Recent Work

Pro AV market debut of AI-enabled translation and captioning solution will highlight its ability to make live presentations and on-demand content accessible to non-native speakers

Southfield, MI, May 20, 2019 – AV professionals in all types of organizations – from educational institutions and corporations to government agencies and churches – are constantly striving to make their content accessible and understandable to more viewers, whether in-person or online. Extending the company’s rich history of innovation in automated media captioning to multi-language translation, ENCO‘s new AI-powered enTranslate system will make its AV industry debut in booth 5491 at InfoComm 2019 (June 12-14 in Orlando, Florida).

enTranslate combines the powerful speech-to-text engine from ENCO’s patented enCaption open and closed captioning solution with advanced translation technology powered by Veritone, enabling automated, near-real-time translation of live or pre-recorded content for alternative-language captioning, subtitling and more.

Helping make AV content understandable to viewers who don’t speak its original language, enTranslate offers an easy and affordable solution to automatically translate live presentations – such as keynote presentations, board meetings, legislative sessions, lectures orsermons – and recorded content such as training and learning videos. Users can choose to embed translated captions in short and long-form VOD content for subsequent on-demand consumption, or to display live, open-captioned subtitles on local video displays to assist in-person attendees. enTranslate supports 46 languages including English, Spanish, French and more.

“As media content has become an intrinsic part of modern communications across all vertical markets, AV professionals are increasingly challenged to ensure that even non-native-speaking viewers and participants can easily comprehend the material,” said Ken Frommert, President of ENCO. “For example, schools may want to better serve their ESL (English as a Second Language) students, while churches look to clearly convey their message to multi-cultural congregations and local governments strive for transparency to diverse constituents. Traditional manual translation services can be prohibitively expensive, but enTranslate makes live translation both practical and affordable for all types of organizations.”

enTranslate builds on the highly-accurate, machine learning powered speech recognition core first implemented in enCaption to interpret incoming live or file-based audio, then feeds the resulting text to its advanced translation engine. Blending artificial intelligence with sophisticated linguistics modelling, enTranslate uses a Neural Machine Translation methodology to provide high-quality translations based on the context surrounding the current words and phrases.

enTranslate offers both live and offline translation, and can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud. For file-based applications, audio or video clips can be easily ingested into the system and captioned with translations in any supported language, enabling users to quickly and affordably process large libraries of previously recorded content.

ENCO will also demonstrate the latest enhancements to enCaption4 at InfoComm, including further improvements to its already-renowned accuracy and speed. Other new features include an expanded array of sources – such as sports rosters and website news articles – from which the system can learn new vocabulary and names, and the ability to distinguish changes between different people speaking even within a mixed audio feed.

About ENCO

Founded in 1983, ENCO pioneered the use of computer-based, digital audio and program automation for radio station and TV studios. The company has since evolved its product line to cross all aspects of today’s automated broadcast and production workflows, including closed-captioning, visual radio, audio compliance, instant media playout, remote contribution, and cloud-based web streaming. Its two flagship systems, DAD and MOM, bring the industry’s best reliability, cost-efficiency and intuitive operation to automated radio and TV operations worldwide. ENCO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan USA and retains a global distribution network, plus a growing network of partnerships with complementary industry vendors. For more information, please visit: www.enco.com.

New customization framework, IOT-style architecture and other enhancements to be highlighted as momentum for state-of-the-art multi-site solution grows worldwide

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND, May 16, 2019 — Refusing to become complacent even as adoption of its flexible and cost-effective RetailPlayer multi-site background music streaming system rapidly accelerates, respected Audio over IP leader Barix is continuing to enhance the richly-featured platform with powerful new capabilities. Exhibiting in booth 5457 at InfoComm 2019 (June 12-14 in Orlando, Florida), the company will showcase fresh advances including a customization framework for implementing unique customer requirements.

The seamlessly scalable RetailPlayer solution enables retail, hospitality and corporate customers to easily stream background music and messages to any number of locations over the internet. Robust hardware playout devices at each receiving site feature advanced buffer technology for fast channel switching and resilience to varying internet performance, while the cloud-based or customer-hosted RetailPlayer Portal provides centralized configuration, management, status monitoring and stream switching through a web browser or mobile device.

In addition to organizations new to internet-based background music solutions, customers are flocking to the state-of-the-art RetailPlayer solution from competing products and earlier Barix offerings. “Hundreds of customers have been using our earlier Exstreamer 100 units as background music players, and many of them are moving to RetailPlayer for its enhanced buffer management and IOT-style architecture,” said Reto Brader, CEO, Barix. “Meanwhile, competitors’ customers are switching to RetailPlayer because of its rich feature set, ongoing development, and extensibility to grow with them. As full-featured as RetailPlayer already is, we are continually advancing it to make it even better.”

Foremost amongst the new RetailPlayer enhancements to be shown at InfoComm is the FLEXA customization layer, while allows the RetailPlayer system and hardware endpoints to be adapted for customers’ unique requirements. First introduced in Barix’s boundlessly-programmable Barionet automation interface controllers, FLEXA provides a flexible framework to implement users’ bespoke feature requests. In one recent example, special capabilities were added to RetailPlayer hardware endpoints to read customer-specific metadata from the audio streams and forward it over IP to digital signage systems at the playout location.

“Customers with uncommon applications or creative use cases typically must depend on their vendors to add features to meet these needs, but if they’re the only client who has asked for the capabilities, the vendor might not do it,” said Brader. “That stifles innovation. By adding FLEXA to RetailPlayer, we are taking customization to a whole new level with a framework that enables customers to address their unique ideas themselves.”

RetailPlayer follows the latest IOT architecture approach to combine high-performance operation with stringent security. For example, if a RetailPlayer administrator allows local users to change streaming channels, the user is not directly controlling the hardware endpoint; instead, user interactions are sent to the central server, which in turn talks to the local device. These fast communications enable a highly-responsive experience as if the user were directly controlling the hardware, but with a level of security only achieveable through a centralized method.

Other new RetailPlayer features on display at InfoComm will include advanced user permission management and enhanced status reporting in the player devices. These capabilities join recently-added functionality unveiled earlier this year at the ISE show, including stream and local-playlist failover to overcome network connectivity issues; enterprise-scale hierarchical management of high numbers of endpoints; QR code-based smartphone control of local player devices; new deployment and integration options; and more.

“While some of our competitors are slowing or ceasing development of their products, Barix is ramping up,” concluded Brader. “We are committed to RetailPlayer’s ongoing development, and now offer a framework to address one-off requirements via FLEXA. We invite customers to experience the benefits of RetailPlayer first-hand by visiting us at InfoComm or requesting a free trial of the system.”

Barix: We Move Audio (www.barix.com)

Barix supplies simple and reliable solutions and components to systems integrators and end users worldwide.  We move high-quality audio across IP networks, adding value to customer solutions for more than a decade with hundreds of thousands of devices installed worldwide.  Background music distribution with dynamic advertising insertion for retail shops, bars and hotels; public address solutions for schools and public spaces; and intercom and entry systems for facility surveillance, protection and security are among the many applications of Barix solutions.  Barix also supports OEM projects for a number of Global 500 listed companies serving many industries worldwide.

Creative team leverages disguise vx 4 media server engine to drive projection mapping and high-resolution visual elements at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

ATLANTA, May 15, 2019 — MEPTIK, an Atlanta-based experience design agency specializing in dynamic live environments, leveraged the commercial AV industry’s most powerful media playback technologies to deliver a dynamic audio-visual experience to attendees of the recent Beloved Benefit in Atlanta. Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Beloved Community, the inspirational event brought notable speakers and award-winning musicians – headlined by Bruno Mars – to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to celebrate and bring awareness to the work taking place in Atlanta’s Westside neighborhoods.

A quickly growing creative force, MEPTIK aggressively adopts innovative technologies to power audio-visual creativity for temporary and permanent installations. This includes projection mapping, VR/AR, and interactive installations.

For the Beloved Benefit, MEPTIK predominantly leveraged disguise’s new high-end vx 4 media server engine to drive the entire visual experience across two, 25-foot LED screens and multiple VER Revolution Blade LED strips. The large displays and strips ran the length of both sides of the field, with MEPTIK’s creative team driving all projection mapping, screen control and technical AV design.

“The vx 4 provided the generous capacity and bandwidth required to deliver a stunning, theatrical piece to tens of thousands of attendees,” said Nick Rivero, CTO and co-founder, MEPTIK. “We surrounded the audience four outputs of 4K content, along with two HD outputs, to create a singular, cohesive visual experience of enormous scale.”

The MEPTIK team also used the vx 4’s 3D pre-visualization tools to frame and test the visual content in a virtual reality (VR) environment in advance of the event. Leveraging a CAD model of the stadium, MEPTIK brought event planners into its office to experience the content in a VR setting that put the client in the middle of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “This allowed us to evaluate the experience together well in advance of the event and make adjustments to the size and scale and of the content that the vx 4 would ultimately drive to the displays,” he said.

Rivero adds that the vx 4 took on the responsibility of screen control, an application traditionally handled through a separate component. This both simplified the technical workflows and reduced MEPTIK’s production costs by as much as 40 percent.

“We typically use separate screen control for production of immense scale to monitor what happens onscreen,” said Rivero. “The broad flexibility of the vx 4 allowed us to eliminate that link of the chain, and centralize the majority of our production workflow with disguise.”

Ahead of the Curve

The first North American experience design firm to acquire the disguise vx 4 server, MEPTIK procured the system to elevate MEPTIK’s project design parameters and meet evolving visualization requirements. Engineered to play back video at higher quality and resolution, the vx 4 allows MEPTIK’s creative team to scale content effortlessly with projectors, displays, outputs and pixels.

The vx 4 plays up to four times uncompressed 4K60 using a high-performance NVME RAID drive array, with lossless 10-bit video. Additionally, it can capture either 16 3G-SDI sources or four 4K sources (2160p60). The vx 4 has dual 25 Gb/sec and dual 10 Gb/sec Ethernet ports, enabling faster media file transfer and high-resolution networked live video capture.

Rivero emphasizes that the disguise production toolkit elevates dynamic content visualization experiences for projects, and streamlines the integration of video, audio, lighting and other technologies. In addition, the 3D pre-visualization suite of tools included with vx 4 allows MEPTIK to demonstrate the entire show and content virtually to users so they know exactly what it will look like—a huge marketing and sales advantage. He adds that while vx 4 is built for video content, its power as a high bandwidth server allows MEPTIK to work with uncompressed video.

“Most systems simply work with pre-rendered video content; you create a video and load it. The disguise vx 4 offers power, performance and pre-visualization tools,” said Nick Rivero, CEO of MEPTIK. “We can execute up to four 4K outputs or 16 HD outputs in one box. We can maximize time and budget for our customers—with one system and one operator versus multiple systems and multiple operators. The vx 4 has further opened the creative universe that exists at MEPTIK.”

About MEPTIK

MEPTIK is an Atlanta-based production and design studio specialized in creating interactive environments that blend creativity, human interaction, and technology. We work in environments that combine video, lighting, audio, and touch, converging these concepts together to build experiences and events that leave lasting memories. Combining years of knowledge in live events, content creation, and design execution, we understand the workflow of bringing it all together. From interactive experiences and live events to content creation and art installations, we bring our unique creative perspective to every project. Visit the company’s website at  www.meptik.com.

To be unveiled at InfoComm 2019, the AT-OME-MS42 joins the expanding Omega Series to simplify multi-format switching in small-to-medium meeting and conference spaces

SAN JOSE, California, May 15, 2019 – Atlona, a Panduit company, today adds another important layer to its rapidly-growing Omega™ Series of switching, extension, and video processing solutions for modern AV communications and collaboration.The AT-OME-MS42 is 4×2 matrix switcher that delivers exceptional performance and value for 4K/UHD presentation and video conferencing applications in small-to-medium AV environments, including meeting rooms, conference rooms, and lecture halls. It will also be available as the AT-OME-MS42-KIT with a companion AT-OME-EX-RX HDBaseT receiver. Atlona will demonstrate the AT-OME-MS42 at InfoComm 2019 (Booth 3012), taking place June 12-14 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

The OME-MS42 and OME-MS-42-KIT build on the success of the very popular and award-winning Atlona HDVS-300 system for software video conferencing. The OME-MS42 combines the benefits of auto-switching for USB-C, HDMI, and DisplayPort, plus integrated display control and USB extension, offering flexible capabilities for 4K presentation and software video conferencing applications. Selectable AV switching modes across HDBaseT and HDMI outputs enable simple configuration and effortless ease of use tailored to a specific application. When used with the OME-EX-RX receiver or OME-SR21 scaling receiver, the OME-MS42 can be remotely powered over HDBaseT.

The OME-MS42 includes USB 2.0 and USB-C interfaces for extension to three host computers, plus two peripheral devices such as a camera, microphone, speakerphone, or keyboard and mouse. As one of the few USB-C equipped switchers available today, the OME-MS42 enables clutter-free, single-cable connectivity for 4K video presentations, video conferencing and interactive collaboration projects, with immediate compatibility to laptops and mobile devices with USB-C ports. With an optional power supply, the OME-MS42 can also power the device over USB-C (while also remotely powering an HDBaseT receiver).

The OME-MS42 is HDCP 2.2 compliant and features HDBaseT extension for video up to 4K/60 4:2:0, plus embedded audio, control, Ethernet, and USB over distances up to 330 feet (100 meters). All inputs and the local HDMI output support 4K/60 4:4:4 at HDMI data rates up to 18 Gbps. Additionally, 4K downscaling to 1080p @ 60, 30, or 24 Hz is available for the HDMI output when connected to an HD display or other destination device.

Specific OME-MS42 application examples include:

• Video conferencing – Provides interfacing for USB devices for software codec conferencing, with video and USB switched together between host PCs. As a matrix switcher with 4K to 1080p downscaling, the OME-MS42 is ideal forlegacy hardware-based video conferencing systems.
• Meeting rooms and conference rooms – The OME-MS42 can serve as an AV integration centerpiece in a credenza, with interfacing to sources in the AV equipment rack.
• Auditoriums and lecture halls – The OME-MS42 can be used for presenting 4K video content through the projector, while optimizing the same content for 1080p confidence monitoring.

At the upcoming InfoComm 2019 show, the OME-MS42 will be part of a dedicated Omega Series showcase with demonstrations of modern meeting space applications in small, medium and large scenarios – all capable of delivering robust performance and streamlined integration.

“These three demonstrations will clearly communicate the broad capabilities of the Omega line to serve AV presentation, collaboration and extension needs across a wide variety of AV environments,” said David Shamir, Director of Product Management, Atlona. “We’re particularly excited about the capabilities that the OME-MS42 will bring to integrators and end users in the quickly evolving small-to-medium meeting space environment that will require optimized performance and broad flexibility across switching, extending and scaling applications.”

The OME-MS42, as well as the OME-MS42-KIT are anticipated to ship in July, and are backed by Atlona’s award-winning 10-year limited product warranty and support services. Visit http://atlona.com/omega for an overview of the entire Omega series. InfoComm attendees are invited to register for a free pass using code ATL175.

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

Arturo Yarahuan will work with the greater CALA team to raise GatesAir’s visibility and market share throughout the region

CINCINNATI, May 15, 2019 — GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, has appointed Arturo Yarahuan as Sales Director, North for the Caribbean and Latin American (CALA) region. Reporting to Felipe Luna, Managing Director, CALA region, Yarahuan will focus on sales and business development across Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and upper South America. He will also work closely with GatesAir’s regional partner network to increase GatesAir’s market share and brand visibility throughout his territory.

Yarahuan brings nearly 25 years of technology-focused sales experience to his role, having held positions of increasing responsibility in the broadcast, broadband and telecommunications markets, among other industries. He spent 10 years managing large telecom accounts withHarris Corporation (the company from which GatesAir was born) and Alcatel Lucent earlier in his career, and later held similar leadership roles with Honeywell, NEC De Mexico, and Thales Mexico.

Over the course of his career, Yarahuan has developed strong relationships with many of the region’s leading over-the-air broadcasters, including Televisa and TV Azteca – relationships he looks forward to further strengthening as broadcasters continue their digital TV and radio transitions.

“The broadcast workflow has increasingly converged with IT infrastructure, and this creates an excellent opportunity to work with many broadcasters in the region that I already have relationships with on the telecommunications side,” said Yarahuan. “There remains tremendous opportunity in CALA to help broadcasters find the most operationally efficient path to digital TV and radio, while also increasing over-the-air performance and creating new revenue generating opportunities for their content. GatesAir’s market-leading innovations in high-efficiency transmission and Audio over IP networking, as well as support for all digital standards, strongly position the company for success in CALA for years to come.”

Yarahuan adds that GatesAir’s reputation for strong customer service, both within the company and throughout its extensive in-country partner network, further elevates GatesAir’s value proposition as a reliable, full-service supplier.

“GatesAir continues to invest in professional resources worldwide to drive global business growth and prepare for the next generation of digital and IP transition opportunities in each region,” said Rich Redmond, President and Managing Director, International for GatesAir. “We are proud to welcome Arturo to the GatesAir family, where he will work closely with Felipe Luna and our the rest of the CALA team to guide our customers through challenging transitions with problem-solving, next-generation TV and radio solutions.”

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. 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 acquiring controlling interests in mature and growing businesses which can benefit from the firm’s operating experience and flexible capital base. The firm combines the operational expertise and detailed due diligence capabilities of a strategic buyer with the seasoned M&A team of a traditional financial buyer. Over its 30-year history, The Gores Group has become a leading investor having demonstrated a reliable track record of creating value in its portfolio companies alongside management. Headquartered in Los Angeles, The Gores Group maintains offices in Boulder, CO, and London. For more information, please visit http://www.gores.com.