Silex Insight provides high-end image/video compression solutions and a custom OEM board (VIPER) for distributing low-latency 4K HDR video over IP. The company's development team is based at the Silex Insight headquarters near Brussels, Belgium, while local sales and support are handled by branch offices worldwide.
The company has been an important contributor for the "AV" set of open standards and specifications that expand around the SMPTE 2110 and AES67 standards, and have been at the core of the Internet Protocol Media Experience (IPMX) proposals. IPMX addresses the specific interoperability requirements for AV (audio and video) over IP. For this subset of the industry - also described as ProAV - instead of an expanded networking topology for video signals, following what was created for audio and implemented in SMPTE ST 2021 for the broadcast and media industry, the focus is on carrying a single video channel in sync with multiple audio channels (typically to feed multiple destination screens from a single video source.) And that's exactly what Audinate has already been offering the industry with Dante AV.
According to the Silex Insight announcement, as a result of the divestment of the video division expected to be completed on January 31, 2022, the Belgium company will from now on solely focus on the development and supply of its Embedded Security IP solutions, which include high-performance crypto and protocol engines and an eSecure IP security solution.
The video business now acquired by Audinate, the leading provider of professional digital audio networking technologies for professional applications with its Dante technology and platform, adds an interesting set or resources to help the company expand on its IT networking efforts for the professional AV industry - with Dante AV. The Silex Insight video division consists of an existing team of 8 engineers with average tenure of 16 years, and three core video compression technologies (video codecs) - Colibri, together with their own implementations of JPEG 2000 and VC-2 HQ. Audinate will also now be in control of all suppliers and customers related to the Silex video business, and the related intellectual property.
"We have been committed for many years to AV over IP solutions and we are thrilled that a company that shares the same dedication will now continue to create great solutions for the AVoIP world and with additional offerings,” says Michel Van Maercke, CEO at Silex Insight. “I am confident that the Silex video team will do very well as part of Audinate and will make a true difference in the exciting Pro AV market.”
"The acquisition of the Silex video business will allow Audinate to accelerate its strategic vision for integrated audio and video over IP and will add breadth and depth to its AV-over-IP product line up. In addition, the transaction will increase video FPGA expertise within the company, and cement critical mass for its video engineering team in Europe," Audinate states.
“Since the development of our first Dante AV product we have been committed to bringing the simplicity and interoperability of Dante to the video-over-IP market,” says Audinate co-founder and CEO Aidan Williams. “With this acquisition, we are doubling down on that strategy. The video codecs and deep product expertise in the team, in combination with our Dante networking technology, will enable us to go to market with a variety of full-service video offerings.”
www.silexinsight.com
www.audinate.com
