YES Network Taps Snell & Wilcox for Multiformat Switcher

YES Network, a regional sports network that televises the New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets, has installed a Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD multiformat switcher at the heart of its newly upgraded HD studios.

The Kahuna is used in the YES Network studio within Ascent Media’s Stamford, Conn., 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. The YES Network began using its Kahuna at the start of the 2007 MLB season in April.

“We have a lot of legacy SD material and some SD content from out-of-town games that we need to integrate into our HD pre- and post-game shows, and the Kahuna’s internal conversion capability provides us with a very efficient means of working with both formats,” said Ed Delaney, vice president of operations at YES Network.

The Kahuna installed for the YES Network 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 it provides up to four twin-channel 3-D DVEs that work in source-based or bus-based modes, allowing both background and fill-and-key manipulation. Cliptrax simplifies airing of animated transitions with sound effects by enabling one-button control over simultaneous play-out of audio and video clips during live production.