Germany's first free-to-air HD broadcaster selects Snell & Wilcox

Germany's first free-to-air HD broadcaster, ProSiebenSat.1 Group, is now using Snell & Wilcox Ukon to enable integration of SD archives and content into HD programming, and joins some of the country's most cutting-edge broadcasters and post facilities who rely on Ukon for their conversion requirements.
Ukon simplifies the transition to HD by providing a universal conversion platform that performs format, standard, aspect-ratio, and frame-rate conversions all in a single pass. Among the other users in Germany relying on Ukon to support an efficient and orderly transition to HD are Plazamedia, APS Astra, Arri Film & TV Services, Medien Zentrum Tonndorf, Digital Images, PVT Produktion, Institut für Rundfunktechnik, and Montreux Sounds.
"The Snell & Wilcox Ukon provides valuable conversion tools that allowed us to launch our HDTV operations and moved German television into the future with high-quality broadcasts as part of regular HDTV operation," said Dr. Martin Emele, Head of Technologies of ProSiebenSat.1 Produktion. "The ProSiebenSat.1 Group was the first German TV corporation to air individual HDTV broadcasts, and the Ukon will be key to our continuous HDTV broadcasts, as it enables simple upconversion of program segments that were either not produced or not available in native HTDV format."
(GB)