During a recent partner and press event at AV Stumpfl’s headquarters in Wallern, Austria, the company introduced a number of new solutions and provided insight into its outlook for the future.
First unveiled at InfoComm, the company has added the Wings Player mini media server (pictured main with Fabian Stumpfl left and Fred Neulinger). It is claimed to be the most powerful media player on the market, with the added benefit of its compact housing (335mm x 90mm x 220mm).
“We’ve listened to feedback from our customers, project consultants and system integrators and have created the industry’s most powerful media player to date,” stated CEO Tobias Stumpfl.
“Wings Player comes with integrated automatic camera based warp and blend, multi timeline and multi master workflows with AV Stumpfl’s new software platform Wings Vioso RX as well as full show control included.”
Playback, production, management and show control is performed using the Wings AV software suite that’s specifically been designed by AV Stumpfl for live shows, events and themed attractions.
AV Stumpfl also announced a video decoding algorithm, which uses specialised GPU instructions, has been added to its Wings Vioso RX software.
Using the newly implemented technology, the data is transferred still compressed over the PCI bus and unpacked and decoded in the GPU. This allows for more bandwidth and decoding power, resulting in improved image quality, and higher resolutions on the same physical hardware platform.
Stumpfl commented: “GPU decoding will enable users to have the most advanced multi-display software available in the market today. Our developers have pushed even further to improve the performance of Wings Vioso RX.”
In addition to introducing products, the event was also an opportunity to showcase the new AV Stumpfl Campus, which the company has invested €7million in order to accommodate growing staff numbers, manufacturing expansion and to facilitate global growth.
Stumpfl explained: “We are thrilled to have opened our doors to the AV Stumpfl Campus. It represents our corporate profile and is a great forum for our customers. Our doors are open for those who want to consult with us on the best approach to take with a project and for those who want to see our cutting edge technologies and research and development. It also provides staff with a location to take on even more operations and to better service our existing clients worldwide.
For the future, the company is targeting strong growth in current and new markets. “The industry recognises us for our reputation in engineering design, innovation and return on investment,” said Stumpfl. “Our aim is to become the preferred supplier to more companies, in more regions and in new markets. To achieve this, we need to be faster to deliver products to market, offer even higher levels of localised support as well as offer the industry’s best technologies, expertise and manufacturing.”
Over the coming months, AV Stumpfl is also planning to develop its global partner network as it aims to grow its worldwide service network.
“There are several milestones coming up this year which will develop our business in new regions and market sectors. We are moving into simulation and training, event and trade shows as well as visitor attractions,” adds Stumpfl.
During the factory tour it was also revealed that the media servers portion of the business is seen as the biggest area of growth and this is reflected in the company’s current product development. In addition to the recently released Wings Player, AV Stumpfl is working on a new versatile media server, which will feature all new hardware, updated for 4K, and a more robust case. The projection screen part of the business is also being updated with new materials and surfaces in development.
Additionally, AV Stumpfl is collaborating with Vioso to develop a new feature for its future media server line up. The collaboration is set to result in a Digital Rights Management media serving engine, which provides protection for video content, particularly useful for fixed installations at theme parks and other attractions, which use sensitive intellectual property.