. Within a phased upgrade first addressing the shift to HD production and then establishing redundant playout of ESPN HD, Snell systems were installed in PromTV's two studios and in a new technical area comprising a racks room and two control rooms. Each studio features a Kahuna production switcher, one configured for SD operation and the other for HD. The format flexibility of Snell's Kahuna system ensures that PromTV can complete its full transition to HD operations according to its business plan and technical needs.
Within PromTV's central racks room, a 256 x 256 Sirius (expandable to 512 x 512) handles feed routing while three MachHD systems provide standards conversion of incoming HD and SD feeds as well as crossconversion of programming (NTSC/PAL) exchanged between Argentina and the United States and Europe. The new playout area features a Cygnus router equipped with a 72 x 96 configuration (expandable to 576 x 576) and an Alchemist Ph.C-HD TX60, which is used to convert programming from 720p50 to 720p60 prior to transmission. IQ Modular infrastructure equipment installed throughout the upgraded facility includes embedders, de-embedders, distribution amps and synchronizers.
