First HD Wireless Video Extension over 802.11n

$2,300 for a transmit/receive pair

Avocent Announces the Digital Signage Industry’s First IEEE802.11n Based HD Video Extension and Distribution System

New Emerge® MPX1550 multipoint extenders raise the bar for wireless video distribution products

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., November 10, 2008 – Avocent Corporation (NASDAQ: AVCT), the recognized leader in managed audio video wireless extension networking products for professional audio video applications, today announced the MPX1550 wireless extender.

This breakthrough product combines Avocent’s field-proven MPX1500 wireless video distribution technology with the latest in WiFi advancements, IEEE802.11n MIMO-based radios, thereby raising the bar for wireless HD video distribution systems in terms of visual acuity, transmission distance, and noise immunity. With the MPX1550 system, deployment of a single stream of media to many displays can be accomplished in minutes, even under the most challenging of conditions, with a degree of reliability and quality that rivals a dedicated source device at each and every display.

Unlike multiple source devices, however, video and audio remain in lockstep across all displays, failure-prone moving parts are kept to a minimum, and software licensing costs are greatly reduced. Equally important, all devices in the media network are remotely manageable using the MPX1550 extender’s onboard Web interface, which is accessible via a dedicated control LAN interface.

“As the number of public displays continues to mushroom, the ability to deploy these displays in a rapid yet cost-effective manner has become a key differentiator for signage network providers,” said Mitch Friend, senior vice president and general manager of Avocent. “It has also become clear to us that content requirements differ among various deployments such as retail, institutional and way-finding signage applications. Characteristics such as visual acuity, resolution of motion and still images tend to vary. To handle the most demanding applications, we’ve added the MPX1550 system to our product offerings. By adding the 802.11n support to our product line, customers are now able to choose the extender that is best suited for their application.”

Emerge MPX1550 extenders are widely deployed for a variety of professional video applications, such as digital signage – providing panels with live content, entertainment and advertising in retail outlets, theaters, restaurants, airports, gas stations, and other venues. The Emerge MPX1550 extenders offer both wired (over IP) and wireless operation, including distribution of both HD and SD video signals from a single transmitter to a cluster of receivers. The MPX1550 system is uniquely optimized for both full motion video and still images.

The extenders support digital and analog video signals, providing support for a wide range of DVI, HDMI, VGA and component source and display devices. MPX1550 extenders also perform analog to digital conversion as needed to match dissimilar source and display devices. For additional control over source and display devices, the MPX1550 extenders also forward serial and IR signals. Support for HDCP ensures that even protected content can be distributed through signage networks in a secure and compliant manner.

The Emerge MPX1550T wireless transmitter and Emerge MPX1550R wireless receiver are available this month at a MSRP of $1,145 each.