Cutting Edge

ISIS Group, based in Grass Valley, Calif., has acquired digital-audio-equipment manufacturer Graham-Patten Systems from Klotz Digital America. The deal calls for ISIS to assume all assets and Graham-Patten's seven employees. They will be co-located with ISIS Group and work on next-generation audio mixing, conversion and distribution products. Before ISIS stepped in, Klotz was going to fold Graham-Patten this month. "They have a very good name in the industry for audio equipment," says Len Dole, president of ISIS Group, "and that's a field we want to strengthen ourselves in."

Granite Broadcasting has tapped Video Communications Inc. (VCI) to serve as its sales and traffic software vendor. Granite will use VCI's Stars II+ as its key business-operations system. Granite Vice President of Operational Finance Marcy Trimpone cites VCI's flexibility and continuing development of new features and capabilities as reasons for its selection. The eight Granite TV stations will be converted to the new system in 2005.

A&E Television Networks will use N2 Broadband's Xport Producer to help its in-house production unit ready content for video-on-demand applications. David Zagin, A&E TV Networks senior vice president for affiliate sales and marketing, expects the new system to enable speedier, more cost-effective production of on-demand content. The Xport Producer is part of the Xport Digital Media Solutions product line, which includes the Xport Combiner (for placing ads and promos into video files), Xport recorder/slicer (automates encoding and packaging of linear content), Xport Streamer (for delivery of broadcast streams to local cable services) and Xport Ad Module (for enabling advertising for on-demand assets).

Nothing beats the sound of sizzling bacon. And The Food Network, with the help of a new audio console from Solid State Logic, will let viewers hear all the sizzle coming out of its new production facility in New York.The C100 digital broadcast console has 32 faders on its control surface, giving users plenty of space for handling multiple programs and multiple audio needs.