The media server market is changing rapidly. Streaming options continue to abound, especially at the lower end, while manufacturers keep coming and going at the higher end. The recent Kaleidescape shakeup, for example, sent shockwaves through the market, but competitor Fusion Research wants the industry to know that it is standing steady with a 10-year history in the business.
“Since the Kaleidescape announcement just before CEDIA, we have sold four months of inventory in just one month, so our guys have been a little busy here,” notes vice president of sales Ingo Schmoldt. The company launched its new Premiere-4 server at the show.
He tells CE Pro that the company continues to invest in R&D for its servers for storing Blu-ray and DVDs, while looking at trends including 4K. Fusion also has been an industry pioneer in DTS Play-Fi support, allowing third-party control systems access to Play-i wireless speakers.
Moreover, Fusion now has its products fully certified by Crestron and Control4, which means they have been fully tested by the control companies. Previously, integration with Crestron required a $400 third-party driver.
Other partners include Elan, URC, RTI, Compass Control, Savant and others.
“We really specialize in making drivers for and working well with the automation companies,” adds Schmoldt.
On the audio server side, the company's new Summit OS makes its Ovation Duet servers completely independent in its relationships with the streaming services versus depending on MySqueezebox technology. Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM and TIDAL all now have direct relationships with Fusion.
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