NEP Studios Upgrades Studios for Colbert Report and Daily Show to HD

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- NEP Studios rings in the New Year by upgrading two studios to HD! As the largest Studio Facility provider in Manhattan, NEP came fully equipped to complete two simultaneous studio upgrades, for The Colbert Report and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, allowing them to stay on air during the seamless transition.

"The big obstacle for the build-out of both shows was the need to stay on the air and continue to shoot in SD during the entire project. Both shows shoot 4 days weekly, allowing only short periods of down time for the transition to, and installation of the HD hardware," says Frank Lanzer, NEP Studios' project manager for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

During the six-month transition, the new HD hardware was installed and operated in SD, working along side the existing SDI and Analog infrastructure. As the project progressed, systems were strategically migrated from SD to HD, allowing them to work together, and keep the shows on air. The brand new HD broadcasts hit the airwaves on January 4, 2010 with a flawless debut.

Along with the HD upgrade, NEP outfitted both studios with a complex network of production hardware allowing for file sharing that features: Avid Editing Systems, EVS Servers, Sony PDW-HD1500s, XD Cam decks, and Network GFX rendering. In addition, both studios are equipped with Dolby Prologic II delivering surround sound.

New Equipment Features in the Daily Show and Colbert Report Studios:

Sony 8000G multi-format switchers

Sony 1450 HD Cameras

GVF Trinix & Concerto routers

Evertz Muli-Viewers

Cobalt Digital Compass modular products

Tektronix Sync Generators and scopes

Sony XD Cam decks

EVS Servers

Avid Nitrus HD with Unity Edit Suites

Pinacle Dekos

VizRT Graphics systems

Final Cut Pro

About NEP: NEP Broadcasting is the leading international provider of outsourced broadcasting services vital to the delivery of live sports and entertainment events. Serving the world's premiere broadcast networks and production companies, NEP provides state-of-the-art facilities, engineering expertise and technical management to support telecasts of major events and programs around the globe. With more than 500 employees worldwide, including the finest engineering and technical management in the field, NEP Broadcasting is proud to serve networks, producers and organizations through services provided by its six specialized divisions: Supershooters, Denali, Visions, Screenworks, Studios and Roll to Record along with mobile facility services provided by New Century Productions. NEP is majority-owned by American Securities, a private equity firm headquartered in New York, and NEP management. For more information on NEP, please visit our website at www.nepinc.com.

SOURCE NEP Broadcasting