Another acquisition. A new CEO. There was some massive news that broke last week that was just too big to hold to our weekly recap.
The big news of the week was that Biamp acquired the assets of ClearOne. Wanting to know more, our own Mark J. Pescatore caught up with Joe Andrulis, EVP of corporate development for Biamp, and Derek Graham, CEO, ClearOne, to find out what exactly this means, not only for both companies, but their respective customers. You can read more here.
Two days later, Diversified made headlines by appointing Paul Lidsky as CEO. What does this mean for the integrator? Click here to find out.
And perhaps the most shocking news of the week was that No. 10 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups upset No. 1 Snickers in our SCN Halloween Candy Showdown bracket. Thank you to all our newsletter readers and LinkedIn followers that voted. It was a record-setting number! If you missed it, here is the round-by-round recap, with interviews from the winning candies.
People News
PPDS Names Bruce Wyrwitzke as New Senior Director of Sales for North America
PPDS has promoted Bruce Wyrwitzke to the leadership role of senior director of sales for North America. Leading PPDS’ total solutions growth strategy to support all market verticals in North America, Wyrwitzke, who is now entering his 25th year as an AV professional, joined PPDS as sales director in 2021.
During this period, Wyrwitzke has proved himself to be an accomplished leader, playing a pivotal role in positioning the company as a disruptive force in North America. In his new position, he will oversee all PPDS sales in North America, including digital signage, interactive displays, videowalls, dvLED, and professional TV, as well as complementary hardware and software, while continuing to support partners, customers, and colleagues on projects that extend beyond U.S. shores.
Riedel Communications Appoints Ulrich Voigt as Director Live Production Solutions
Riedel Communications welcomed Ulrich Voigt as director live production solutions, taking over the SimplyLive business leadership role from Luc Doneux. Voigt, a broadcast industry expert with 28 years of experience with software-based live production, has a focus on further integrating the SimplyLive product family into Riedel’s overall live video solutions strategy and driving additional growth across the business.
Voigt previously served as global head of product management and cloud transformation at Vizrt, where he was responsible for the strategic direction of software-based broadcast graphics, automation, and live production solutions. As member of the executive management team, he played a key role in the company's transformation towards integrated and cloud-based solutions and modern business models. Prior to Vizrt, Voigt was head of design at Qvest Media, leading the technological alignment of multi-system solutions for global consulting and systems integration projects.
Company News
Solid State Logic Appoints Commercial Audio as its Distributor in Czech Republic and Slovakia
Solid State Logic appointed Commercial Audio as its distributor in the Czech Republic and Slovakia regions. The company will provide end-to-end distribution services for SSL and Harrison Audio in both countries, including warehousing, logistics and support. The appointment builds on SSL's existing relationship with Commercial Audio in Poland for nearly 20 years, and will cover ACP (audio creation products) and large format consoles for live, broadcast, and studio.
Headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, Commercial Audio is known for its excellence in distribution, systems integration, and project management. The company has recently expanded its reach into Czech Republic and Slovakia with a dedicated team, while enhancing its knowledge base and capabilities.
tvONE and Matrox Video Partner on AV over IP Integration
tvONE announced a strategic partnership with Matrox Video, combining CALICO PRO’s high-performance video processing with the Matrox ConvertIP Series of encoders/decoders and converters. This integration enables connectivity to SMPTE ST 2110 and IPMX infrastructures, supporting compressed and uncompressed workflows with pixel-perfect results across a range of environments including broadcast, live events, control rooms, and experiential.
With CALICO PRO’s 66-million-pixel engine and Matrox Video’s FPGA core, customers gain flexibility, fidelity, and future-proof performance. Adding ST 2110 workflows to CALICO PRO enables direct integration into broadcast-grade IP infrastructures, allowing it to ingest uncompressed, low-latency video streams with precision. Customers can bypass traditional signal limitations, route content dynamically across fiber networks, and deploy CALICO PRO as a central processing hub in distributed environments. With IPMX support, it bridges the gap between Pro AV and broadcast, making CALICO PRO a versatile powerhouse in hybrid workflows.
Zoox: The Official Autonomous Ride-Hail Partner of the Vegas Sphere
Sphere Entertainment and Zoox, the autonomous ride-hailing company, announced a multi-faceted partnership that will make Zoox the official autonomous ride-hail partner of Sphere. As part of this partnership, the venue will have a dedicated autonomous vehicle ride-hail pick-up and drop off zone at Sphere, where guests will be able to utilize Zoox’s robotaxi ride-hail services through the Zoox app.
Zoox is creating a unique way to explore Las Vegas in a purpose-built robotaxi that gives riders back time, space, and choice. In September, Zoox officially launched its robotaxi service in Las Vegas, becoming the first company in history to provide a fully autonomous ride-hailing service in a purpose-built robotaxi.
