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First Baptist Church of Spartanburg Builds New HD Workflows on Snell's Kahuna SD/HD Multiformat Production Switcher
Kahuna Switcher Enables Simple, Simultaneous Creation of HD Feeds for On-Air Broadcast and Internal Video Distribution
READING, U.K. — June 24, 2009 — Snell today announced that First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, S.C., is using the Kahuna SD/HD multiformat production switcher to support flexible live HD production for on-air broadcasts and in-house image magnification (IMAG) as well as video distribution during worship services. First Baptist Church has been televising Sunday morning services via its local CBS affiliate for more than 50 years. Sitting at the heart of the new HD production facility, the Snell Kahuna facilitates the church's continued leadership in the realm of religious broadcast and production, simplifying simultaneous creation of HD programming for air and for video distribution.
"Going all the way to HD from analog was not an easy decision; we needed to be certain that our investment would represent good stewardship of the congregation's resources," said Britt Dillard, minister of media at First Baptist Church. "We strive for excellence without extravagance, and the Kahuna's internal conversion capability and ability to support multiple simultaneous productions on a single main frame have helped us to meet this standard."
First Baptist Church uses the Kahuna production switcher to control inputs from a broadcast server and seven cameras, generating separate SD and HD outputs for live broadcast, IMAG to large screens in the sanctuary, a 16:9 letterbox format for the in-house video distribution system, and a feed to the Contemporary Worship site across the street in The Hangar venue. Volunteer technical directors work with two separate control panels to create the on-air program and in-house video through the single switcher system.
The Kahuna's internal conversion capabilities bring a high degree of flexibility to the workflow while minimizing external processing requirements and potential points of failure. Smooth interoperability of the Kahuna with other systems allows the church to continue leveraging legacy analog equipment while taking full advantage of its new digital systems. Through integration of the Kahuna with a server system, operators can use the switcher interface to roll opens, welcome messages, closes, and other clips.
"The Kahuna switcher has met and exceeded our expectations," added Dillard. "We work with a sizeable volunteer staff, and the Kahuna's operation has proven to be very intuitive for us. Our staff finds the control surface easy to use and appreciates the convenience of using the Kahuna interface to drive the server for playback. It took our technical directors a very short time to get comfortable with the switcher, and Snell provided invaluable assistance in helping us to establish a workflow that met our needs."
TI Broadcast Solutions Group managed the HD upgrade at First Baptist Church and supplied the church with its new Snell Kahuna production switcher.
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