Telecinco Taps Snell Gear for FIFA Confederations Cup Coverage

Spanish broadcaster Telecinco used Snell’s Kahuna standard-definition/HD multiformat production switcher in conjunction with its IQ Modular IQARC00 conversion and signaling module to deliver coverage of the FIFA Confederations Cup soccer tournament in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios.

Telecinco decided to air the matches over both its PAL analog channel and its digital terrestrial channel, so it needed a way to convert the stream to 4:3 for the analog broadcast. The broadcaster said Snell’s Kahuna allowed it to produce the two simultaneous broadcast streams without having to purchase external conversion equipment, and its IQARC00 module handled the aspect ratio conversion from 16:9 to 4:3 for the analog channel and integrated with the station’s automation system to ensure that the format conversion was frame-accurate.