A Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD multiformat switcher has been installed in newly upgraded HD studios at the YES Network, the regional home of the New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets. The Kahuna is used in the YES Network studio within Ascent Media’s Stamford, CT, facility to enable seamless mixing of SD archive material into HD production of pre-game and post-game shows, as well as other studio-based programs aired on the YES Network SD channel and on YES HD.
Programs are produced in HD and broadcast on the YES Network’s new HD channel, YES HD, while a downconverted version of network programming is delivered to the network’s SD channel.
Ed Delaney, vice president of operations at YES Network, said they use a lot of legacy SD material and some SD content from out-of-town games that needs to be integrated into their HD pre- and post-game shows. The internal conversion capability of the Kahuna provides an efficient means of working with both formats.
The YES Network’s Kahuna also features the Snell & Wilcox IMPAKT 3-D DVE and Cliptrax audio options. The IMPAKT option offers a range of effects and transition models, and up to four twin-channel 3-D DVEs that work in source-based or bus-based modes. This allows both background and fill-and-key manipulation. Cliptrax simplifies airing of animated transitions with sound effects by enabling one-button control over simultaneous playout of audio and video clips during live production.
The YES Network began using its Kahuna at the start of the 2007 MLB season in April and over the course of this season is using the switcher in production of programming for 129 regular season pre- and post-game shows wrapped around its Yankees telecasts. The YES Network is also using the Kahuna for its “Yankees Hot Stove” off-season original series, as well as during the NFL season for its “This Week In Football” series.
For more information, visit www.snellwilcox.com.
