SARNOFF...and WAVX go even MORE digital.
Sarnoff and Mercury Launch AgileVision to Design and Build Digital TV Studio Equipment
Updated 6:28 PM ET September 8, 1999
Company To Market "DTV Station in a Box" Studio Equipment to Broadcasters and Cable Providers With First Products to Preview in Fall '99
CHELMSFORD, Mass. (BUSINESS WIRE) - Sarnoff Corporation and Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRCY), announced today the official launch of AgileVision, a digital television (DTV) equipment company they predict will change the way broadcasters and cable providers deliver programming in the age of DTV. Industry forecasters predict a $500 million to $1 billion total market for DTV studio equipment over the next 6 years as the broadcast and cable industry perform the massive shift from the 50-year old analog NTSC tape-centric environment to the new digital broadcast systems.
AgileVision will integrate innovative, patented technology to offer a broad line of "DTV Station in a Box"(TM) equipment, the premier model of which will preview in the fourth-quarter of this calendar year. The company's objective is to turn the risks surrounding the shift from analog to digital technology into opportunity for the station operators by providing them affordable, entry-level DTV capabilities to meet FCC compliance while being fully upgradeable to perform additional functions as the operators make decisions on what new services to provide. The ability to use a single, scalable system to perform several functions, which previously have required multiple individual, dedicated-function boxes, will reduce overall complexity and cost of operations for many broadcasters, allowing them to invest in new revenue-generation activities as the industry searches for the best ways to capitalize on the new digital environment.
In addition to being able to broadcast digital high-definition television (HDTV) programs, the new ATSC standard for digital television allows operators to broadcast multiple streams ("multicast") of Standard Definition Television (SDTV) programming. Utilizing this standard, broadcasters can transmit three, four, five, or more such program streams simultaneously. It also allows broadcasters to send video, audio, and data simultaneously, giving them an opportunity to generate new revenues from a potentially wide range of new services, dynamically switching easily and quickly from one type of service to another throughout the day. But, as with any industry transition period, with this increased broadcast bandwidth and flexibility comes increased risks associated with rapidly changing technology, changing market adoption patterns, and new competition.
"By reducing the risk and costs associated with the shift from analog to digital technology, AgileVision's products will allow broadcasters to invest with confidence in DTV now," said Jay Bertelli, President and CEO of Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. " AgileVision's products will be functionally flexible, through software and hardware modules, and expandable to meet rapidly changing market requirements. Broadcast and cable station operators will not have to contend with the rapid obsolescence they would otherwise face with dedicated single-function hard-wired devices. The scalable product line will allow the operators to control their transition of services more smoothly."
According to James Carnes, President and CEO of Sarnoff Corporation, the new company's game plan is to fast-track its product development to meet the needs of broadcasters and cable operators who must convert to the new world of DTV in the next three years. "AgileVision will give the industry an affordable entry into DTV that grows with them. For example, they can start with a cost-effective basic package of encoding, insertion and splicing functionality to provide high-quality, standard definition TV formats. Later they can upgrade the same platform to perform HDTV formats, transcoding, multicasting, enhanced services, and other functions as the technology develops and their business models evolve."
Joint Effort
AgileVision has been formed as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) between the Sarnoff Corporation and Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. Over $6 million in initial financing has been committed to the joint venture from the two shareholders. In addition to being equity holders, Mercury will provide the new entity with a scalable, high-performance image processing platform which has proven stability and reliability in life-critical operations such as health-care and defense, while Sarnoff will provide AgileVision with a broad range of leading-edge video processing software and technology developed and tested as part of their on-going visionary DTV activities with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Both companies will continue to provide personnel support to the new company while it staffs up its own expert engineering, sales, and service capabilities. Since June of this year, over 20 technical staff comprised from both companies have been working on product development, refining and expanding the functionality, as they prepare for introduction of their first products. The Board of Directors is currently interviewing candidates for President and CEO, as well as other key contributor positions, and expects forthcoming announcements within the next few weeks.
Contact:
Gary Olin Tom Lento
Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. Sarnoff Corporation
978-256-1300 609-734-3178
About Sarnoff Corporation
Sarnoff Corporation of Princeton, NJ (http://www.sarnoff.com), creates and commercializes electronic, biomedical and information technology. Founded in 1942 as RCA laboratories, Sarnoff has been a wholly-owned, for-profit subsidiary of SRI International since 1987. Building on decades of innovation that include the development of color television and the liquid-crystal display, and pioneering work in the creation of digital and high definition TV, Sarnoff now works with a wide variety of industry and government clients to develop and improve specific technologies that will help change the world. A key element of the company's overall strategy is the founding of new companies that bring its technologies to market. Eleven such companies are in various stages of development.
About Mercury Computer Systems
Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRCY), founded in 1983 and headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts (http://www.mc.com), is a leading independent producer of high-performance digital signal and image processing computer systems. Mercury has been providing high-performance, scalable processing systems to OEMs, prime contractors, and systems integrators for over 15 years, giving medical diagnostic imaging platforms and battlefield surveillance systems a "digital eye." Mercury's technology is used in applications that help doctors to see and operate on tumors with less invasive surgery, battlefield commanders to locate the enemy day or night, and security personnel to recognize explosives hidden in baggage.
"DTV Station in a Box" is a trademark of AgileVision, LLC.
Contact: Mercury Computer Systems, Inc., Chelmsford Gary Olin, 978/256-1300 or Sarnoff Corporation, Princeton Tom Lento, 609/734-3178
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