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Imerge Closes Media Server Business
Imerge at ISE 2010
With today's news of Imerge's demise, we should ask again: doe the media server category have legs? View this discussion thread.
The latest casualty is Imerge, the UK-based manufacturer whose Xiva platform was once the darling of third-party server vendors.
Imerge was one of the most established developers of music servers, particularly in Europe, offering the popular audio-only SoundServer since since the early 2000s. The company added DVD management capabilities by 2008.
Imerge CEO Cameron Wade said in a letter to customers and partners, “It is with great regret that I must inform you today that, effective immediately, Imerge Ltd. is ceasing all business operations.”
Wade says the decision to close shop was made by parent company Nortek, Inc. “as part of a larger restructuring of its Home Technology Group of companies.”
That group comprises several manufacturers in the custom electronics business, including Linear, SpeakerCraft, LiteTouch, Gefen, Omnimount and Panamax. Recently, Nortek combined three subsidiaries – Elan (with Sunfire), Niles and Xantech under a single umbrella known casually as the Linear Audio Video Control group.
Nortek is in the habit of acquiring profitable companies, but by all accounts Imerge was not profitable when it was purchased in 2005. So why did Nortek buy it? We had some opinions back then
Before it distributed Imerge, SpeakerCraft itself sold a media server based on Imerge’s platform. The same goes for Crestron, Elan, Integra, Linn, Marantz, Meridian, Niles, Onkyo, Revox and Xantech. All of these top-tier brands licensed Xiva for their own media management solutions.
Media Servers in 2010
Just halfway through the year, we declare 2010 a bad year for the custom media server category. By April, Sunfire and Colorado vNet had dropped their DVD server products. Escient, a pioneer of the category, closed its doors for good.
All three of those companies had generally ceased development on their music and movie servers, but Imerge was different. The company showcased perhaps its most ambitious new product line ever during Integrated Systems Europe (ISE 2010) in January.
There, Imerge introduced the MS1-HD, which added a Blu-ray drive to its flagship MS1 movie/music server. With the MS1 line, Imerge moved all storage out of the player and onto networked servers called XiVASafe. Blu-ray discs and DVDs could be played on the MS1 and copied to the servers for access anywhere in the home.
A clever iPod/iPhone navigation tool (video) let users flip through menus and select media with flicks and taps.
Also during ISE, Imerge introduced a novel music store, apparently unique in the industry.
The Xiva Music Store (video), powered by 7digital, recommends songs and albums based on the user’s own CD collection stored on Imerge. With a few clicks of the remote, customers can purchase music for their XiVASafe hard disk.
“Our customers don’t necessarily listen to popular music,” said Imerge’s James Meredith during ISE. “When we researched, we found out just how difficult it is to find music they like.”
Purchased music then could be synchronized with the user’s iTunes library.
Imerge: A Sad Loss
There were rumblings that Imerge might find a buyer in its final days, but so far an eleventh-hour rescuer has not emerged.
Dan Benjamin, who headed U.S. sales for Imerge until yesterday, tells CE Pro, “We were really making great headway.”
He says, “Dealers were clamoring for a viable alternative” to the handful of media server brands currently serving the custom installation market.
Is it still possible Imerge could be revived? “I hope so,” says Benjamin. “I would be 100-percent on board.”
http://www.imerge.co.uk
Read CEO Cameron Wade's letter to Imerge customers
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Article Topics
News · Product News · Video · Digital Media · Media Servers · Movie Servers · Nortek · Media Server · Imerge · Xiva ·About the Author
18 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
Here are the movie servers currently serving the custom market. Please let me know who I’m missing.
Complete systems with copy/storing/management:
Fusion
Envive
Kaleidescape
Request
Mozaex (formerly Axonix)
Aggregation/management only, not copy/store
Control4
Crestron
Media Centers (serving custom market)
Niveus
Vidabox
S1Digital
Ace Computers
Well, while it is sad to see Imerge go, do remember that not only does Naimnet have piece for piece replacements for several of the models but we have some innovative configurations as well.
For the traditional analogue distribution market as well as the IP connected NaimNet and DigiLinX markets, and with Drivers for Crestron, AMX already on the books for many months and Control 4 driver on the way. Entry level UnitiServe for the UPnP market as well.
All with first class tech support and training, and direct distribution by Naim Inc in the USA. Global distribution through qualified high capability Distributors.
http://www.naimnet.com
A sad day though and sincere best wishes to all involved.
Thanks, Alan. Does Naim support DVD copying and management?
Let’s have a pool on which Nortek company will be the next to fold.
Julie it doesn’t. It’s a music server that’s part of its UntiSystem whole-house, wireless audio system line.
Robert is quite right, it is audio only, however it serves into both NaimNet and Uniti system. NaimNet is an IP based system and Uniti is UPnP.
We also make the worlds only upgradable music server.
For what’s it worth I think it’s a great shame Imerge have gone. They blazed a trail and made some very good products!
I wish all of their staff the best.
As former VP Sales, I’m biased, but ReQuest pretty much has it all. MRAV, MP3, WAV, Flac, DVD server w/ BluRay control. Supports 3rd party drive arrays. Multi-home media sync. Webserver. Remote diagnostics. Killer integration API. Oh yes, and they are a rock sold business with over a decade serving the CEDIA channel. Less spendy than KScape. Syncs with iTunes, control by iPhone. Hulu, YouTube, etc., etc. Love my ReQuest!
I’m biased too but our line of Media Servers using our DVDLobby / MusicLobby products can do everything KScape and Request can too and a whole lot more. Cinemar should be in the list too.
Hi, DAve—can you please shoot me an email with a sample whole-house media distribution system incl. hw and sw?
jjacobson at ehpub dot com
Thanks!
Now that the MacMini has HDMI out, XBMC on the Mac is a great option for media management.
RE: Cinemar & DVD Lobby
Yeah, except that they sell DIRECTLY to ANYONE (ie: end users) right off their own site.
Here is any even cheaper option for that “market” DAVE…. MyMovies.
Flip, product exclusivity is nice, but you’re going to run into problems if that is your sole criteria for selecting lines.
Since everybody uses “Imerge” and “DVD ripping” within the same sentence. 
Did their MS-1(HD) really support DVD ripping out of the box? To the best of my knowledge their older MS5000 did NOT. The dealer had to install a piece of software onto the machine before it would rip commercial (read encrypted) DVDs. So if there would have been some legal issues, the dealer were hosed. This is NOT nice….
Imerge had the tiger by the tail in 2005, did they not? Countless licensees to include Crestron, Elan, Sonance and Integra. A solid install base of audio servers (branded and OEM), good support and interesting products.
They blew it.
Products with no upgrade path. Products prone to thermal failure. Poor QC. Outdated, buggy controller software. DVD controllers nobody wanted. Forcing installers to install a dvd ripping app.
Lastly, establishing an online music store. You know, for when Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, Itunes or Rhapsody just won’t do.
Another one gone. So sad. Well at least there is still the mighty K-Scape as well as the newer Mozaex (formerly known as Axonix) and a handful of others.