Miranda Technologies announced that NBC Universal has now installed over 1000 XVP-811i up/down/cross converters to handle HD/SD signal processing for its control rooms, production facilities, routing infrastructures, and the transmission area at the NBC Rockefeller Center in New York.
The XVPs are used for over 150 television channels in the NBC Network, and the first programs benefiting from the interfaces were Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. More recently, the Miranda converters have been used for NBC's most complex live program, the 'Today Show', currently airing seven days per week. The XVPs ensure that the show's signals are consistently and instantly in the right format.
"Our operators no longer need to worry about how to convert material for their specific activities. If they're working in HD, SD signals will automatically be upconverted and translated to the required format. Likewise, if they're working in SD, the HD signals will be downconverted. In either case, the only action our operators need to perform is to dial the source on their router panel", explained Larry Thaler at NBC Universal.
The XVP-811i accepts HD or SD at its input, and provides continuous and simultaneous HD and SD outputs. The interface automatically detects the input format and performs the up-, down- and cross-conversion required to maintain a consistent output format on the HD and SD outputs.
Many of the features of Miranda's XVP-811i were developed around NBC's HD transition strategy, which has been based on building an HD-only facility that can connect to an existing SD routing infrastructure, and thereby avoid the complexity and expense that NBC previously experienced with building HD/SD hybrid facilities.
During the development process, the XVP-811i specification was expanded in collaboration with NBC to include automatic, frame-accurate aspect ratio conversion, controlled by embedded signals using Miranda's Active Format Description (AFD). Additional features included Audio Mix Down, to automate the transition from 5.1 surround sound to stereo, as well as audio metadata insertion, Closed-caption conversion between EIA 608 and 708, and deglitching to eliminate audio pops on input disruptions. The name dropper support function of the XVP, with translation between HD and SD, was specifically developed for the Today Show's time and temperature.
For more information about Miranda's XVP-811i up/down/cross converter, visit www.miranda.com.
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