High-def, baby!
As the world tunes in to ultra-sharp television screens, a Pennsylvania firm is feeding the demand, enabling high-definition video transmission to as many as 14,000 screens in one location.
Z-Band, a nine-person firm based near the Army War College in Carlisle, is the force behind the video distribution systems at two of the state’s new casinos, Hollywood Casino at Penn National Raceway, and Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, as well as Newsweek’s headquarters in New York City and Dow Chemical’s office in Shanghai.
“The trend is being propelled by high-def at home,” says co-founder Dick Snyder, “But now it’s in universities, K-12 schools, federal government agencies, multi-tenant buildings, hotels, hospitals and businesses. Wherever there are 50 or more TVs, that’s our sweet spot.”
Z-Band’s broadband video distribution system broadcasts CATV/HDTV/IPTV, satellite, internally generated video and other video-on-demand services.
When Snyder and two other executives at AMP Incorporated lost their jobs in its takeover by Tyco and formed Z-Band in 1999, high-def was still in development. But the firm’s timely technology, using CAT 5/6 cable instead of traditional coaxial cable, has boosted its industry profile. Z-Band’s technology also delivers VDV (voice-data-video) transmissions.
Snyder sees IPTV as the next frontier in video. Pointing out that VOIP (voice over internet protocol) has taken a decade to penetrate 40 percent of the commercial market, he says that it may take 10 to 15 years for IPTV to catch on. Z-Band technology offers the industry a bridge to that future.
Z-Band subcontracts manufacturing to EMSG of York. Snyder says Z-Band will soon add three employees and 3,000 square feet of space at its headquarters. Though revenues at the privately-held firm are still under $10 million annually, he says Z-Band is “profitable and growing.”
Source: Dick Snyder, Z-Band
Writer: Chris O’Toole
