News

Snell & Wilcox Announces Launch of IMPAKT 3D DVE Option for Kahuna SD/HD Production Switcher (26/1/2006)

Up to Eight Channels of IMPAKT DVE Integrate Directly into Kahuna's Control Surface, Bringing

Unrivalled Power and Flexibility to Operators

Pre-Made Transition Models Minimize Operator Setup Time, Enhance Flexibility and Control

Snell & Wilcox has significantly enhanced the capabilities of the industry's most advanced production switcher, the multiformat SD/HD Kahuna, with the launch of Kahuna IMPAKT, a powerful, easy-to-use suite of 3D digital video effects (DVEs).

With IMPAKT, Kahuna now offers up to four twin-channel 3D DVEs that users can apply in either SD, HD, or both, and which work in source-based or bus-based modes, allowing both background and fill-and-key manipulation. Kahuna IMPAKT provides a variety of powerful effects including spheres, slabs, zooms, warps, tiling, ripples, rolls and peels, fragmentation, lighting effects, and corner pinning. All these options are housed in the Kahuna's compact, 11-RU mainframe and require no additional connections or extra rack space.

Kahuna's flexible, networked architecture gives users the option of controlling its DVEs directly from the main Kahuna control surface or from a separate 1-M/E Kahuna control panel for productions requiring a separate DVE operator. Kahuna's DVEs can also be timelined, allowing for full key-frameable control, easy editing and pausing, and play/store recalls.

"With the new Kahuna IMPAKT DVE option, we’ve combined eight channels of powerful 3D DVE with straightforward operational logic, time-saving pre-made effects, and the flexibility of a system that can be transparently integrated into the main Kahuna control surface or run from an external panel," said Joe Zaller, vice president of marketing at Snell & Wilcox. "Kahuna IMPAKT DVEs give TDs complete control over the desired effects and the power to apply them in SD, HD, or both modes simultaneously. This ensures that Kahuna operators can easily achieve the high production values that clients demand without having to utilize a dedicated outboard DVE unit."

To minimize setup time, Kahuna IMPAKT comes with ready-made models that allow operators to quickly and easily create compelling, dynamic transitions. These pre-packaged options include all of the following:

Two-tile and four-tile model, with four or eight visible surfaces for multiple box effects
Slab model with three visible surfaces for cubes
Fragment model that slices the image and flies the slices of the screen
Push and squeeze model for transitions in which the top surface slides away or is squashed to the edge of the frame to reveal a new source below.

Each pre-made model is equipped with a series of parameterized settings that enable the operator to customize its appearance. A wide variety of additional effects can be applied to all models. These include border and crop, defocus, lighting and shade, color effects, and keyer. Integrated intelligent synchronization eliminates the need for external video/control interconnections or for guesswork related to timing.

www.snellwilcox.com

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