MUMBAI: India TV has ordered five Kahuna HD/SD multi-format production switchers, made by digital media technology provider company Snell.

Snell said that the switchers will support India TV’s live news operation. The Kahuna switchers, three of which have already been installed, are a central component in India TV‘s new 125,000-square-foot broadcast center in Noida.

The company also said that it will enhance the production capacity as the broadcaster expands to multi-channel operations.
 
"News is very important for Indian television viewers, and they demand round-the-clock access to the latest developments in current and breaking news. Therefore, it is extremely important that our operation be run with only the most reliable equipment," said India TV VP (technical) Vinod Kala. "When we began evaluating production switchers to support our programming expansion, Kahuna was an obvious choice. The switcher has an outstanding reputation for flexibility and reliability, and Snell‘s support and service is one of the best in the industry."

India TV is currently on air with a single Hindi-language channel, and has announced plans of adding three more channels. 
 
Snell Kahunas handle many functions, such as stills stores and RAM recorders and can add complex, multi-layered effects. It also has multi-format capabilities for mixing of SD sources into HD broadcasts for providing a smooth migration path to HD.

"We‘re pleased that India TV selected Kahuna when it came time to invest in their own production switchers," said Snel Asia Pacific president Naresh Subherwal. "Kahuna‘s bullet-proof reliability and great versatility for 24/7 live operations, together with its future-proof ability to support new channels and new formats such as HD, make the switcher the perfect choice for dynamic and growing news operations such as India TV."