Major UK and German broadcasters and one of the largest Spanish-language networks completed coverage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup using Snell & Wilcox technology.
Backed by a support team from Snell & Wilcox, FIFA World Cup broadcasters used 10 Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production switchers, along with the company's Alchemist Ph.C standards converters and a variety of Snell & Wilcox distribution, processing, monitoring and control solutions.
Continuous technical support throughout the tournament was complemented by the availability of service spares at Snell & Wilcox's German offices in Wiesbaden/Frankfurt and in Munich.
During their production of the FIFA World Cup, broadcasters benefited from the Kahuna's ability to handle both SD and HD sources transparently and relied on the system's integrated conversion processes to drive HD and SD versions of their productions.
For the BBC's coverage of the tournament from studios and facilities in Munich and Berlin, the broadcaster used Kahuna systems installed at both sites to work with both SD and HD sources in the same mainframe, integrate them seamlessly into production, and supply transmission feeds simultaneously in both formats.
Spanish-language broadcaster Televisa relied on the Kahuna's ability to integrate SD and HD sources seamlessly into productions without needing external up- or down-converters to use of existing SD equipment and newer HD technology to deliver broadcasts to viewers across Mexico on the country's first two HD channels.
See Snell & Wilcox at IBC2006 stand 8.271 and M242, or visit: www.snellwilcox.com.