What impact have the current global uncertainties had on the company’s R&D and product development in recent months?
The main global uncertainty that has affected us is the various import/export tariffs. While this is primarily a supply chain issue, it has a potential effect on R&D, since we may need to redesign some products to compensate for the tariffs. This diverts R&D resources from innovation, and it is a long-term problem. So far, this is only in the planning stages, and we have not yet had to start redesigning anything. However, the situation is fluid and things can change.
What do you foresee as the biggest challenges in R&D and product development/deployment in the coming years?
The challenge is not new–doing more with less. What this means is that customers want products that can do more, and cost less. R&D needs to be one step ahead of the curve and always evaluating new technologies and options for creating compelling products at competitive pricing. These days, customers are looking at the bottom line a lot closer, and the vendor that can provide features, quality and support at the lowest cost will win.
Where do you see the most opportune areas for innovation in your area of the market, and what tech/solutions will drive that development?
One very important segment for innovation is the pro AV market, which is a lot larger than the broadcast market, but also a lot more price sensitive. The key technology here is IPMX, which provides an open environment audio/video distribution at the corporate level, without locking the customer into a vendor-proprietary solution. Another area that bears watching is the MXF effort at the EBU, which aims to provide an open way to interconnect cloud components.
What are you working on currently that excites you as a product team, and what can we expect to see at IBC2025?
Cobalt will be showing several IPMX-capable devices at IBC, which combine advanced processing with simple packaging, and are offered at very competitive prices. We will also be showing the ARIA Audio Monitor, which combines the traditional audio monitoring functions with licensable features such as Dante and ST 2110/IPMX.
