Archive for July 28th, 2010

Francisco Partners, a San Francisco, California-based private equity firm focused on investments in technology-based companies, has made a binding offer to Technicolor (Euronext Paris: 18453; NYSE: TCH) for the acquisition of the Grass Valley Broadcast & Professional business activities.

With nearly $5 billion of capital under management, Francisco Partners is one of the world’s largest technology-focused private equity funds. The firm was founded to pursue structured investments in technology and technology-based companies with a strong foundation and secure market position. Francisco Partner targets investments in private companies, with transaction values ranging from $30 million to $2 billion. Since its inception, Francisco Partners has invested in excess of $4 billion of equity capital in over 50 technology companies. more

SAN FRANCISCO — July 28, 2010 — Wohler Technologies today announced the opening of a new Wohler service center serving customers in the EMEA territory. Based in France, the Wohler EMEA Service Center will act as the first line of second- and third-tier support for Wohler customers, not only enabling faster turnaround times, but also simplifying administrative paperwork and shipping procedures. First-tier support and administrative tasks, such as RMA requests, will continue to be handled by staff at Wohler’s U.S. headquarters. more

Innovative Facility Will Take Delivery of 2 Additional Digital Vision Systems

(London and Los Angeles) Digital Vision, provider of powerful image enhancement, color correction and restoration systems in the production and enhancement of feature films, TV programs and commercials, has announced that MTI Film has added two more Nucoda Film Masters to the pipeline at their new Sycamore Street facility in Hollywood, California. MTI, with more than a decade of experience providing leading-edge solutions to the post-production industry, is in the process of expanding its post-production services for television post production and restoration services. more

Console Used for Live Sports and Entertainment Events
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – When Liga TV decided to move into HD production for its new Sport 1 OB van, the console of choice was a 32+8 fader Solid State Logic C100 HDS with an SSL MORSE Stage Box. Liga TV specializes in providing production services for live sporting events, large scale music concerts and other live events. The new OB van is the first to offer HD capabilities in Hungary. The choice of the C100 HDS was based on console features, versatility, ease of use and SSL’s reputation for reliability and service. more

Future Media Concepts calls on epic storyteller Stephen Rivkin to chronicle his stereoscopic journey through Pandora at Europe’s largest broadcast exhibition

New York, NY – July 29, 2010 – Future Media Concepts (FMC), the premier authorized digital media training organization for post-production, broadcast, and content creators, has announced that Oscar®-nominated Avatar editor, Stephen Rivkin, will be the keynote speaker at their first-ever IBC Digital Media Training Workshops, held from Saturday 11 – Sunday 12 September amid the world-renown IBC. Rivkin’s feature editing career began in 1979 with the low budget romantic comedy The Personals. Soon thereafter, he worked on a variety of TV movies and a mixture of comedy and action films, including Robin Hood: Men in Tights for director Mel Brooks, four films for director Norman Jewison, including The Hurricane starring Denzel Washington; the action-thriller Swordfish with John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry;and Michael Mann’s bio pic Ali, starring Will Smith. more

To get the gaming world psyched for the release of its new motion-sensing controller PlayStation Move, electronics giant Sony teamed up with San Francisco-based creative studio TEAK to concept, produce and handle post-production on “Move”, a three-minute film that premiered at the annual E3 video game conference this past June. more

Each time a new gadget craze sweeps the Internet, there’s a high probability that the movers and shakers in the advertising world will be among its earliest (and most enthusiastic) adopters ⎯ especially if the brand name “Apple” is attached. When the tech giant released its interactive iPad tablet in May, developers and producers working in the ad space immediately began to explore its implications on filmmaking. more

— GRAMMY® winner discusses Waves Chris Lord-Alge Artist Signature Collection —

KNOXVILLE, TN, July 22, 2010 — The Waves Masters on Tour event series held special sessions featuring legendary mixer Chris Lord-Alge on the evenings of Saturday, July 17, 2010, at Sterling Audio in New York City’s Chelsea Market, and Monday, July 19, 2010, at Sweetwater Music in Fort Wayne, Indiana. For over 20 years, the GRAMMY® winner has been the mixer of choice for rock and roll royalty, with credits including Green Day, U2, Nickelback, Foo Fighters, Bon Jovi, Pink, Alanis Morissette, Dave Matthews Band, All American Rejects and countless others. At these Waves events, Lord-Alge discussed and demonstrated his latest collaboration with Waves, the Chris Lord-Alge Artist Signature Collection. more

STOW, OH, July 22, 2010 — Audio-Technica is pleased to announce that Pine City, New York-based Ark Productions & Marketing has been presented with A-T’s prestigious President’s Award. The award was presented by Marc Lee Shannon, Audio-Technica Vice President, Sales, and John Cheese, Territory Manager, Professional Products, to Ark Productions Principal Tim Chamberlain. The coveted A-T President’s Award was presented at a ceremony during this year’s InfoComm Expo on June 9th in Las Vegas, Nevada. more

— Industry veteran Doug Simpson will address and support the audio/video needs of the Las Vegas hotel, club and recording studio sectors —

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, July 22, 2010 — Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on the needs of professional users, has appointed industry veteran Doug Simpson to spearhead a new sales initiative specifically geared toward providing the Las Vegas market with special access to all of GC Pro’s services, with a particular focus on the hotel/hospitality industry. The announcement was made by GC Pro Director Rick Plushner, and represents the division’s ongoing commitment to the continuing growth of GC Pro as a turnkey supplier for professional end users. more