WBFF, the flagship station of the Sinclair Broadcast Group in Baltimore, is using the Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production switcher as the centerpiece of its new HD production control room.
With its internal conversion capability, the production switcher has enabled the newsroom to make a cost-effective transition to HD news production.
The switcher has helped the station maintain its efficiency in HD by delivering “format flexibility without the complexity of external conversion systems,” said Mark Nadeau, senior director of the Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Kahuna's FormatFusion technology has made it easy for WBFF to incorporate its SD content into HD newscasts, simplifying production of broadcasts that leverage archival and field-captured SD content, along with shots from a new HD satellite truck, new HD graphics and images from five HD studio cameras.
The station’s new HD set includes DMX addressable lighting, a 143in rear-projection screen and a rotating anchor desk that allows the production team to showcase its new weather center.
Sinclair Broadcast Group took Columbus, OH-based WSYX’s newscasts to air in HD earlier this year using the same Kahuna-based HD production model. Sinclair stations WLOS in Asheville, NC, and WEAR in Pensacola, FL, are scheduled to launch their HD newscasts in August.
For more information, visit www.snellwilcox.com.
