Snell today announced that Russia's ANO Sports Broadcasting (Panorama) production company is building the company's Sirius routers and Kahuna multiformat production switchers into the platform that will provide TV, radio, Internet, and photographic coverage of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

"Snell has been developing relationships with a growing number of dealers across the Middle East, and we look forward to building on these and establishing future partnerships as we move into 2012," said Vanessa Ching, vice president channel marketing and communications (APME) for Snell. "As the region's largest show, CABSAT is a great opportunity for us to network with broadcast and cable organizations across the region, and the show is an ideal platform for us to demonstrate how uniquely flexible products like our Kahuna 360 and Vega can transform broadcast operations, both large and small."

"At Snell, we're committed to delivering solutions that solve our customers' most complex challenges in today's digital media and multi-screen operations," said Andy Giles, head of sales, Middle East and Africa, at Snell. "At CABSAT 2013, we'll show how our uniquely flexible solutions — such as ICE channel-in-a-box, Morpheus automation, and Kahuna 360 — can transform broadcast operations of all sizes. We'll also feature our high-performance and flexible routing solutions, including the Vega flexible asymmetric router and Sirius 800 range with Advanced Hybrid Processing."

Snell today announced that at the 2011 NAB Show, the company will showcase two new features for the Kahuna 360 production switcher platform that automate key processing, interfacing, and control tasks, thereby giving operators more time to focus on the creative side of production. The new Source Safe technology ensures that any Kahuna 360 input can be safely integrated into a production, and Galaxy Event List enables Kahuna 360 to drive third-party devices in performing a set series of routine production operations. Both features make their debut at Snell's NAB booth N1820.

At the 2012 NAB Show, Snell will unveil a new 4-RU version of its award-winning Vega™ routing platform. Allowing users to configure any signal port independently for fiber or coax (copper) connectivity, and enabling any port to be configured as either an input or output, Vega offers the industry's most flexible asymmetric routing solution, now within a 192-port design.

Snell today announced that it has enhanced systems across its line of award-winning motion compensated conversion products, introducing new features and capabilities that deliver the ultimate in quality visual results. For its industry-leading Alchemist Ph.C-HD standards converter, the company offers a new software release that extends format and metadata support and incorporates even more sophisticated audio and image processing tools. Snell has also upgraded its Mach HD by adding Dolby® E support and by enhancing the system's ability to handle content with fast-moving objects.

Snell today announced the creation of a new sales office in the Middle East and the appointment of Dipesh Makwana as technical sales manager. Based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Makwana will provide pre-sales support for the entire Snell product range to customers throughout the Middle East region. He will report directly to Naresh Subherwal, president, Asia Pacific and Middle East for Snell.

Snell today announced a further expansion of the company's IQ Modular 3G product range by launching a new video and audio processing platform and a new range of fiber-optic interfacing modules. Together, these additions to Snell's IQ modular infrastructure range enable organizations to maintain flexibility in addressing the evolving demands of multi-format and HD broadcasting.

Snell today announced the IBC 2013 debut of its Sirius 800 enterprise-class routing switchers with enhancements including guaranteed co-timing of multi-channel audio on all channels, single reference switching for all formats, numerous control-related updates, and a technology demonstration of a new audio and video fingerprinting solution. The Sirius 800 system on display will also feature frame synchronization on the units' Advanced Hybrid Processing (AHP) input and output cards, an option that enables synchronization, clean switching, and independent routing and processing of audio and video signals with no restrictions on signal formats, timing, or number of audio channels.

Snell, a leading innovator of broadcast technologies and services, has announced the introduction of an all new Kahuna switcher range. Kahuna 4800, Kahuna 6400 and Kahuna 9600 offer more fire-power and flexibility than ever before and with added 4K capabilities across the entire range.

Snell's Kahuna SD/HD multi-format production switcher, Pyxis router, and IQ Modular broadcast infrastructure modules are driving production for News Express TV, India's first all-HD news channel. With Snell partner Transs Technoconsultants providing technology and systems integration, News Express TV launched in 2012 with a 24-hour lineup of news and political reporting in the Hindi language.

Snell today announced the appointment of Amit Daftary as regional head for the company's operations in the Middle East and South Asia (MESA) region. In this role at Snell, Daftary will assume full responsibility for the company's regional teams and its growing business across India and the Middle East.

Snell today unveiled Kahuna 360, a revolutionary production switcher platform that breaks away from the tradition of fixed M/Es, fixed resources, and fixed formats while supporting 16 simultaneous broadcast productions in a single mainframe, an industry first. Engineered for the most demanding production requirements, Kahuna 360 boasts the ultimate switcher flexibility and scalability to give operators all the functionality they need to target a broader audience over a greater number of distribution platforms.

Snell today announced that Switzerland's RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse) and RSI (Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana) have installed Snell infrastructure to support migration of their master control and playout facilities to HD. The two broadcasters — owned by parent company SRG SSR idée suisse broadcasters — serve the French- and Italian-speaking populations in Switzerland. Snell delivered and commissioned IQ modular infrastructure and new Cygnus, Sirius, and Halo routers to the RTS facility in Geneva and the RSI facility in Lugano, in conjunction with systems integrator BFE of Mainz, Germany.

Snell announced that its Kahuna 360 video switcher is driving production for Sky Sport News HD, the first 24-hour sports news channel to serve viewers in Germany and Austria. The Kahuna 360 is driven by a studio automation solution from Mosart®, and it joins Inews, Avid® Interplay®, and Vizrt systems to provide a complete workflow for switching and playout of multi-format video and graphics sources to air.