READING, U.K. — Nov. 10, 2009 — Video Express, a leading video duplication and distribution company based in Boston, has placed Snell's Alchemist Ph.C – HD motion-compensated standards converter at the core of its strategy to offer the gold standard in HD and international standards conversion. The Alchemist Ph.C – HD represents a significant upgrade of Video Express' HD conversion capabilities, enabling the company to expand its production capacity and overall efficiency without compromising on output quality.

In business since 1982, Video Express offers a full line of SD and HD video compression, format conversion, and closed-captioning services primarily for major content distribution companies. Projects range from movies and public television programming to commercials and corporate videos. As HDTV has proliferated in recent years, Video Express has experienced an exploding demand for upconversion and cross-conversion of video to HD formats such as 1080i and 720p, as well as format conversion for distribution to and from international markets. 

"As demand increased, we needed to grow our capacity while maintaining the highest technical and visual quality possible regardless of the form of our clients' source materials. During our testing of HD standards converters, Snell's Ph.C motion measurement technology outperformed all of its competitors," said Kevin Lessard, executive vice president and director of engineering for Video Express. "In the end, it was an easy decision because we always buy the best equipment available to fulfill all of our clients' requests. With the Alchemist, we can start with an HD master originating in Europe and immediately produce both an HD and SD version for the U.S. — therefore serving both markets." 

"For 27 years, Video Express has been dedicated to offering the finest-possible video services for TV stations all across the U.S. as well as 90 percent of the advertising agencies in New England. We are known for being able to work with everything from the most current HD tape and file formats to videotape formats that were introduced 30 years ago. That's why the Alchemist Ph.C – HD is so important to our operation," said Bill Taylor, president of Video Express. "Snell's history of reliability, innovative design, and continual improvement of its products was a major factor in our choosing the Alchemist. We're excited to work with a company that understands that technology doesn't stand still." 

About the Alchemist Ph.C – HD
The Snell Alchemist Ph.C – HD is the product of extensive research into the exacting demands of HD frame-rate standards conversion, producing converted HD outputs of unparalleled quality and clarity that are virtually indistinguishable from the original input. The high-quality output is a direct result of Snell's Emmy^® award-winning Ph.C motion measurement technology, optimized to prevent the motion-related artifacts that are commonly associated with standards conversion in HD video.

More information about the Alchemist Ph.C – HD standards converter and other products from Snell is available online at www.snellgroup.com.        

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About Video Express:
Located in Boston, Video Express has been providing clients with a one-stop facility for all of their videotape duplication and video distribution needs since 1982. Video Express fulfils more than 95 percent of all orders in the same day, with lower prices than those charged in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.evideoexpress.com.  

About Snell:
Established in 2009 through the merger of Pro-Bel and Snell & Wilcox, Snell is a market-leading player in the global film and broadcast market. The company provides customers with a comprehensive range of solutions for the creation, management, and distribution of content, as well as the tools necessary to transition seamlessly and cost-effectively to digital, HDTV, and beyond. Headquartered in the U.K., the company serves more than 2,000 active customers in more than 100 countries through a worldwide team of sales and support personnel. For more information, visit www.snellgroup.com.           

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ENDS