By Staff, December 3, 2005
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.
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 Ukon provides upconversion, downconversion, and crossconversion, either singly or in any combination
. Designed to handle different frame rates, image sizes, and aspect ratios, the system includes features such as tilt, pan and zoom, timecode conversion with precise frame mapping, comprehensive audio handling, and 3:2 cadence detection and repair. Unlike any other format conversion system, Ukon executes all these functions at the same time, in a single pass. Frequently used conversions can be programmed for reuse at the touch of a button.
The ProSiebenSat.1 Group is upconverting both of its largest free-TV channels, Sat.1 and ProSieben, broadcasting the two networks in high-resolution HDTV in a 16:9 wide-screen format parallel to the network’s standard definition broadcast. The new format has been on the air since Oct. 26, 2005.
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