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Friday, February 13, 2009
Revolabs’ microphone tech answers clients’ prayers
By Efrain Viscarolasaga
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In keeping with the advancements in high-definition video systems for teleconferencing and telepresence applications, Maynard-based wireless business microphone maker Revolabs Inc. has launched a new version of its conference room microphones designed to provide sound quality akin to HD video.
But while the product builds on Revolabs’ previous products, officials said the Executive HD is more than an upgrade — it’s a new product class that will help the company penetrate applications previously out of reach.
Revolabs launched its first products in 2007, offering a wireless microphone system for conference rooms that could be used in both teleconferencing environments and live, in-person meeting scenarios. The Revolabs Solo microphone got a strong response in the market, with the company deploying 50,000 microphones to date and boasting such big name customers as Bank of America Corp., Boeing Co., MIT, Raytheon Co. and Procter & Gamble Co.
While most customers used the system in conferencing scenarios, a few requested a high-end model, with more mics and higher bandwidth signals for higher audio quality for applications such as webcasting and local television broadcasters. The result was the Executive HD, launched this week.
“In telepresence applications, users have all this bandwidth available to them that they weren’t taking advantage of with the low-bandwidth system,” said Revolabs co-founder and CEO Martin Bodley, a former executive at wireless engineering firm Maestro Inc. of Maynard. “(In those applications) is the previous product intelligible? Yes. But there is something more powerful about the ‘presence’ of high-quality sound that goes with high-quality video.”
In such environments, Revolabs’ mikes can be physically installed in a room built for that purpose or be placed on the table or clipped to a lapel. In the case of in-person meetings, where sound is pumped through an amplifier, the company has stumbled on a new market, which officials say is growing quickly — houses of worship.
“Houses of worship have really taken to the new product because it can be clear in loud P/A (public address) environments,” said JP Carney, co-founder and COO of Revolabs.
The new product also offers other tweaks, such as the ability to have more mikes running simultaneously, and an Ethernet port that allows for remote management.
Ira Weinstein, a senior analyst at Wainhouse Research, said the new product hits the right notes. “We did an evaluation of the previous system, and these are almost exactly the faults we pointed out during that trial,” he said.
However, said Weinstein, that doesn’t mean the old tech is obsolete.“Now they have a basic version and an advanced version for different applications,” he said. “In today’s economic climate, you need to have a full product line.”
Over the past year, Revolabs has doubled its staff from 20 people to 40 today. Officials also report the company tripled revenue last year and expect another year of increased revenue, despite the economic climate, but declined to provide specific numbers. “The market for audiovisual equipment is actually doing very well,” said Bodley. “With the economy, more companies are relying on technology rather than travel.”
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