Linear LLC has sold the assets of media server pioneer Imerge Ltd. to Prism Sound, the UK-based manufacturer of professional digital audio equipment for the International broadcast, film, music production, manufacturing and telecommunications industries.
According to Prism, the Imerge brands will continue with current production as well as new product development under the new ownership. Customer support will be maintained for all former customers of Imerge Ltd, including OEM partners ELAN, SpeakerCraft, Xantech, and Revox.
Prism Sound has retained key members of the former Imerge team in research and development, production, customer support and sales, while finance and marketing will be resourced from the Prism Sound team.
Prism Sound’s chief technical officer Ian Dennis stated that Imerge is a “fine example” of technical innovation in the UK and that his company is proud to take over the baton. “We will be concentrating on maintaining the impressive record Imerge has built with innovation in the fast-changing home entertainment market,” he said.
Graham Boswell, director of sales and marketing at Prism Sound, added, “Imerge is one of the world’s premier brands of movie and music-focused entertainment servers, making it simple for users to acquire, store, and replay their content with maximum fidelity and minimum fuss. Our challenge is to tell the story to a global audience and to make the product accessible to new markets. We will be extending the former distribution structure into new and untapped markets in the coming months.”
Products include the MS1-HD Blu-Ray media server. Completing the server line-up is the MusicM8 (music mate) audio server unit. Imerge-branded server products are complemented by the XIVA on-line music store and a range of hardware and software accessories. The XIVA-Safe high-reliability redundant disk storage array for the MS1-HD unit ensures you will not lose media to a disk failure, while the iPhone controller app allows full control of an MS1-HD media server using a wireless network.
The acquisition takes the Prism Sound group into the home entertainment sector for the first time with audio and video media distribution products for high-end custom installers and high-street retailers. Prism Sound has more than 20 years experience working with clients in audio research & development, manufacturing of audio products, broadcast television and radio, music recording and the public sector.
Grant Rummell, chairman and CEO of Linear LLC commented, “We are delighted at being able to complete this sale to Prism Sound and to ensure on-going support for our former customers. Imerge was part of the Linear family for a number of years and we wish them well for the future.”
