Spain’s Uveauve Group Purchases Kahuna Switcher for New HD OB Van

Spain’s Uveauve group has integrated Snell & Wilcox’s Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production
switcher into its newest OB van to enable handling
of various SD and HD inputs and delivery of client broadcasts in SD or HD as
required. The Kahuna’s FormatFusion
technology yields seamless internal conversion of inputs, providing Uveauve
with a powerful solution for multiformat sports and live event production.

Uveauve’s new OB van, UM9, boasts a unique
combination of RF HD cameras and triax HD cameras, a mixed solution optimized
to overcome the physical and environmental demands of outdoor broadcasting. UM9
and the new Kahuna switcher will be used primarily for sports coverage,
including broadcast of snow sports, sailing, and other events for which the use
of both RF and triax cameras is essential.

“We chose to integrate the Kahuna into our OB
van because of its versatility in SD and HD production,” says Jorge
Rubirosa, UveTech’s director (UveTech is the engineering company of Uveauve
Group). “Our OB van takes an innovative
approach to using RF and triax HD cameras in live production and the Kahuna
provides everything we need to maintain flexibility in this environment. The
Snell & Wilcox switcher is also valuable in that its operation is very
familiar to television directors and technicians across this industry.”

The Uveauve group represents the evolution of the production company VAV. The
new group, based in Madrid,
includes not only production facilities, but also satellite and microwave
services, content and rights provision, and new media business with media asset
management services and digital platforms for delivery via mobile, Web, etc.

Uveauve provides a variety of services including indoor studio production of TV
movies, shows, and concerts for local broadcasters; outdoor production of
sports events for large networks; and coverage of entertainment and current
events. The company has eight OB vans of
different sizes and capabilities, incorporating from five SD to 24 HD cameras.
The company is planning to upgrade some of its existing SD trucks to HD with
the integration of additional Kahuna switchers.

“The Kahuna is easy to install and set up, and the Snell & Wilcox RollCall control panel provides a very
powerful tool for PC-based control and configuration,” Rubirosa says.
“The switcher’s intuitive operation makes training straightforward, and
the system’s ability to recall and recover configurations allows operators to
establish preferences for how they work on any given event.”