GatesAir Continues Spectrum Repack Dominance with 300th Transmitter Shipment

November 21, 2019

Cornerstone Television station WPCB-TV prepares for its new UHF channel assignment with a high-power, high-efficiency Maxiva™ULXTE liquid-cooled transmitter

CINCINNATI, June 5, 2019GatesAir today fortifies its market-leading repack transmitter position with the delivery of its 300th repack transmitter. WPCB-TV, a Cornerstone Television station serving the Pittsburgh market, took delivery of its new Maxiva ULXTE-50 liquid-cooled transmitter late last week. WPCB has been repacked from Channel 50 to Channel 28, and will transmit at 31.7 kW from its new frequency beginning August 2.

GatesAir’s leadership in repack sales and shipments continues unabated. To date, GatesAir has shipped 11,273 power amplifiers, which represents more than 6.4 Megawatts of transmission power. GatesAir has successfully met all shipping deadlines to date thanks to careful staffing and manufacturing initiatives put into place by Vice President of Operations Bryant Burke.

GatesAir CEO Bruce D. Swail notes that GatesAir has also logged nearly 38 million amplifier in-service hours of repack projects, which provides a strong measurement of reliability and performance for GatesAir customers. All GatesAir transmitters are made in the USA at the company’s Quincy, Illinois manufacturing center.

“With the most cutting-edge power amplification tech in the market, our Maxiva transmitters have accumulated an impressive number of in-service pallet hours that continues to climb, solidifying our reputation for high performance and unmatched reliability,” said Swail. “Combined with on-time deliveries, transmitter site consultations and unparalleled customer service, GatesAir continues as the leading and most trusted supplier of repack transmitters and services.”

WPCB was granted a power increase for its Phase 4 repack assignment. Steve Johnson, VP Operations for Cornerstone Television, points to GatesAir’s customer support and high-efficiency solid-state technology as key deciding factors. The transition from tube to solid-state will eliminate costly tube maintenance, and provide a high-efficiency platform to offset utility costs from the station’s power increase.

Johnson also purchased a Maxiva VAXTE-6L air-cooled transmitter for WKBS-TV in the Altoona/Johnstown, PA market. WKBS, a full satellite of WPCB, will be repacked from UHF Channel 46 to low-band VHF channel 6 in Phase 6.

“GatesAir is one of the few vendors to offer reliable repack transmitters for low-band VHF, and our engineers can leverage a common user interface to remotely monitor and manage both Maxiva transmitters,” said Johnson. “We are impressed with the strength of their customer service, and the heritage and longevity of the company. Support is always a phone call away in Quincy, which has made a positive and lasting impact. We look forward to a long relationship with GatesAir.”

About GatesAir   

GatesAir, Inc., a portfolio company of The Gores Group, provides complete solutions for over-the-air radio and television broadcasting, leveraging wireless spectrum to maximize performance for multichannel, mission-critical services. Powering over-the-air networks worldwide with unparalleled reliability for nearly 100 years, GatesAir’s turnkey solutions enable broadcasters to create, transport and transmit radio and TV content.  With customers in more than 185 countries, the company leads the industry in innovation and design breakthroughs, improving efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership with all products designed and assembled in the USA and Europe. Visit www.gatesair.com for more information, Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gatesair, and follow us on Twitter at @GatesAir.

About The Gores Group

The Gores Group, founded in 1987 by Alec Gores, is a global investment firm focused on partnering with differentiated businesses that can benefit from its extensive industry knowledge, decades long experience and flexible capital base. Over its 30 year history, the firm has developed a deep understanding of and appreciation for building businesses and creating value alongside management. For more information, please visit www.gores.com.

 

Atlona Bulks Up Americas Sales Force

November 21, 2019

CEO Ilya Khayn continues aggressive expansion of sales and support team to address new business growth and opportunities

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 5, 2019 – Atlona, a Panduit company, has expanded its sales force in North and South America in alignment with continued company growth. The new appointments include seasoned director- and regional-level sales professionals with years of commercial AV experience, as well as sales engineering talent to fulfill the company’s growing project commitments.

“Atlona continues to grow and flourish, and these appointments will allow us to expand our reach and support in the Americas,” said Ilya Khayn, CEO, Atlona. “Most importantly, our continuous team expansion demonstrates Atlona’s commitment to growing our partners’ businesses, and service all of our customers with extensive systems design and engineering support. We are particularly excited to welcome Vince Schuster to our staff in a new leadership position, as we welcome this highly talented group of professionals to the Altona team.”

Vince joins Atlona as Senior Director of Sales, covering the North America commercial and residential AV markets.Reporting to Khayn, Vince comes to Atlona from Prysm, where he served as Vice President of Sales. Prior to Prysm, Vince served in director-level sales positions at Planar Systems and Panasonic. His years of experience has earned the trust of the AV and IT specifying communities, working closely with channel partners, consultants, architects and systems integrators to build sustainable, enterprise-level installations.

“Atlona has been a pioneer in the AV over IP movement, and their relationship with Panduit provides a very unique and dynamic opportunity to solve technological challenges, adding value for our customers,” said Schuster. “I’m looking forward to working with our partners and having conversations with our end customers throughout the AV community, with the opportunity to position Atlona further upstream in the early decision-making stages.”

Jason Parson joins Atlona as Regional Sales Manager, Pacific Northwest, also reporting to Schuster. Jason comes to Atlona with experience working with suppliers and as an entrepreneur. He started his career with Pioneer New Media Technologies, a division of Pioneer Electronics, before launching Invision Technologies, a leader in eTail that later launched a commercial and residential AV integration business. While leading Invision Technologies, Jason worked closely with commercial, residential, and government clients, which helped them expand into a viable business. Jason then started a new venture with Whitlock, a global leader in Video Conferencing and AV integration. He was responsible for driving enterprise sales growth in the Seattle region. Some of his major accomplishments include key relationships with Starbucks, Amazon, Microsoft retail, and the City of Seattle.

“My experience across sales, management and systems integration has allowed me to get closer to customers and understand their pain points as they seek the right solutions for their facilities,” said Parson. “Atlona’s reputation as a problem-solver and innovator in commercial and residential AV provides a fertile ground for success moving forward.”

Atlona’s appointment of Paul Beals (North East USA), Brian Montini (South Central USA) and Manuel Pineda (Latin America) as Sales Engineers will flesh out the company’s growing team of regional sales engineers. Each bring a wealth of systems design and engineering experience to their new roles, and will work closely with Atlona partners and end users to build and support Atlona AV systems.

All five new Atlona team members join Atlona effective immediately, and will be present at this year’s InfoComm 2019 show in Orlando, Florida. Atlona exhibits at Booth 3012.

About Atlona

Atlona, a Panduit company, is a leading global manufacturer of AV over IP distribution, connectivity, and control solutions. The company designs and engineers innovative, award-winning products for a diverse range of residential and commercial AV and IT markets. Backed by an award-winning 10-year warranty, Atlona’s products are developed to enable our customers’ ability to connect and collaborate with simplicity. More information about Atlona is available at atlona.com.

About Panduit

Global connectivity leader Panduit Corp. creates innovative electrical and network infrastructure solutions for applications across the enterprise. Headquartered in Tinley Park, Ill. and operating in 112 worldwide locations, Panduit’s technology leadership and robust ecosystem help support, sustain, and empower business growth in a connected world. panduit.com

Visix Showcases New Four-Output Digital Signage Media Player at InfoComm 2019

November 21, 2019

ATLANTA, GA – June 4, 2019 – Visix, Inc. will showcase its new digital signage media player in booth 2321 at InfoComm 2019 in Orlando. The small form factor device provides a flexible playback solution with two-, three- or four-output playback.

“This is a fantastic addition to our player lineup”, says Joe Murray, systems engineer for Visix. “This is the smallest, most powerful and most flexible multi-output player that we’ve ever offered. It addresses a wide range of client needs with crucial features like EDID emulation and bezel correction. This is a great option for anyone who wants built-in flexibility for reconfiguration or expansion in their digital signage system.”

The new player combines the convenience of an SFF device with the power and features of a video wall player, allowing display of up to four video streams. The device has 8GB of memory, 120 GB of SSD storage, and is just 8.17 inches wide x 6.01 inches deep by 1.87 inches high, with the power supply integrated into the chassis. Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB 64-bit OS, Vega-based graphics, and optimized performance setttings provide enterprise-class performance without the usual enterprise price tag.

InfoComm 2019 will be held June 8-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Interested parties can learn more about Visix media players by contacting sales@visix.com.

About InfoComm

InfoComm is the largest technology exhibition and conference in North America focused on the pro-AV industry. The Trade Show News Network (TSNN) ranked InfoComm the number 30 top U.S. trade show in 2017. The show was also honored in Trade Show Executive’s Global 100. InfoComm is part of a global alliance of trade shows, produced by AVIXA and its partners, including Integrated Systems Europe, Beijing InfoComm China, Chengdu InfoComm China, InfoComm India, InfoComm Southeast Asia, TecnoMultimidia InfoComm Brasil, TecnoMultimedia InfoComm Colombia, TecnoMultimedia InfoComm Mexico, Integrated Systems Russia, and Integrate. Learn more at www.infocommshow.org.

About Visix
Visix, Inc. offers a robust suite of digital signage software, content designs and meeting room signs for any organization wanting to engage, excite, and inform their audiences. Our products work separately or together, are competitively priced and scalable, and have powerful interactivity and data integration features for a unified, enterprise signage solution. Our award-winning service and support teams consistently rank the highest in customer satisfaction for fast, professional responses and solutions. Learn more about Visix digital signage products and services at www.visix.com.

Qligent Designates MDL Communications its Manufacturer’s Rep and Reseller for Canada

November 21, 2019

Exclusive partnership agreement gives Qligent greater visibility across Canada due to MDL’s extensive sales and marketing relationships  

MELBOURNE, Florida, June 4, 2019Qligent announces a new strategic partnership in Canada with MDL Communications, Inc., a Technical Consultancy and Value-Added Reseller with offices in Toronto and Montreal. The agreement designates MDL as the exclusive Manufacturer’s Representative for Qligent’s award-winning network monitoring and analysis solutions in Canada, substantially boosting the company’s sales presence and brand visibility throughout the country.

In addition to recommending and reselling best-in-class products, MDL also provides varied technical services, including systems design, strategic marketing, project management, engineering and systems integration. MDL differentiates itself from competitors by serving the unique needs of Canada’s broadband, IPTV, and OTT service providers, and enjoys strong relationships with leading Canadian service providers and Broadcasters, such as Bell Canada, Cogeco Cable, Rogers Communications, Shaw, Telus, and all Tier 2 & 3 Operators as well.

As part of the MDL family, Qligent joins an impressive portfolio of suppliers that include Harmonic, anyVIDe, Fortress Solutions, Dataminer, Edgeware, Optimal Methods, DekTec, Sencore, Deltacast, Pebble Broadcast, Steren, Blonder-Tongue, and Skyline Communications. For MDL, the addition of Qligent gives the company a powerful offering to transition service providers to an IP-based platform that will help them centralize network monitoring, strengthen compliance, and reduce customer churn, among other benefits.

“With the onslaught of advances transforming our industry, our customers look to us for advice on the most cost-effective, next-gensolutions for streamlining their operations, solving their networking challenges, and retaining and growing their revenue and subscriber base,” said Stephen Sacks, President and founder of MDL Communications, Inc., based in Ontario, Canada.

“While many of the companies we represent offer some type of systems or product monitoring, none of them offer the big data analytics, AI, and quality of service monitoring that Qligent provides across the enterprise, and out to the last mile,” Sacks explained. “Qligent goes beyond monitoring to empower users with actionable data that they can use to quickly address, resolve, and even prevent emerging network issues before they compromise the subscribers’ quality of experience. Our pitch is that Qligent’s monitoring solutions ensure uptime, reduce churn, and protect the bottom line, and that’s a powerful value proposition.”

Sacks points to the highly scalable Vision Analytics platform as particularly compelling for his customers. Vision Analytics harnesses the power of data mining, machine learning, and predictive data analytics to help preserve brand value, providing MSO’s, MVPDs, telcos, and other network service providers a comprehensive assessment of network performance.

“We’re thrilled that MDL has agreed to represent our media and network delivery assurance solutions—and our innovative use of big data mining and analytics—across Canada,” said Art Leisey, Business Development Officer for Qligent. “We particularly value this partnership because of the strength of MDL’s sales team and customer relationships, and their deep knowledge and understanding of how best to position and promote our technology to this growing Canadian market.”

ABOUT Qligent

Qligent architects complete monitoring, visualization and delivery analytics solutions for broadcasters, content distributors, ad agencies, regulators and network operators. Based in Melbourne, Florida, Qligent’s software-defined approach provides an open, vendor-agnostic platform to monitor performance, integrity and compliance of multiple signals, streams and systems across enterprises of any size. Its solutions provide the same consistent quality of content and service across multiple delivery platforms simultaneously.

CP Communications Brings Systems Integration Expertise and AV Innovation to InfoComm

November 21, 2019

The live event production leader will showcase IP-based, broadcast-quality content acquisition solutions for the AV market

St. Petersburg, Florida, June 4, 2019CP Communications, a leader in innovative solutions and services for live event productions, comes to its first InfoComm show with a strategic systems integration vision for commercial AV that includes a new family of IP-based, broadcast-quality content acquisition and streaming solutions. CP Communications exhibits at Booth 4877 from June 12-14 in the Orange County Convention Center (Orlando, Florida).

“With more than 30 years of expertise, we offer a straightforward message on how to design, engineer, support and maintain the most cost-efficient AV and production solutions for permanent facilities,” said Kurt Heitmann, CEO, CP Communications. “Our AV integration projects with MLB Network Studios, NFL Films Studios at Times Square, and AT&T/Direct TV Studios represent the best of what we do to help our customers make informed decisions for their permanently installed systems.”

Heitmann notes that CP Communications’ leadership in systems design and infrastructure for large, live broadcast events – including many of the world’s largest professional sports productions – differentiates the company from integrators that focus on corporate and education projects, for example.

“We will come to InfoComm with our STREAM line of solutions, which provide an array of IP-based content acquisition options for everything from houses of worship to the largest stadiums,” said Heitmann. “However, we excel in highly technical integration services that cover advanced frequency coordination and intermodulation strategies. We’ll not only wire and install your systems, but we’ll identify the available spectrum at your venue, and make sure your wireless video and audio equipment will work with WiFi, RF radio communications, and bonded cellular networks. We bring a coordinated approach to the table that crosses all AV verticals.”

CP Communications’ STREAM packages will make their AV industry debut at InfoComm. Part of the company’s new Red House Streaming solutions family, the STREAM line allows AV professionals and meeting planners to produce high-impact conferences or events anywhere in North America — and stream them to audiences around the world. Essentially, the STREAM line is a direct response to the changing content creation and distribution requirements in AV and broadcast as IP technology and cellular services grow more reliable and widely available.

The complete range of STREAM solutions, all of which leverage Mobile Viewpoint solutions for multichannel signal encoding, include:

  • CamSTREAM: A single- or dual-camera acquisition system with streaming support over Ethernet, WiFi and bonded cellular service. CamSTREAM is an ideal plug-and-play, broadcast-quality solution for unattended operations including corporate events, distance learning, and worship services, and modest TV studio productions such as those seen in K-12 schools and universities.
  • MultiCam STREAM: A scalable multi-camera acquisition camera system for live-streamed and at-home productions, MultiCam STREAM elevates productions with support for four cameras, 32 audio channels and data (including return tally and four-wire intercom) in the base configuration.
  • Production STREAM: A multi-camera flypack acquisition system for on-site and remote productions with larger I/O signal requirements, with integrated video switching and Dante-enabled audio mixing to support venues and large events.

Heitman adds that the STREAM packages follow CP Communications’ philosophy for cost- and labor-efficient systems integration. All packages eliminate the need for customers to assemble systems across multiple vendors and service providers, are simple to deploy and control, and can be set up in a matter of minutes.

About CP Communications

For more than three decades, CP Communications has provided high-quality, cost-effective live event production solutions to major broadcasters, sports leagues and teams, and event and production companies. Our solutions include access to experienced professionals, state of the art equipment, and innovative technologies and techniques for wireless audio & video content acquisition, transport and delivery. Our culture of innovation, coupled with the highest quality assurance standards and passion for customer service, promote collaboration with our clients to determine the best custom solution for each live event.

Service Highlights

Writing and Media Placement

Writing and Media Placement

We are storytellers that understand how to connect with an audience. From newsworthy press releases to technical installation features to provocative thought leadership columns, we will bring your message to a broader audience through strategic, exclusive articles placements and global media distribution.

Product Launch Planning

Product Launch Planning

We are strategic thinkers that will build integrated plans to spread the word on your important product innovations. We have the experts to manage your press announcements, trade show visibility and social media impact - among other initiatives - to make a lasting impact on your brands.

Media Interviews

Media Interviews

We consistently communicate with key editors and journalists that cover broadcast, commercial AV and other industries we work in around the world. We will position you as expert thought leaders to secure interviews, Q&As, tradeshow appointments, and other opportunities that keep you in touch with the media - and visible to your customers and the industry at large.