Sony Delivers Full Line Of HD Products For NBC’s Coverage Of Torino Winter Games

PARK RIDGE, N.J., Feb. 10, 2006 - Sony Electronics is providing a range of high-definition broadcast and production systems for NBC’s coverage of the 2006 Winter Games this month in Torino, Italy.

The Sony HD equipment to be used by NBC includes studio cameras, camcorders, switchers, VTRs, monitors, videoconferencing systems and professional videotape. These products will be used by NBC in an array of applications during the Torino Games, from the International Broadcast Center (IBC) to individual athletic venues.

“With each successive Games, the broadcast requirements increase in scope and complexity,” said David Mazza, senior vice president of engineering, NBC. “The conversion to an all HD broadcast center for the 2006 Winter Games has been tremendously challenging. To assemble this much new equipment all running at HD-SDI rates approaching microwave frequencies is a rather daunting task. All of the HD Sony equipment has worked flawlessly right out of the box, and the HD image quality is remarkable.”

Sony’s HDC-1000 multi-format 1080/60P portable cameras will capture the action at the Main Broadcast Center as well as several venues, sending signals to Sony’s MVS-8000A and MFS-2000 video production switchers.

The HDCAM® HDW-730S camcorder will also be used for field acquisition. In NBC’s operations center, several types of Sony VTRs will be used, including the HDCAM HDW-M2000, HDW-D2000 and the SRW-5500 professional models.

NBC is using 70 of Sony’s BVM-D HD mastering monitors, which display each input signal at its native frequency and resolution with an extremely high degree of color accuracy. Models being used include the BVM-D14H5U, BVM-D20F1U, BVM-D24E1WU and BVM-D32E1WU units.

NBC is also employing more than 300 LUMA™ professional LCD monitors, including Sony’s latest line of two-piece multi-format monitors. This series of LUMA monitors features Sony’s patented ChromaTru™ color processing technology, which enables multiple monitors to quickly achieve nearly identical color characteristics using programmed color shifts that match EBU, SMPTE-C or ITU color standards.

More than 150 LUMA LMD-9050 9-inch (viewable area, measured diagonally) multi-format field monitors will be used due to their HD-SDI interface, which makes them well suited for HD field production.

Other Sony broadcast gear being used during NBC’s coverage of the Torino Games include: the MSW-M2000 MPEG IMX VTR; DSR-1500, JH-1, JH-3, and J-30 VTRs; HDSX-5800 router; and the BRC-300 robotic camera.

A Sony PCS-G50 videoconferencing system will also be used by NBC.

To keep everything running until the closing ceremonies, Sony’s professional services team has assembled an extensive network of resources to support the NBC coverage. Sony’s Device Monitor system will allow NBC to centrally monitor the status of equipment to proactively troubleshoot and minimize production downtime during NBC’s broadcast of the Games.

Sony is also the exclusive supplier of professional videotape for NBC’s coverage of the Torino Games, providing more than 16,000 hours worth of HDCAM videocassettes, as well as significant quantities of its DigitalMaster™ 6mm and Digital Betacam format tapes.

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About NBC Olympics

NBC, “America’s Olympic Network,” owns the exclusive U.S. media rights to the Olympic Games, television’s most powerful property, through 2012, which includes Torino, Italy in 2006, Beijing in 2008, Vancouver in 2010 and London in 2012. This February, NBC Universal will present the 2006 Olympic Winter Games from Torino, Italy (February 10-26, 2006). In August 2004, 203 million viewers watched as the networks of NBC Universal—NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo, and NBC’s HD affiliates—offered a record 1,210 hours of Olympic coverage from Athens. In February 2002, 187 million watched the Salt Lake Olympic Games on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC. For additional information, log onto NBCOlympics.com, the Internet’s preeminent source for Olympic results, video, photos, news and athlete profiles through the Torino Games. NBCOlympics.com will be the only site in the United States featuring competition video of complete runs and routines, real-time results and medal counts for every event, an interactive television viewing guide to help visitors navigate the 418 hours of Olympic programming on the NBC Universal networks, and comprehensive, multimedia-filled profiles on every American Olympian.

Editor’s Note from Sony: For more detailed product information, your readers can visit www.sony.com/professional. To find the nearest Sony authorized dealer or service location, readers can call 1-800-686-SONY. For additional press information and digital images, please visit Sony Electronics’ news and information web site at www.sony.com/news.

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Tom DiNome

Sony Electronics Inc.

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