NBC Universal has installed more than 1000 XVP-811i up/down/cross converters from Miranda Technologies 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 City.
The XVPs are used for more than 150 television channels in the NBC Network, including programs "Saturday Night Live" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," and the "Today" show. 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.
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. The namedropper support function of the XVP, with translation between HD and SD, was specifically developed for the "Today" show's time and temperature, according to Miranda.
"Our operators no longer need to worry about how to convert material for their specific activities," said Larry Thaler vice president, production and on-air technology for NBC Universal. "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."
