SIS LIVE Delivers a Win at the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010 with 5 Snell Kahunas

"The contributions and support of the Snell team, as well as the versatility of the company's products, were critical to the success of our HD broadcasts," said SIS LIVE's Jim Ramsey, coordinating producer, features, for the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010. "The results of Snell's endeavours were clear in the faultless performance of the Kahuna systems throughout the games and in the high quality of the on-screen result."

Snell Sirius and Pyxis routers were installed for the 2010 games along with two Kahuna systems at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC). Another three Kahuna systems were installed in the wrestling, shooting, and lawn bowls venues, each of which featured two galleries. In these venues, each Kahuna system was equipped with an additional control panel so that it could effectively operate as two 2-ME units — with one 2-ME unit serving each gallery. Delivered by ZOOM Communications, Southeast Asia's largest broadcast services company, all five Kahuna systems were configured and supported by Snell engineers to give freelance operators all the moves and transitions they needed with simple single-button presses.

"Live sports production is challenging in itself, and it becomes even more difficult in the context of an event like the Commonwealth Games with live competition occurring in multiple locations," said John Carter, product manager, production switchers at Snell. "In this type of environment, the Kahuna provided SIS LIVE with flexibility, reliability, and switching performance that helped the company to deliver world-class television production and broadcast services."

About Kahuna

Kahuna from Snell is the world's first and only true multi-format SD/HD production switcher. Thanks to a Snell technology called FormatFusion, Kahuna enables simultaneous SD and HD operations in the same mainframe and on the same control panel. This vastly simplifies the HDTV transition for broadcasters by eliminating the need for external HDTV up/down/crossconverters in the live production environment, as well as the cost and the signal path delay associated with these products. Kahuna has the smallest mainframe, lowest weight, and lowest power consumption when compared with other large switchers, and it has been integrated with dozens of third-party products including routers, servers, automation systems, and controllers. The Kahuna also supports 3D production, allowing users to incorporate 3D feeds into the production mix effortlessly.

About Snell

Snell is a leading innovator in digital media technology and provides broadcasters and global media companies with a comprehensive range of solutions to create, better manage, and streamline the distribution of content for today's multi-screen world. Snell provides the tools necessary to transition seamlessly and cost-effectively to HDTV, stereoscopic 3D, and 3Gbps operations. Headquartered in the U.K., Snell serves more than 2,000 broadcasters, post facilities, and global media companies in more than 100 countries through its worldwide team of sales and support personnel.