Betanews purchases second Snell & Wilcox kahuna multiformat production switcher

Italy’s Betanews has purchased its second Snell & Wilcox SD/HD Kahuna production switcher to upgrade one of the existing SD outside broadcast vehicles in its fleet to full HD operation.
Following the successful installation of a 4-M/E SD/HD Kahuna in Betanews new flagship OB vehicle, Esterna 10, this incremental upgrade provides a compelling example of how Kahuna is helping broadcast users transition to HD in a controlled, cost-effective manner.
“We have been very happy with the performance of the Kahuna unit installed in our Esterna 10 vehicle, and we chose Kahuna again because there simply were no other competitors that could offer the same functionality in a single box,” said Umberto Chiariello, managing director of Betanews.
Betanews new Kahuna multiformat production switcher, supplied through systems integrator and Snell & Wilcox distributor Video Progetti S.r.l., features two mix/effects (M/E) banks. The switcher's compact 11-RU mainframe is the smallest ever for a system with the Kahuna?s capabilities. In addition to low weight, power consumption, and heat generation, all of which are key issues for space- and weight-constrained OB vehicles, the Kahuna features simultaneous HD and SD output capabilities from the same mainframe and control panel.
As the Betanews OB van is transitioned to HD operations, Kahuna eliminates the need to invest in a complete HD overhaul or purchase channels of external upconversion to integrate sources from legacy SD equipment into HD productions.
With Kahuna, seamless integration of both SD and HD camera feeds, graphics, handheld shots, and archive footage directly into an HD production is possible without the purchase of expensive HD upgrades or extra HD upconversion equipment.
Operators can work initially in SD-only or HD-only mode, and then upgrade to multiformat SD/HD operation whenever they choose.
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