SVG Sit-Down: Riedel's Renaud Lavoie on Rise of IP, How Embrionix Tech Factors Into Long-Term Plan The comms provider's portfolio gains IP hardware and software video solutions By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Friday, July 9, 2021 - 11:22 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
In January 2020, Riedel Communications acquired Canada-based IP-video-processing provider Embrionix, strengthening its IP-enabled hardware and software solutions for video. With the deal, Riedel added miniaturized, high-density IP gateways, IP signal processors, and converters for broadcast-video applications to its portfolio. Since pioneering the use of small-form-factor pluggable (SFP) modules for signal processing early in its history, Embrionix has been granted more than 20 patents for its technologies.
Riedel's Renaud Lavoie: I envision new green-field deployment beyond IP-centric, close to 100% IP.
With the Embrionix slate of products and engineering team now fully integrated into Riedel's portfolio, SVG sat down with Riedel SVP, Technology, Renaud Lavoie, who was previously president/CEO of Embrionix. In this Q&A, he discusses his extensive experience in the broadcast industry, how Embrionix solutions are being integrated into Riedel's offering, the transition from HD-SDI to IP, the growing role of the cloud for broadcasters, and developments he sees on the horizon for live sports production.
What is your background in the broadcast/video industry, and how did you get into the business?
I started my career as an electrical engineer in 2000, directly into the 2000 [economic] bubble and crash. I was a specialist in optical transponders. I sent r sum s to my friends, and a few of them were at Miranda. Guess what, they were looking for an optical engineer to design an optical board for Densit . It was not the most successful product I did, but it was a start. Then I architected (hardware-wise) a multiviewer that you might remember: the Kaleido-X. It was a great product, and I had a lot of fun working on it. It was at that moment that I missed my startup buzz, so I decided to start my second business in service, and, in 2009, we started Embrionix.
What was the first product you developed?
My first product was very early in my career: I developed a solar car with a real crazy team in the university I was attending. It was a student project, but it turned out great. During my four years in university, I built three solar cars!
Tell us about the MuoN product and how it was born?
We started Embrionix with a goal to create pluggables for broadcast. [It was the] same concept as pluggables for IT equipment: every time we had a change in format - HD to 3G, in 2009 to UHD - we needed to redesign entire boards to accomplish this long and cumbersome process. We saw an opportunity to create a pluggable that you swap in depending on your own needs.
With the IP trend, [SMPTE standard] ST 2022-6, and TR03 (before ST 2110), we decided to invest all our resources on the new generation of standards. The bet paid off. We were the fifth member in AMWA. I remember, when we started participating in the interops, we were the David in the Goliaths group. It was fun, and we were really fast compared to them, and, because our products were plugged into the IP switches, we were always the first source and destination available during those events.
How much was your design ideas based on SMPTE-standard development, or was the thought born first and then validated by standards in development?
The extreme miniaturization was the initial uniqueness of our solutions, and our agility made us win good design and installations, such as CBC, NFL, Globosat, etc. We started our development when standards were not in SMPTE, like the VSF TR03; the NMOS was a draft. We were proud to be leading the pack and worked hard to keep our innovation at a high level. To answer your question, the interop between VSF members and NMOS members did validate our solution. After SMPTE was ratified, we made sure we were fully compatible.
How has joining the Riedel family changed or assisted the direction of the MediorNet IP (MN IP) products?
I see the Embrionix SFP as my creation. You want your creation to be visible to as many people as possible, and the acquisition by Riedel made this possible. We were just four salespeople, running all over the world, and we felt that we needed to do something about it.
We were in discussions about acquiring a business, but we had the opportunity to work with a more mature business, so, although the choice was hard, we finally decided that, for the future of our technology, this was the best move. The MN IP products portfolio will be increased and actualized, because, as you know, our technology is very complementary with the Riedel portfolio. This was definitely the decisive argument [for moving] in this business direction.
How has joining Riedel changed your role and freed you to further the evolution of broadcast-video technology?
For the first year after the acquisition, my role was to ensure that Embrionix was integrated into Riedel and that the Montreal team was pursuing the designs we had cooking, such as J2K, JPEG-XS, and a multiviewer inside the MuoN-B (Embrionix emSFP).
My role changed last November, when the R&D team in Montreal started reporting to our new R&D director at Riedel HQ and I started the technology-innovation lab inside Riedel to oversee the next trends in our market. In my new role, I have time to focus all my energy on the next generation of products for Riedel, which is different from my roles at Embrionix.
Like all other manufacturers in the market, we are seeing a move toward software and the cloud; there is no doubt there. But we are at a great place with our wireless beltpacks (Bolero) and with our small converters (Fusion-3 and Fusion-6). These
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
07/05/2024
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
07/05/2024
Share this article
width=32 height=32 loading=lazy data-lazy-src=https://apogeedigital.com/app/themes/juniper-theme/src/img/icons/facebook-purple.svg />
wid...
07/05/2024
BURBANK, Calif. The Walt Disney Company has finally delivered some from profits from its hefty streaming investments, with the second quarter of its fiscal year...
07/05/2024
Bonnie Hammer, vice chair of NBCUniversal, and Jen Psaki, MSNBC host, read from their new books at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan Wednesday, May 8. Hammer's...
07/05/2024
Paramount Plus has ordered the series Crutch, a comedy that is a spinoff of CBS comedy The Neighborhood. Tracy Morgan stars....
07/05/2024
Edward J. and Melody Thomas Scott and Lidia Bastianich will receive Lifetime Achievement honors at the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards in June, the National Aca...
07/05/2024
The 2024 Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts luncheon and awards ceremony happens in New York November 12, and the honorees are Al Roker, weather and featu...
07/05/2024
Dabl Network has added The Wayans Bros., The Jamie Foxx Show, Living Single and Everybody Hates Chris to its weekday and weekend lineups. Those shows join the l...
07/05/2024
After winning a proxy fight, The Walt Disney Co. said its entertainment business turned a profit and added subscribers in its fiscal second quarter....
07/05/2024
NBA Entertainment is closing out the second season of its series Pass the Rock with a look at Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, the league's rooki...
07/05/2024
Syncbak, which provides stations with streaming capabilities, said it is rebranding as Zeam Media....
07/05/2024
Samsung has made a deal with Magnolia Pictures that will bring titles from Magnolia to the Samsung TV Plus free streaming platform....
07/05/2024
Amazon, which has added commercials to Amazon Prime Video, is rolling out new interactive ad formats that will enable advertisers to engage streamers and sell s...
07/05/2024
Syncbak, a 15 year-old provider of streaming tech for local broadcast stations has rebranded itself, adopting the name of its streaming service launched in Febr...
07/05/2024
POST Luxembourgs journey with TAG Video underscores how finding a vendor who und...
07/05/2024
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. New findings from Hub Entertainment Research provides extensive data showing that the majority of consumers will opt for lower cost ad-supporte...
07/05/2024
NEW YORK The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) has announced th...
07/05/2024
CBS News has named Lindsey Reiser an anchor and correspondent for CBS News 24/7, the network's live, streaming news service. Reiser, who was most recently a...
07/05/2024
NEEDHAM, Mass. After more than two years of decline, worldwide tablet shipments posted modest year-over-year growth of 0.5% in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q24),...
07/05/2024
ESPN is reporting that April was a record-setting month as the network delivered its best April prime time audience on record, dating back more than 30 years....
07/05/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that Kirsten Donaldson has joined NAB as vice president of public policy. Donaldso...
07/05/2024
The Bulls are back home again this week from May 7-12! Don't miss out on any...
07/05/2024
Home News & Press Blancco Wins 2024 SEAL Business Sustainability Award
Blancco Wins 2024 SEAL Business Sustainability Award May 07, 2024
Blancco's v...
07/05/2024
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today unveiled the all-new Logic Pro for iPad 2 and Logic Pro for Mac 11, delivering breakthrough professional experiences for songw...
07/05/2024
Apple's new Privacy Manifest requirement mandates that apps explicitly disclose the privacy-related data they collect, the purposes for this collection, and...
07/05/2024
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour arrives to shake up EuropeHaving shaken four continents, Taylor Swift's Eras Tour finally brings the biggest pop culture icon o...
07/05/2024
Isiphetho: Destiny' beats Scandal!'E.tv's latest telenovela Isiphetho: Destiny' beat the channel's longest running soapie, Scandal!' ...
07/05/2024
Now there's HELP for ex-prisoners to find work in South AfricaNew initiative for ex-prisoners to find work in South Africa proves it's never too late fo...
07/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Cohen is pulled into keeping a secretDon't miss Tuesday, 7 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! on e.tv on DStv c...
07/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 6 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soapie...
06/05/2024
By Ilyse McKimmie
Now, more than ever
That's a phrase so often used in the last few years that I've come to dread seeing it in notes like this one. A...
06/05/2024
alt= class=wp-image-12099 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Blog-Exabyte-Storage-Demand-960x540-1.jpg/> Demand for storage solutions has reached unprece...
06/05/2024
Around the world, Asian and Pacific Islander (API) artists continue to impact mu...
06/05/2024
Spotify is making it easier for booklovers to count down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until a new audiobook releases. With Countdown Pages for audioboo...
06/05/2024
Get Ready to join Dan Hong as he hits the streets in his ultimate culinary journ...
06/05/2024
In this video, cinematographer Simon Rowling welcomes viewers behind the scenes as he lights a daytime-interior scene inside a coffee shop. Shooting on Panavisi...
06/05/2024
L3Harris is well positioned to support the complex and multifaceted nature of special operations forces in all domains through our agile and responsive technolo...
06/05/2024
OAKVILLE, Ontario As part of Emergency Preparedness Week, Alert Ready, Canadas national public alerting system, will be distributing a test alert to Canadians i...
06/05/2024
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. Horowitz Research has released a new study on the viewing and media habits of U.S. Hispanic/Latine audiences that shows a dramatic decline in...
06/05/2024
RE:Vision Effects Autograph 2024.4 released! 50% Off Through May 9th
Brie Clayton May 6, 2024
0 Comments
New game-changing motion graphics & VFX featu...
06/05/2024
NBC has renewed Night Court for a third season. The courtroom comedy was on the network from 1984 to 1992, and NBC rebooted it in early 2023....
06/05/2024
ABC has revealed its summer schedule. The Bachelorette gets going Monday, July 8, with Jenn Tran the star in season 21. Celebrity Family Feud starts up Tuesday,...
06/05/2024
It's almost go-time for the Holly Springs Salamanders! The season opener is ...
06/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Deception is rife as a man places his trust in the unfaithfu...
06/05/2024
Rap beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar turns NASTYA long-simmering feud between rap titans Drake and Kendrick Lamar has exploded into allegations of pedophil...
06/05/2024
The Amazonas Digital initiative will see INRED leverage SES's MEO satellites...
06/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Kobus busts Pretty in a compromising positionDon't miss Monday, 6 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem Saam on SA...
SVG Sit-Down: Riedel's Renaud Lavoie on Rise of IP, How Embrionix Tech Factors Into Long-Term Plan The comms provider's portfolio gains IP hardware and software video solutions By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
