Poland’s TVN24 adds Kahuna 360 vision mixers to studio operations

Poland’s TVN24 has upgraded its news studio video switcher systems with the installation of two Kahuna 360 multi-format SD/HD vision mixers. Supplied by systems integrator Studiotech Poland, the Snell systems have replaced existing systems to bring the broadcaster greater flexibility and versatility in handling SD and HD content.

“Snell’s Kahuna is the only mixer that does not have any restrictions in handling multiple formats,” says Jarosław Kielmel, technical director at TVN24. “With our Kahuna 360 systems, we enjoy endless freedom in multi-format operations, and this is particularly important in our current migration from SD to HD. Switching the channel to HD is as simple as changing the Kahuna output format. The only criterion we must apply is that of signal quality, which the Kahuna’s high-quality upconversion capability addresses easily.”

TVN24 conducted a shoot-out comparing mixers from three vendors and selected the Kahuna for its format flexibility. The broadcaster’s news production operations receive both HD and SD inputs, and the Kahuna systems readily accept either format, thus eliminating the need to reconfigure inputs and outputs to accommodate different formats. The mixer automatically detects the format of the input signal and uses its exclusive FormatFusion3 technology, which supports a mix of SD, HD, 1080p, and now 4K, to provide the output required by TVN24.

In addition to supporting any format in and any format out, Kahuna 360 also features unique Make M/E technology, which makes it easy for the operator to leverage available mixer power and create a tailor-made mix effect (M/E), delivering unmatched flexibility when sharing mainframe resources with multiple consoles. Kahuna 360 offers up to six full M/Es, seven keyers per M/E, 120 HD/SD inputs, 64 HD/SD outputs, and a clip-store with 40 minutes SD or eight minutes HD. The mixer also supports up to 16 simultaneous broadcast productions from a single mainframe.

“TVN24 is among a growing number of broadcasters electing to replace their less-capable mixers with more sophisticated yet cost-effective solutions that facilitate transparent multi-format operations while supporting the migration to HD formats,” says Stefan Geradts, Snell sales director, Central and Eastern Europe. “Kahuna 360 is proving to be the perfect fit for these operations.”