TECHNOLOGIES,MEDIA AND BROADCASTING
Magewell | December 06, 2022
Magewell has begun shipping its award-winning USB Fusion multi-input video capture and mixing device. The versatile new hardware and accompanying app let users easily combine camera, wired screenshare, and media file sources into attractive live presentations for online lectures, webinars, live streaming, event production, video conferencing, and other applications.
The company also announced an upcoming free firmware upgrade that further expands USB Fusion's rich feature set with additional integration and user convenience capabilities.Featuring two HDMI inputs and one USB webcam input, USB Fusion lets users switch between 1080p60 HD sources or combine two inputs (picture-in-picture or side-by-side) into one output and capture the result into popular Windows, Mac, or Linux software via its USB 3.0 interface. It also offers an HDMI output for connection to a projector, display, or downstream production equipment, making it equally adept as a standalone, tablet-controlled presentation device.
USB Fusion offers three ways for users to compose and control their presentations. On-device buttons allow users to switch between sources or select a combined scene layout, while a browser-based web interface offers presentation management, scene switching, status monitoring, and device configuration. The full presentation power of USB Fusion is unlocked through the free USB Fusion companion app for iOS and Android tablets, which provides expanded layout controls and lets users add pictures, video clips, background music, handwritten notes, and more into their presentations. USB Fusion's live, on-video drawing and notation features have also been a hit with sports organizations and broadcasters looking for easy telestrator capabilities.
Leading the list of new features in the upcoming USB Fusion firmware upgrade is ISO recording. Users can now choose to create an isolated recording of the source feed from one of the device's three inputs, rather than recording the combined output. Presentations and related media assets can now be exported and re-imported for archival purposes or transferring to another USB Fusion unit. Additional new features include scheduled recording; the ability to automatically back up recorded videos or images to Google Drive; and new sleep modes for eco-friendly power management.
"USB Fusion is so versatile that every time we have demonstrated it at a trade show, customers have come up with exciting new ways they can use it, We are excited that USB Fusion is now shipping into users' hands, and pleased to further expand its functionality to support even more use cases."
-Amy Zhou, Sales Director at Magewell
USB Fusion is available immediately through Magewell's global network of authorized channel partners. The new USB Fusion firmware update is currently in beta testing, and is expected to be released before the end of the year. For more information, please visit https://www.magewell.com/s/usb-fusion.
About Magewell
Magewell (www.magewell.com) develops innovative, high-performance video I/O and IP workflow solutions that seamlessly bridge signals, software, streams, and screens. The simplicity, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of Magewell's capture, conversion, and streaming products make them the preferred choice of integrators, end-users, and OEM customers for bringing high-quality AV signals into and out of IP networks and popular software. Magewell solutions power applications including live streaming, event production, video conferencing, multi-site video distribution, remote learning, medical imaging, and more.
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TECHNOLOGIES,SOLUTIONS
Gamefam | December 06, 2022
Gamefam is the leading gaming and content company across metaverse platforms reaching Gen Z audiences with live operated original games, virtual concerts, and experiences that connect brands with new audiences. With top-performing titles and branded experiences within Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite, the company announced CY2022 as its most successful year yet achieving more than 275% year-over-year revenue growth and over 18 million daily global gameplay sessions. This further supports the company's goal to create the next generation of super-hit franchises from within the metaverse.
"2022 has been a phenomenal year for us, which I could not be more proud of as it shows how talented our team is and the value we provide to our partners and communities, We see endless opportunities to build engaging experiences that are authentic to the brands we’re partnering with and the communities they’re able to now reach, along with the portfolio of great games we’re creating and supporting from our developers.”
-Joe Ferencz, CEO and founder of Gamefam.
Gamefam kicked off this year announcing the close of its $25M Series A, led by Konvoy Ventures with participation from Play Ventures, Makers Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Galaxy Interactive. The capital was critical to invest in new creator partnerships, analytics and live ops tools, and advertising tech. The funds also helped to grow the Gamefam team to over 250 members, including native metaverse developers and designers, combined with seasoned veterans in production, corporate strategies, data science, marketing, and community. As the first and biggest professional Roblox game developer and publisher – and leading developer on Fortnite and Minecraft – Gamefam has made a significant investment and impact with its blockbuster titles and chart-topping experiences.
The company operates the largest network of titles on Roblox with its portfolio reaching over 20 billion lifetime visits, more than 500 million visits and 83 million hours of engagement each month across 30+ live games in the studio’s portfolio. Gamefam titles are played by over 1.5 million players on average every day in the U.S. alone.
Gamefam’s continued success with Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft players, plus global brands looking to enter the metaverse, drove the company’s consecutive revenue growth for the last 11 quarters. With a solid record for launching quality games and fun experiences that Roblox players consistently give the highest average player-rating, Gamefam received more nominations than any developer for this year’s prestigious 2022 Roblox Innovations Awards. Robeats and Starving Artists won “Best Audio Design” and “The Builderman Award of Excellence” by community vote. Having a proven track record is why top brands and music artists choose to work with Gamefam when looking for an authentic and engaging metaverse experience.
2022 achievements with Gamefam titles include:
Sonic Speed Simulator quickly became the biggest game launch in Roblox history, surpassing 275K concurrent players in week one, attracting over 500M visits in its first four months
Gamefam growing portfolio reached over 20B lifetime gameplay sessions from top games including:
Sonic Speed Simulator - #1 branded game
Funky Friday - #1 music game
Starving Artists - #1 art game
Festival Tycoon - #1 branded music game
A variety of top games across multiple genres: Weapon Fighting Simulator, Maple Hospital, Military Tycoon, Easy Obby, Ultra Power Tycoon, Hot Wheels Open World
Developed two of the three top rated Roblox concert experiences with The Chainsmokers concert experience (84.15% player rating) and 24KGolden Concert Experience (83.23%, player rating)
Delivered over 1.8B campaign engagements across more than 18 branded integrations and ad campaigns for top properties including: Doctor Strange, Paws of Fury, Kung Fu Panda, Monster Jam, Bakugan, Skechers, LOL Surprise, Beyblade, and Spin Master’s Pixo Bitz
Launched its Fortnite division with an experienced team responsible for creating over 40 of the most popular Fortnite Creative Mode maps and partnering with leading brands including Samsung, Puma, and the BBC’s Dr Who
Expanded its Minecraft portfolio with three of the top Minecraft servers that continue to attract over 150K gameplay sessions per month
In addition to successfully creating branded experiences that bring brands into the metaverse, Gamefam brought one of its most popular Roblox franchises - Twilight Daycare - out of the metaverse with the release of a toy line available at major retailers, including Walmart, Target and Amazon.
We’ve got a very ambitious roadmap that will drive our future growth plans and expansion opportunities, and I can’t wait to share more soon, said Ferencz. Our experience and passion will continue to guide us and fuel our creative endeavors to serve the needs of our partners and our players in metaverse gaming.
To learn more about Gamefam, visit our official website and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Gamefam
Gamefam, a leading metaverse game developer and publisher that creates connected experiences with gaming communities and well-known brands, is building the next generation of pop culture franchises born from the metaverse. Our mission is to create dynamic experiences for an amazing community while we grow the next generation of super hit gaming and entertainment franchises from within the metaverse. Gamefam operates the largest network of games on Roblox with over 25 million daily game sessions and 115 million hours of engagement each month across 30+ live games in the company’s portfolio. Gamefam's top franchises include Sonic Speed Simulator, Twilight Daycare, Tower of Misery, Funky Friday, Ultra Power Tycoon, Starving Artists, Hot Wheels Open World, Easy Obby, and Weapon Fighting Simulator. The Gamefam experience also extends into metaverse destinations including its operation of the three leading Minecraft servers and development of Fortnite’s top 40 maps. With its headquarters in Los Angeles, the Gamefam team combines the business and production expertise of longtime brand experts and game industry professionals with the metaverse’s top creators. For more information, visit https://gamefam.com. *Above data was sourced on RoMonitor, a dedicated Roblox analytics and data resource. Gamefam made a financial investment in RoMonitor in 2021 to help with added resources, however RoMonitor will continue to operate independently to serve as a reliable and objective resource to the Roblox community for the latest and most helpful information.
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TECHNOLOGIES
ZVOX | December 05, 2022
ZVOX, the world leader in voice clarifying technology, has added the compact portable AV70 Bluetooth AccuVoice Speaker to its critically-acclaimed line of dialogue enhancement products. Powered by a rechargeable lithium battery, the AV70 is a must have accessory for people who are always on the go, enjoy streaming entertainment or use video conferencing for personal and business use. It's great for conference calls on Zoom®, Microsoft Teams®, Facetime® or other video calling systems. It is also ideal for use while watching videos on a tablet or laptop computer – producing rich, full-range music and soundtracks while clarifying dialogue.
"The use of video conferencing exploded during the first year of the COVID crisis. But many people had trouble understanding what was being said, On important business conference meetings, and on millions of family video calls, folks kept asking what did she say? Our little AccuVoice conference speaker fixes that."
-ZVOX founder Tom Hannaher.
Measuring just 4-inches wide by 2.2-inches high and with a convenient hands-free microphone, the AV70 can run for 24 hours on a single charge. Notably, it features ZVOX's proprietary AccuVoice dialogue clarifying technology, with advanced hearing aid technology to make voices crisp and easy to understand, even at low volumes.
The AV70 connects wirelessly to any phone, tablet, or computer – using Bluetooth (a wired connection is also available) and lets listeners hear every word on every call!
Noted ZVOX Audiology Consultant, Dr. Thomas Powers, Ph.D. Hearing and understanding speech clearly is a major challenge for seniors with mild to moderately severe hearing loss, as well as anyone using tablets, laptops, speakerphones, and similar devices. The issue has become so common that many people just hope to pick up the missing words or phrase from the context going forward. The technology in the AV70 speaker provides an ideal solution for this growing problem. Whether you're using a tablet or laptop to watch a movie, or participating in a Zoom or Board meeting, or just talking to a loved on the phone, the AV70 can make an enormous difference.
ZVOX's Proprietary AccuVoice Technology Clarifies Dialogue
Using a version of the AccuVoice technology that ZVOX utilizes in its advanced hearing aids and home entertainment A/V speakers, the AV70 both boosts audio frequencies in the range of speech and suppresses background noise. AccuVoice technology literally "lifts" dialogue out of phone calls or TV programming, so voices can be heard more clearly and succinctly. The net result is that words stand out and are easier to understand.Versatility is the AV70's middle name. The speaker is Bluetooth capable and can handle a wired connection as well. Simple topside buttons allow for the activation/deactivation of AccuVoice, volume, pause/restart video – and even phone answer and hang-up.
ZVOX: A New Kind of Hearing Company.
Committed to enhancing and discovering hearing solutions for almost 20 years, ZVOX was founded in 2003 by two long-time consumer electronics veterans. From its start as a traditional home theater speaker company, ZVOX soon gained success and industry recognition for its line of critically acclaimed sound bars and SoundBases. In 2014, ZVOX introduced a landmark technology that would change the company's focus and establish it as the unrivalled leader in dialogue clarity enhancement. ZVOX's patented AccuVoice technology uses advanced algorithms to mimic the function of a hearing aid, resulting in a dramatically new level of dialogue boosting and voice clarity. With the launch of its first AccuVoice TV Speaker, ZVOX created a new category of dialogue clarifying soundbars, speakers and headphones and found a broader audience among the over-fifty demographic and consumers with mild hearing loss. Today ZVOX offers a variety of hearing-related products including speakers, wireless headphones, and hearing aids. Based in Swampscott, MA. ZVOX sells though zvox.com, Amazon, Walmart.com, and selected retailers.
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