THE WHITLOCK GROUP AND IMPACT ALLY
The Whitlock Group (Richmond VA), a $135 million systems integration company, and Impact (Middlesex, UK), Europe’s largest integrator, have created the industry’s first global alliance for the AV market. This news was broken exclusively on Sound & Communications’ InfoCommTV News (June 19, 2008, broadcast), which can be viewed at www.soundandcommunications.com/infocommTVnews. The alliance provides companies with seamless global AV services, serving offices on both sides of the Atlantic. Called the Global Presence Alliance (GPA), the group will focus initially on customers based in the US and Europe, with plans to build the international footprint and size.
Whitlock Group CEO Doug Hall said, “As competition and demands rise in the global marketplace, the delivery of efficient, seamless and reliable systems is a necessary business practice. Customers require standardization of designs and programming interfaces to maintain consistency and quality of service across their enterprise. With the formation of the GPA, we are uniquely positioned to provide fully integrated solutions on an international scale based on our geographic coverage and portfolio of service offerings.”
The GPA will provide a sole-source solutions approach to global audio and video systems integration by providing greater simplicity through a consistent, consolidated service operation, offering increased operational efficiency by having a single global contact for design, engineering, integration and ongoing technology systems maintenance. This alliance is a formal extension of an existing informal partnership. Customers who choose to work with current or future strategic alliance members will find consistency across their network of offices.

YAMAHA TO MAKE OFFER TO ACQUIRE NEXO
Yamaha Corp.’s (Shizuoka, Japan) Board of Directors, at its June 19 meeting, decided to make an offer to the founders of NEXO S.A. (Paris, France) to acquire all their shares of NEXO at 51.542 Euro per share. After completion of this transaction, Yamaha’s share holding would rise to 74.9% of the share capital (on a fully diluted basis). Yamaha intends to acquire 100% through a tender offer on the financial market on which NEXO’s shares are listed.
In June 2005, Yamaha purchased a 10.22% interest in NEXO, which offers commercial high-output speaker systems for use in large concert venues, halls and theaters, and entered into a strategic alliance with the company. NEXO and Yamaha combined their expertise to develop the NXAMP Powered Digital TD controller. Yamaha has concluded that its joint activities with NEXO would generate results at a substantially accelerated pace if the two companies could work in closer cooperation.
If NEXO becomes a subsidiary, Yamaha will further develop the NEXO brand as well as its expertise, strengthening capabilities for creating system solutions.

Panasonic is a leading manufacturer of award-winning projectors that sets the standard for the entire industry. From user-inspired design to advanced engineering using proprietary technology, innovation is what sets Panasonic Projectors apart from the competition. Our products are designed to meet the specific demands of users in government, business, education, F500, rental & staging and houses of worship. Panasonic Projector Systems Company is a core manufacturer and a unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE:MC) of Japan, and the hub of its U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations.

AMX ACQUIRES ATRIUM GROUP DEVELOPMENTS LTD.
AMX (Richardson TX) has acquired United Kingdom-based Atrium Group Developments Ltd., a software company providing video content management systems, and has launched Atrium's seventh-generation IPTV solution. Re-branded Vision2, the solution is a modular, fully integrated video capture, management and broadcast system for delivering live, on-demand and/or scheduled video. According to AMX president/CEO Rashid Skaf, "With the addition of Vision2, AMX can now provide our customers with more than just the hardware needed to build a video distribution solution. By adding content management software to our portfolio, we are simplifying both the deployment and utilization of video throughout any organization."
Noted Jonathan Sears-Corfield, Atrium CEO, "With access to AMX's sales and distribution channel, as well as its marketing organization, we will now be able to deploy our solution to organizations throughout the world—a dream I have had for nearly two decades."
Atrium Group Developments will be fully integrated into AMX, and all current employees will now be AMX employees.

RATIONAL ACOUSTICS ENTERS PROFESSIONAL AUDIO INDUSTRY
Rational Acoustics LLC (Putnam CT), founded by industry veterans Jamie Anderson, Karen Anderson, Calvert Dayton and Adam Black, has entered the professional audio industry, focusing on providing training classes and product sales in the field of acoustic test and measurement and system alignment. The company is also developing a system alignment software and hardware products.
“The art and practice of system alignment is as varied and expanding as the people, equipment and applications that encompass the field,” remarked Jamie Anderson, CEO and resident Educator Guy. “Anyone who understands their tools can create new and effective ways to use them, and our goal is to help that process along for the benefit of the measurement community as a whole.”
Classes offered by Rational Acoustics address both general system alignment theory/practice and specific product training, currently Smaart-specific, because “that is where the majority of us have recently come from,” noted Anderson. “But as we continue to grow, we’ll include other measurement platforms. We’re not promoting a single product or solution; rather, we’re here to provide the best range of technologies, techniques, tools and practices to help people get their jobs done.”

Sanyo Offers PLV-WF10 Projector

Sanyo builds a wider variety of LCD projectors than any other manufacturer in the business. They manufacture about 30 models and targets unique market niches like no other vendor. The Sanyo PLV-WF10 is a prime example in which Sanyo has combined high resolution widescreen LCD panels with a two-lamp 4000 ANSI lumen light engine to produce a large venue video projector unlike anything else on the market. The contrast is rated at 900:1 which, combined with the high light output, is plenty to deliver a picture with excellent color saturation and shadow detail. The especially bright PLV-WF10 delivers a unique experience that invigorates the senses with energy that comes from a bright picture that is missing on dimmer units. Though the WF10 could be deployed in an oversized residential home theater, the ideal use is in any larger venue where high quality video and HDTV is required.
For over 10 years, IAVI has been assisting professional AV dealers and system integrators by providing professional quality service. By offering specialized solutions to dealers who support unique customer demands, IAVI has become the preferred premier wholesale supplier of professional AV products worldwide. Visit us today at IAVI.com.

TOA ELECTRONICS DELVES INTO DIGITAL SIGNAGE
TOA Electronics, Inc. (South San Francisco CA), has added digital signage solutions to its product line. In partnership with Orion Images Corp. (Cypress CA), TOA offers kiosks, multi-panel displays and public view monitors to the United States AV market. Orion is a global manufacturer of LCD video monitors, and now TOA’s dealer channel has access to Orion’s lineup of LCD-based digital signage products.

CLEARONE GRANTED TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER
On June 26, the United States District Court entered an order granting a request from ClearOne (Salt Lake City UT) for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against any sale or transfer of ownership of certain assets of WideBand Solutions, Inc., a Massachusetts corporation, to WideBand Solutions, Inc., a Georgia corporation. It is related to ClearOne’s lawsuit (ClearOne Communications, Inc. v. Andrew Chiang, et. al. Civil No. 2:07-co-37 TC), in which ClearOne alleges, among other things, theft of intellectual property and copyright infringement.
The TRO provides that “ClearOne has met the elements necessary for issuance of a TRO to preserve the status quo,” and imposes certain prohibitions against any sale or transfer of ownership of certain of the defendants’ assets, consisting of certain computer code and algorithms. The TRO also states that none of the defendants’ profits from the Disputed Code may be transferred or conveyed to the Georgia entity.

BELDEN PLANS TO ACQUIRE TRAPEZE NETWORKS
Belden (Richmond IN) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Trapeze Networks (Pleasanton CA), a provider of WLAN equipment and management software, for $133 million in cash. Wireless extends the reach of Belden's physical-layer cable and connectivity products, and enables the company to address customers’ growing mobility needs.
According to John Stroup, Belden president/CEO, "We believe [this acquisition] uniquely positions Belden to offer our enterprise customers tailored connectivity solutions that benefit from blending the strengths of copper, fiber and wireless technologies....The acquisition will make Belden the…largest unified wired and wireless solutions provider and will provide expanded market access for Trapeze Networks' Smart Mobile solutions.”
Stroup further noted, "The acquisition of Trapeze Networks furthers our strategy, and we expect that it will provide a return on invested capital for Belden consistent with or better than that of our successful 2007 acquisitions. We expect that the total dilutive impact of revenue deferral and amortization for six months in 2008 to be $0.15 to $0.20 and in 2009 $0.25 to $0.30. Despite this impact, we expect the transaction to be neutral in operating cash flow in 2008 and a positive contributor to operating cash flow in 2009 and beyond.”

BARCO ACQUIRES HIGH END SYSTEMS, FORTIFYING EVENTS MARKET PRESENCE
Barco (Kortrijk, Belgium) has acquired High End Systems, Inc. (HES, Austin TX), a global technology provider of automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls that employs 156 people and is profitable, with $44 million in sales (2007). The companies believe the acquisition reinforces Barco’s position in the converging video and lighting segments. The total value of the transaction is $55 million. About 80% of HES’ sales are in rental and staging/events, complementary for Barco, which is heavily involved with LED video displays, large venue projectors, creative LED products and image processing products. HES will be fully integrated into Barco’s Media and Entertainment division.
The acquisition provides Barco with an additional patent portfolio in digital lighting, along with increased distribution channels and product offerings worldwide. According to the companies, the acquisition fulfills another strategic goal, strengthening Barco’s position in North America, and will create an opportunity to strengthen its natural hedging over time as the HES product portfolio will be further rolled out globally.

CADAC ELECTRONICS GOES INTO ADMINISTRATION
After 40 years of operation, the directors of Cadac Electronics plc (Bedfordshire UK) have placed the company into administration following a sudden, unexpected falloff in anticipated sales of the company's analog products. Anthony Kent of Maidment Judd (Harpenden, Hertfordshire) has been appointed administrator.
Having recovered from its financial difficulties of the last three years, Cadac was close to putting its new digital console into production to fulfill an anticipated order book of about $3.9 million. The directors are hopeful that buyers can be found for Cadac, because not only is the S-Digital console approaching production, but also the sales, service, refurbishment and new production of Cadac's analog desks is an ongoing business.
According to managing director Bob Thomas, "It is heartbreaking to see this great company go under at this stage. Although additional bank financing had been put in place to complete the S-Digital development and to get its production underway, the sudden slump in forecast analog sales...meant that Cadac would be unable to maintain the underlying cash flow necessary for its survival. Sadly, unless we can find a buyer for the company, the S-Digital…will disappear, along with Cadac."

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