Acquisition Brings Name Change

Entertainment technology vendor Digital Vision has changed its name and added new markets following its acquisition of a software development and film digitizing firm. The company, which has its U.S. headquarters in North Hollywood, will now be known as Image Systems, the name of the Swedish company it recently purchased. Both companies have the same technological background and have worked together in Sweden, where both companies started. But then the companies went in different directions. Digital Vision served the entertainment and media markets with color correction, image enhancement and restoration systems and software. FOUNDED: 2011 following the merger of Image Systems and Digital Vision. U.S. HEADQUARTERS: North Hollywood CORE OF BUSINESS: Color correction, image enhancement, film restoration, and scanning and digitizing of high-speed film Industries served: Entertainment and media, defense, automotive, industrial. Image Systems, on the other hand, went after the defense, automotive, and film restoration markets with its motion analysis and film scanning products. Combining the two companies will provide a huge opportunity to up sell the products both offer, said Mikael Jacobsson, the chief executive of the newly renamed company. “We know the customers of Image Systems will need the image enhancement,” Jacobsson said. The company will maintain its North Hollywood offices and other domestic locations will be consolidated there. The Digital Vision product line names, Nucoda and Phoenix, will remain untouched. The U.S. market accounts for 45 percent to 50 percent of Image System’s business, Jacobsson said. The acquisition was announced in December and completed this month, just in time for Image Systems to make a big splash at the National Association of Broadcasters expo in Las Vegas. Three units In addition to the new name – which reflects the core expertise in “image science” – the company will now be divided into three business units of media, defense, and motion. While both companies were growing on their own, combining them puts their respective products in the hands of new customers. For the defense industry, for example, Image Systems has scanners that can quickly take film shot on high speed cameras during reconnaissance missions and test flights and digitize it. Another piece of equipment can then be used for advanced motion analysis. What it lacked is what Digital Vision provides – equipment to enhance the film and make it cleaner. The scanners and motion analysis equipment is also used on crash test films to improve vehicle safety; to study the performance of athletes, and in research and development. Award winner Those applications are a far cry from how Digital Vision made its name with film studios, broadcasters and post-production houses. The firm’s color correction and mastering equipment has been used on Oscar nominated films, and is a two-time winner of the Engineering Award given by the Hollywood Post Alliance. In the new organization, Martin Bennett heads up the media business unit to be located in London. Bennett joined Digital Vision in 2008 after more than 10 years at Avid. The customers of each firm, however, want something different. Those using Image Systems equipment are more interested in looking into the film to remove scratches and get the optimal image, Jacobsson explained. The Digital Vision customer, on the other hand, is more interested in what is on the film, he added. “The media industry is fast growing and demanding workflow systems,” Jacobsson said. “The customer is not satisfied with just a scanned image; they want to get it integrated with the workflow.” As the chief executive (and the majority shareholder), Jacobsson said his role takes on three tasks of integrating the two companies as smoothly as possible; create up-selling opportunities; and then to get Image Systems growing in 2012.