_wige SOLUTIONS drives the future with Kahuna posted: 07/12/2015
German event service provider relies on Snell switcher power for live production
_wige SOLUTIONS, a subsidiary of leading sports communication company _wige MEDIA, has been providing event technology services to German and international customers for over 30 years. Headquartered in Meuspath, just a stone's throw from the famous Nurburgring motor racing circuit, _wige SOLUTIONS added a brand new mobile unit to its fleet in spring 2015 to further expand its outside broadcast capabilities and deliver the 3G and 4K production that is increasingly becoming a requirement at high quality events and car launches; the bigger the event, the more demanding the switching requirements.
To meet this need, _wige SOLUTIONS chose a 4K-ready Snell Kahuna 9600 production switcher. The Kahuna 9600 is in fact the sixth Kahuna switcher that _wige SOLUTIONS has purchased from Snell for its wide range of event productions. In fact, we purchased our first Snell production switcher in 2005, and since then we have always returned to Snell for our switcher needs, says Thomas Schaefer, _wige SOLUTIONS Technical Director.
Flexibility and power
The Kahuna 9600 is available with up to 6M/Es, which can be repurposed to up to 24M/Es using Snell's Make ME technology. Because of the unique power of the Kahuna M/Es, which each support up to 12 key layers, _wige SOLUTIONS' choice of a 3M/E configuration meets all its current sophisticated needs and also provides headroom should expansion be required in future. _wige SOLUTIONS' Kahuna 9600 is currently configured with 48 inputs and 24 outputs.
Snell's unique FormatFusion3 technology, which supports any input or output combination of SD, 720p and 1080i HD, 1080p and 4K without the need for external converters, also played an important role in _wige SOLUTIONS' choice of the Kahuna 9600. The key reason for purchasing the Kahuna 9600 is that so many of the requests for proposals we now receive specify 3G-SDI, Schaefer explains.
Motoring ahead
Motorsports is one of our main businesses, explains Schaefer. Among the major events covered by umbrella brand / parent company _wige MEDIA as a versatile media provider are Formula One, the Nurburgring 24 Hour race and the Truck Grand Prix. And for the DTM (German Touring Car series), _wige MEDIA provides complete TV production services for every event, supported by the Kahuna-equipped production van VIPER_2. The car connection goes further still; _wige SOLUTIONS provides on-site production facilities for new car launch extravaganzas for companies such as Mercedes, BMW and Audi. _wige SOLUTIONS Kahuna 9600 has also provided coverage of the Detroit Motor Show, the International Motor Show in Geneva and concert events such as Rock in the Park.
Fast and versatile
When you're providing event services, you need to be very flexible and the Kahuna gives us the flexibility we need, Schaefer continues. FormatFusion3 plays a key role in delivering this flexibility. The Kahuna 9600 is our flagship. The particular advantage of the Kahuna is that it can handle all types of input and output signals thanks to FormatFusion. The whole conversion process is handled by the switcher - with relatively little delay. While the latency in certain competitor switchers is sometimes longer when effects are added, the Kahuna only has a delay of one frame between input and output, even when using effects. These are extraordinarily high requirements for a video switcher; when the public is sitting in front of a giant LED screen at an event and they can also physically see the person who is talking, it is very important to maintain synchronization and minimise the delay, says Schaefer.
Victory Ceremony: 24h Race at N rburgring
Driving technology
The events business is one of the biggest drivers of technology development, always pushing for the next breakthrough. We pride ourselves on always keeping one step ahead, says Schaefer. When providing services for sophisticated events such as automobile exhibitions, we always have to use the very best, state-of-the-art technology. When several 4K signals have to be combined on a giant screen at an event, we have to deliver it.
At motorsports events, a huge range of information is fed to the giant LED walls around the race track, Schaefer continues. The overlay graphics which display the lap times must be large so they can be read from anywhere. To achieve this, we take the feed showing the action on the track produced by our colleagues in Cologne and combine it with timings graphics we create on-site to keep the viewers in the stands informed.
Sharing the action on giant screens at Rock in the Park
4K all the way
For this year's Le Mans 24 Hour race, _wige SOLUTIONS delivered a giant monitor wall with eight 3G-SDI signal inputs. We operated a seamless video wall with two 4K images side-by-side; the monitors were arranged in two rows of four, and the video could be zoomed or shifted across all eight monitors, or large 16:9 pictures on two monitor pairs, or played out as a single HD signal across all eight monitors individually, Schaefer reports.
The key to success
The Kahuna 9600 is unique in the number of keys which may be assigned to each of the M/Es - thus it's possible to overlay eight layers on a picture with just one M/E - these could be tickers, clocks, graphics, windows etc. Giving us even more flexibility, the Kahuna 9600 can also repurpose the M/Es using Snell's Make M/E technology, so you could even generate 12 M/Es and distribute keys accordingly on each of the 12 M/Es in an extreme situation, Schaefer adds.
Close up camera on the action at Rock in the Park
Event requirements have also grown enormously over the years; in the past, the VIP hospitality area might have b
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
_wige SOLUTIONS drives the future with Kahuna posted: 07/12/2015 
