Hong Kong’s TVB Taps SAM Kahuna Switcher, IQ Modular Infrastructure for First UHD Truck

Hong Kong’s largest broadcaster, Television Broadcasts (TVB), has invested in Snell Advanced Media’s (SAM) flagship Kahuna multi-format live production switcher and IQ Modular infrastructure for its first UHD outside broadcast vehicle. The unit replaces an old SD truck and will be used to support a mix of HD and UHD broadcasts, in particular the coverage of international events.

SAM’s Kahuna switcher and IQ Modular infrastructure allows TVB to support complex productions – be it HD or UHD. The switcher can handle any combination of SD, HD, 1080p, 4K, IP and HDR  thanks to SAM’s FormatFusion3 and recently introduced FormatFusion4 technology, eliminating the need for external conversion, saving time with setup.

Television Broadcasts’ first UHD OB vehicle 

TVB began the planning and design phase for its new UHD truck in 2013 to meet the future demand for UHD/4K production. It was critical that any UHD productions were made to the same high standard as its HD content offering; the new truck had to deliver the same reliability and  as its existing HD OB vehicles.

The biggest challenge was the lack of all the necessary UHD equipment available on the market at the time. TVB decided to build the truck first then re-evaluate the available UHD products at a later stage. In 2016, following a call for proposals, TVB selected SAM’s Kahuna 9600 UHD/4K production switcher, SAM’s IQ Modular infrastructure alongside UHD 4K HDR cameras from Ikegami and lenses from Fujinon. All the systems were delivered by late 2016 with the truck going live in April 2017.

The production area inside Television Broadcasts’ new UHD OB vehicle

“We chose SAM not only for the power and functionality of the products, but for their dedication in working closely with us to deliver solutions that best fit our requirements,”says Mr.B.L Cheung, Supervising Engineer at TVB. The SAM team also demonstrated impressive skills, technical know-how and unbeatable pre- and post -sales support, which was critical in such a tight turnaround project.”

“We are very proud to have delivered our Kahuna and IQ Modular systems for TVB’s first UHD truck.” says Felix Sheh, General Manager of SAM (Hong Kong). “They were very focused on selecting the best solutions on the market for this project, and that is testament to SAM’s dedication to delivering an unbeatable combination of power and functionality, while helping customers to manage their costs.”

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