SAM adds HDR capability to Kahuna line of production switchers

Snell Advanced Media (SAM) has released the latest version of its FormatFusion software, adding HDR capabilities to its Kahuna production switcher range. 

The FormatFusion4 engine is at the heart of the Kahuna switcher and is the key to its multi-format capabilities.

“The technology is completely transparent to our customer’s live production workflows and requires no additional engineering or external equipment, even in UHD. Its proven success by BT Sport at this year’s UEFA Champions League Final is a fantastic testament to its capabilities as we start to see Kahuna users transition to HDR production,” said Robert Szabó-Rowe of SAM.

The technology seamlessly handles SDR and HDR in parallel for Sports, News and Entertainment productions. FormatFusion4 supports the Electrical Optical Transfer Functions (EOTF) for:

• Real-time of Perceptual Quantizer (PQ)
• Real-time control of Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG)
• Sony S-Log3 profile

FormatFusion4 also includes color space support for Wide Color Gamut (BT709 and BT2020) in all formats (1080i, 1080p and UHD).

SAM’s Kahuna with FormatFusion4 technology was a key part of BT Sport and Telegenic’s 4K HDR workflow in June at the UEFA Champions League Final in Cardiff.