Orban/CRL Introduces Four New Products; Gives Away Prizes at NAB 2004
Tempe, Ariz. — 2004, May 11 — Orban®/CRL (NASDAQ: CRLI.OB), the worldwide leader in audio processing for broadcasting and the Internet, displayed several new products, hosted successful industry gatherings, and gave away thousands of dollars worth of merchandise at the recent National Association of Broadcasters 2004 Convention in Las Vegas. Bob Orban, Greg Ogonowski, Jay Brentlinger, and the Orban/CRL staff of engineers, customer service representatives, and sales and marketing team members demonstrated new and existing product lines and answered questions from attendees. The Orban/CRL booth was one of the most impressive displays in the audio/radio hall, with the Orban/CRL Mobile Broadcast Laboratory, its Suburban support vehicle, and its demonstration trailer together spanning 80 feet of floor space.
The company introduced four products. Orban’s new OPTICODEC-PC Encoder, the first integrated audio processing and codec solution for netcasters who want to use the state-of-the-art AAC/aacPlus™ streaming audio encoder, won Radio World’s coveted “Cool Stuff” award. Other product introductions included OPTIMOD-FM 2300, the successor to the highly successful 2200 FM processor, and OPTIMOD-TV 8382, which replaces Orban’s popular 8182 and 8282 for television FM analog-channel audio processing. The 2300 and 8382 are built on Orban’s new common control hardware platform and feature built-in Ethernet connectivity, clock-based automation, robust PC remote control software, and new, advanced DSP algorithms.
In addition, Orban introduced version 3.0 software for its industry-standard OPTIMOD-AM 9200. Version 3.0 adds presets based on the legendary Gregg Laboratories 2540 AM processor and adds support for Ethernet connectivity.
Orban/CRL’s booth featured a free “one-armed bandit” that gave convention attendees a chance to win a variety of prizes, including a $50,000 jackpot. Each broadcaster who visited the booth was allowed one pull. Although no one hit the jackpot, Grand Prize winner Jay Thouvenell, Director of Engineering for KFEQ in St. Joseph MO, won a new OPTIMOD-AM 9200 with V3.0 software. Other prizewinners from the convention walked away with an OPTIMOD-DTV 6200 digital audio processor, an OPTIMOD-PC 1100, and CRL’s Amigo AM, Amigo FM, and Amigo TV. In addition, Orban/CRL held a raffle for serial number 1 of the last 50 OPTIMOD-FM 8200 Signature Series FM processors scheduled for manufacture. Bob Orban personally autographed this unit, which will ship with a certificate of authenticity and a special edition Orban/CRL shirt.
In Orban/CRL’s Hospitality Suite atop the Las Vegas Hilton, Orban/CRL dealers got together to socialize and receive training on the new products on Sunday, April 18. The Second Annual Latin Night was Wednesday, April 21, with Orban/CRL’s Latin American dealers and customers turning out in large numbers for hors d’oeuvres, refreshments, and product demonstrations. These events and more will be featured in the Orban/CRL Hospitality Suite at next year’s convention.
“This may have been the best NAB Convention for Orban/CRL since I’ve been associated with the company,” said Orban/CRL President, Chairman, and CEO Jay Brentlinger. “The attendance was good, there was tremendous interest in our new product lines, and we were able to reward some of our customers with the best prize giveaways we’ve ever offered. Trade shows like this, in the U.S. and worldwide, allow us to better serve our customers and dealers.”
Upcoming events that Orban/CRL will be attending include:
|
June |
05–09 |
Poland |
Dealer Summit |
|
June |
14–15 |
Poland |
Polskie Trade Show — Warsaw |
|
August |
11–13 |
Austin, TX |
Texas Association of Broadcasters/SBE |
|
September |
10–14 |
Amsterdam |
IBC |
|
October |
06–08 |
San Diego, CA |
NAB Radio Show |
|
October |
19–19 |
Phoenix, AZ |
SBE SW Communications Expo |
|
October |
28–31 |
San Francisco, CA |
AES |
About Orban
Founded in 1970 by Bob Orban, the world's foremost expert in transmission audio processing for broadcast, Orban leads the industry in the design and manufacture of audio processors for radio, television and Internet broadcasting. Recognized for its standard-setting Optimod ® digital audio processors and the Audicy digital audio workstation, the Orban name has become synonymous with reliable, high performance products. Today, its versatile audio processing equipment, editing tools and codecs are the products of choice in fast-paced production environments worldwide. In 2000, Orban ® was acquired by Circuit Research Labs — a manufacturer of high-quality digital and analog audio processing, transmission encoding, and noise reduction equipment. Orban/CRL Systems now accounts for the majority of the global market for radio, TV and Internet audio processing. As technology evolves, Orban/CRL continues to innovate with state-of-the-art audio processing products for DAB, DTV and streaming media.
Orban/CRL Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Management's anticipation of future events is based upon assumptions regarding levels of competition, research and development results, raw material markets, the markets in which the company operates, and stability of the regulatory environment. Any of these assumptions could prove inaccurate, and therefore there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information will prove to be accurate. Orban/Circuit Research Labs, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets electronic audio processing, transmission encoding and noise reduction equipment for the worldwide radio, television, cable, Internet and professional audio markets. The Orban division manufactures and markets audio processing equipment, primarily using digital technology. Orban Europe is a worldwide leader in ISO/MPEG, audio, ISDN, satellite transmission, networking, and storage. More information is available at www.orban.com and www.orban-europe.com.