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Technology Stocks : Ampex Corporation (AEXCA) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sam Citron who wrote (6248)	3/15/1999 9:43:00 PM
From: PERDIEM	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17679

i suspect the range of the ampex portfolio would surprise you How about the BIG screen! starwars.com This is definitely a look at the future, I hope AXC can get a piece of this action! Regards

To: Sam Citron who wrote (6248)	3/16/1999 6:04:00 AM
From: flickerful	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17679

sam... of patents, zenith , cargo cults, and a different slant on history. first, a link to the ibm patent server... patents.ibm.com the ampex portfolio contains: "...Over 1100 active patents with the core in magnetic recording, digital imaging and audio etc. " [ excerpt from jubimer's #reply-8144169, below ] second, you note, in pertinent part: "... some thought that Zenith would win the HDTV standards battles against heavyweights like Lucent. It's the classic cargo cult mentality -- the new technology is going to drop down from the sky to restore the tribe to its former glory. What is DST 19mm? Does this form factor have any particular significance? What is it's advantage? What chance, realistically does this flea sized company have of its solution becoming a standard. I'm not sure AXC would have the marketing muscle to do the job if it had the best technology on the planet...." ampex shares with zenith a historical brand name recognition: but the similarities end there. and, i would disagree as to any "cargo cult mentality" prevailing in bramsonian era ampex: they have hardly waited for any "new technology" to "drop" from anywhere to "restore the old tribe to its former glory." in fact, i would think quite the opposite has been the subtext at work, including the influx of major R&D funds, even when shareholders may have winced. [ and nowithstanding such expenditures, note well the bottom line has always been a far cry from the debacle seen at zenith ....] bramson and co., if anything, erred on the side of premature entrance to a bandwidth-poor market. "what is DST 19mm...what chance, realistically does this flea sized company have of its solution becoming a standard..." i will leave aside for the moment, a response to the issue of DST, and refer you again to jubimer's above-referenced post... Ampex history...featured in Phil Fisher's classic, "Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits"...went public in 1953 and increased in value 700% in 4 years and 3500% in 6 years. Was a public, high flyer until about 1969 when it was bought out by Allied Signal...Allied sold in April 1987 to an LBO group headed by management and Ed Bramson's group, financed by Mike Milken's Drexel Burnham. Peter Ackerman was the point guy for Milken. The LBO entity was called NHI. In 1992, Ampex went public again through Lehman at $6. Sold 23% to the public, NHI retained 77%(approx.) The outstanding debt from the LBO was obligation of NHI not Ampex the subsidiary. MGMT ran the company from 87 until 91 when Bramson stepped in to assume day to day and basically restructure the Company to continue to spend hundreds of millions on R and D, yet survive until Digital TV became a reality..NHI got no cash from Ampex to service bonds so NHI did a prepackaged bankruptcy in 1994-95 which gave about 60% of the equity to bondholders in exchange for their debt. That is where many of us old originals got involved..bondholders dumped their stock and some of us bought for below a buck, but at an average of 1.25-2. Bramson in Feb 1995 bought 1.6 million shares in the open market..got our attention. Stock was selling at riduculous P/E cheap cheap..like now. Over 1100 active patents with the core in magnetic recording, digital imaging and audio etc. The underlying strategy is very simple really and has a huge payoff if successful which is why we are here ... 1. invent technology for the high end products...DST DCR etc. 2. Patent it. Commercialize it and sell it in the high end market place..so DCR DST DCT are out there as the BEST in their fields. 3. Eventually, technology innovations find their way into mass consumer products. Royalties on camcorders now is example of this. KM another. huge payoff...basically if image technology or force feedback or whatever finds its way into Digital TV's, DVDs etc...we just want Ampex to get $1 in income per TV sold. Look up how many Tvs sold in the US alone each year and you begin to get the "picture". Acquisition strategy is simply to quit waiting for market to adopt your technology. Make smart acquisitions where you want to be. Leverage your capital, mgmt and technology in the acquisitions..Get high quality video in everybody's face on the web. The recurring theme is shitty video...solution is bandwidth and Ampex.... Get it out there..Brand it....mr fortune 500...do you want your video ad banner on the web in shitty video or premium Ampex Brand video.....