FCC RULES: WIRELESS MICS MUST VACATE 700MHZ BAND
Wireless microphones will have to vacate the 700MHz band, following a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling proscribing the sale and distribution of devices, principally wireless microphones, that have been operating in the band. Current users of the offending devices have until June 12, 2010 to vacate the band, although such users have to get off immediately if it is discovered they are interfering with public safety or commercial users.
On the heels of the order, Shure Inc. (Niles IL), a company that has been on the front lines of this debate, reiterated its commitment to assist wireless system users with the transition. “We’re pleased that the FCC has issued a firm transition date for 700MHz wireless equipment,” said Mark Brunner, Senior Director Global Brand Management. “Complying with this firm date will still be challenging for some users, but we remain committed to making the transition as easy as possible for them under the circumstances. It’s time for one final push to prevent interference with the new users of the spectrum.” Shure and other manufacturers have not sold equipment operating in the 700MHz band for quite some time, although many of these units remain in service.
Wireless microphones, in-ear monitors and other professional wireless devices are permitted in the remaining UHF TV band (470-698MHz). Existing 700MHz equipment should be replaced with systems operating in that range or in other parts of the spectrum.
The FCC is seeking comments from wireless users that will assist it in determining who should be eligible for a wireless microphone license. It wants to know how people use wireless systems and how their productions or businesses would be affected by sporadic interference from new TV band devices. The deadline for comments to be submitted is February 22. For guidelines on how to submit comments on this issue, send an email to wirelessmicrophones@shure.com. Senders will receive a reply message with details on what information must be included in submitted comments and how to file them with the FCC.

RADVISION TO ACQUIRE SELECTED ASSETS OF AETHRA
RADVISION Ltd. (Tel Aviv, Israel) has reached an agreement to acquire selected assets of the Aethra group of companies, of Ancona, Italy, including certain intellectual property and technology for high definition videoconferencing endpoint systems. The purchase price for the assets acquired is about Euro 7.0 million cash (approximately $10 million). In addition, RADVISION will assume certain specific liabilities related to the acquisition of approximately Euro 3 million (about $4.3 million). The transaction is expected to be accretive starting in Q4/10. The agreement has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and was incorporated in Aethra's pre-insolvency plan that Aethra filed with the Italian court.
RADVISION plans to integrate Aethra's HD video endpoint technology with RADVISION's video network infrastructure and desktop solutions to offer a full videoconferencing portfolio in response to customer demand created by rapid change and consolidation in the video marketplace.
RADVISION has had an OEM relationship with Aethra since 2005, through which RADVISION video infrastructure products and technology have been included in Aethra video solutions, allowing Aethra to offer an end-to-end solution.
The purchase agreements have a number of components. The major component is RADVISION’s purchase of certain Aethra intellectual property and technology, which the Italian court approved on January 25. The finalization and closing of these agreements are subject to the fulfillment of a number of pre-conditions as set in the agreements. Other components of the transaction include the purchase of some additional fixed assets and selected commercial agreements, which remain subject to Italian court approval and other conditions as set in the agreements.

SONY ELECTRONICS ACQUIRES CONVERGENT MEDIA SYSTEMS
Sony Electronics Inc. (Tokyo, Japan) acquired Convergent Media Systems (Alpharetta GA), a provider of video integration solutions to the enterprise market, on January 27. The company has established itself as an expert in digital signage and content distribution systems and will be integrated as a subsidiary into Sony Electronics' broadcast and professional products business. According to John Scarcella, President of Sony's Broadcast and Business Solutions Co., the acquisition of Convergent is a “key building block” of Sony's worldwide business-to-business strategy to accelerate its shift into a solutions-focused organization. Sony will leverage Convergent's resources to provide end-to-end systems solutions and managed services in new and existing professional markets. “With Convergent, we can install and integrate [high-quality technology] together with providing content creation, monitoring and distribution services.” he stated.
The addition of Convergent's resources, including its approximately 150 full-time employees in North America, its network of field service affiliates and a network operations center, will support Sony's sales and marketing efforts for its key technologies. This acquisition is also expected to strengthen Sony's competitive position in new areas of business, such as providing products and services to corporate, education and government markets, where Convergent already reaches more than one million people.
In exclusive comments to Sound & Communications, Alec Shapiro, Senior VP, Sales and Marketing, Sony Electronics, Broadcast and Production Group, confirmed that there are no immediate plans to restructure either company’s operations or management, and no plans to move Convergent employees to Sony’s Park Ridge NJ location. Shapiro stated, “Sony’s goal is still to work closely with all our systems integrators and other resellers. In recent years, we have expanded our capabilities to include end-to-end solutions, and we’ve been the single point of contact and accountability, or prime contractor, on many solutions-based projects, in traditional broadcast or other markets. We’ve teamed with many of our SI partners on the integration and installation of these systems.”
Shapiro continued, “We don’t plan to change this strategy. The addition of Convergent simply lets us branch out into new applications in digital signage networks, content distribution, asset management and service monitoring. At the same time, we'll still bring in other SIs when it makes sense for the overall project and the customer’s needs.”

SHARP TO REINTRODUCE COMMERCIAL FLAT SCREENS AT DIGITAL SIGNAGE EXPO
Sound & Communications has learned that Sharp (Osaka, Japan) will be introducing a lineup of professional LCD monitors at Digital Signage Expo in Las Vegas on February 24, offering large-format monitors for digital signage and display applications. Last year, Sharp was forced to withdraw specific commercial products from the market, including display panels and modules, as well as LCD televisions made overseas, as a result of a patent-infringement decision. At that point, we were told, “There will be a lack of availability of some of Sharp’s PN Series professional monitors, and we have begun to take the necessary steps to limit disruption to our customers. We have moved up production schedules for a new product line....” Look for information about the product introductions in our Digital Signage Expo Wrap-Up in April. For more details about the patent infringement, see NEWSLETTER, July 2009.

INFOCOMM STUDY PROJECTS A GROWING AV INDUSTRY
A new study projects that audiovisual products and services will become a $91 billion global industry by 2012. The 2010 InfoComm Global AV Market Definition and Strategy Study, conducted by Acclaro Growth Partners on behalf of InfoComm International (Fairfax VA), is the first worldwide study of its kind aimed at sizing the commercial AV industry. The growth of digital signage, videoconferencing, and command and control facilities resulted in an 8% compound annual growth in demand for AV products and services between 2006 and 2009. Despite 2009’s troubling economic environment, spending on AV goods and services did not contract. The study finds that the audiovisual industry was a $68 billion a year industry in 2009 and projects compound annual growth of 10% for the three-year period from 2009 to 2012.
The fastest-growing product categories are displays, AV conferencing equipment, streaming media and webcasting, wireless connections and software. There is also an increasing demand for directional speakers in digital signage applications, designed to create an immersive experience for the consumer.
Applications such as digital signage, videoconferencing and digitized high-end audio systems will continue to drive growth for the next three years. In addition, the top AV control systems manufacturers’ ability to provide complete building automation will create additional growth because of emerging concerns relating to energy efficiency and building sustainability.
Contracts for service and maintenance of audiovisual systems are also increasing. The fastest-growing services are programming, maintenance and training, and other services. Technology managers have expressed a growing need for service contracts as AV systems have become complex and more mission-critical to the government, institutions and corporations.
The corporate, education and government markets are the three largest consumers of audiovisual products and services. The growing need for communication and collaboration in these environments fuels reliance on AV technology.

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