United Kingdom – China Central Television (CCTV) has installed Snell’s Kahuna SD/HD multi-format switchers in its HD production studios at its new headquarters in Beijing. Snell’s regional partner CSS will be providing the system’s integration and installation for the project.

CCTV’s new building houses the E01, E02, E04, E05, E11, E12, E13, E14, E15, and E17 studios – the programming heart of the facility responsible for HD production of a variety of programs. Upon completion, the CCTV building will have a broadcasting capability of 200 program channels.

E01, the largest studio in the building, features a 4-M/E Kahuna switcher with at least 48 input sources, four keyers per M/E, and 24 AUX bus outputs with an addition of 1-M/E control panel, which provides secondary production capabilities for E01. Studio E02 has a similar configuration with a 3-M/E Kahuna switcher, while the E14, E15, and E17 studios – dedicated to for live sports productions – have 2-M/E Kahuna switchers. 

David Tasker, Senior Vice President, Technical Services, Snell Asia, said: “It is fitting that Snell Kahuna switchers have been chosen as essential live HD production components in one of the world’s most high-profile and ambitious new broadcasting facilities.”