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Author Topic: QuVIS closes doors, 29 unemployed Bevan Wright Expert Film Handler Posts: 176 From: Fountain Valley, CA, USA Registered: Sep 2003 posted 12-09-2008 07:52 AM                        QuVIS closes doors, 29 unemployed By Michael Hooper The Capital-Journal Published Monday, December 8, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. CST QuVIS, a Topeka technology company that tried to woo Hollywood into using its digital cinema technology, has closed its doors, the company’s founder said today. QuVIS laid off 29 employees Dec. 1, said Kenbe Goertzen, QuVIS president and founder. The company, which has 1,900 shareholders, was struggling under $40 million in debt and insufficient revenue. It struggled to meet payroll during its last three months. The company makes digital movie players and editing equipment. Goertzen was sitting alone in front of a laptop over the noon hour today at 2921 S.W. Wanamaker Drive. He said he was communicating with secured note holders and shareholders, trying to find a way to reorganize. “I’m providing volunteer labor to see if anyone wants to reorganize in any way,” Goertzen said. “It is complicated and difficult at this 11th hour. We were still getting good reviews on our products, but we have limited maneuvering with no funds.” He said it’s possible the company may enter bankruptcy. He said the assets of the company were owned by secured note holders and some shareholders. He said assets were “intellectual property, furniture, inventory, receivables, name, blue sky -- anything could be considered an asset under a secured note.” In the early 2000s, QuVIS, marketed itself to Hollywood and was able to digitize several movies, such as “Toy Story II,” “Bounce,” “Shrek” and “The Perfect Storm.” But Hollywood wasn’t ready to switch to QuVIS' digital format. “A lot of eggs were put in the digital cinema basket, but that came to a screeching halt,” Goertzen said. QuVIS started to diversify two years ago, making deals with government agencies such as NASA and the Department of Defense. Goertzen founded QuVIS in 1994 in Topeka after working for another technology company called NewTek, which moved to San Antonio, Texas, from Topeka. Goertzen acknowledged timing was not good to raise money for QuVIS because of the meltdown in the financial markets. “Whether or not we can get out of here has yet to be seen,” Goertzen said.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-09-2008 08:44 AM                     It doesn't surprise me at all... the little companies will never survive in this biz... I'll predict that the next one to bite the dust will be Qube... Mark  |  IP: Logged Ben Wales Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 602 From: Southampton. England Registered: Jul 99 posted 12-09-2008 06:00 PM                     quote: Mark Gulbrandsen I'll predict that the next one to bite the dust will be Qube... ...Or may it be Sony as today they have announced in the Press they are cutting up to 16,000 Jobs Worldwide and that must see some cut backs in their D-Cinema Products.  |  IP: Logged Tim Reed Better Projection Pays Posts: 5246 From: Northampton, PA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 12-21-2008 12:14 PM                       quote: Bevan Wright Goertzen founded QuVIS in 1994 in Topeka after working for another technology company called NewTek ...makers of the Video Toaster, which was built around the Commodore Amiga computer. Some time after Commodore folded, NewTek was still marketing Video Toaster with what must have been, I suppose, NOS Amigas. I must admit, however, it did pretty cool stuff in its day (the last time I saw one was in 1991). I was impressed. The only things that kept me from buying a Video Toaster was the Amiga base (the bottom was just waiting to fall out, and it eventually did) and the name. I always thought "Video Toaster" was a stupid name, since toasting was probably the last thing you'd want to do with your work.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-21-2008 05:25 PM                     The current version of Video Toaster (5.2) requires a dual core or dual CPU PC running Win XP Pro SP2. The system also needs an open 66MHz PCI slot for the VT5 card and a Firewire card or port for DV and HDV capture. Lightwave 3D is still the most popular product from NewTek and continues to be used on a lot of visual effects for TV series and motion pictures. Lightwave competes with Softimage, Studio 3D Max and Maya for professional 3D use.  |  IP: Logged Kevin Fairchild Expert Film Handler Posts: 125 From: Kennewick, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2008 posted 12-24-2008 05:28 PM                     Has anyone ever used the QuVis Wraptor program? I downloaded the trial about a month ago. I downloaded some 1080p trailers off of Apple's website and converted them to the DCP file for our server. The image looked great on screen. And since QuVis closed, would it be considered stealing if I used someone else's serial number to unlock the whole program? How can you steal from a company that doesn't exist anymore?  |  IP: Logged Mark Lensenmayer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1605 From: Upper Arlington, OH Registered: Sep 1999 posted 12-24-2008 06:02 PM                     When a company goes out of business, its software does not automatically go into the Public Domain. It is likely that someone will pick up the intellectual property rights from Quvis, and either sell it to the public, or just hold on to it for reasons of their choosing. So, you are most likely violating the terms of the software license by using another serial number.  |  IP: Logged Demetris Thoupis Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1240 From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-25-2008 06:56 AM                     Only Cinema manufacturers who invested in D-Cinema will survice if D-Cinema survives!  |  IP: Logged Richard Fowler Film God Posts: 2392 From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA Registered: Jun 2001 posted 12-25-2008 08:07 AM                     So by that logic NEC will go out of business but then again Digital Cinema is somewhere in NEC's 4 billion in sales per year. Our past dealings with Quvis where good and one of my former techs loved their hardware. We where about to try out Wraptor for our Final Cut system since we are receiving more calls uregarding DCP files.  |  IP: Logged Demetris Thoupis Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1240 From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-25-2008 09:32 AM                     what happens with units already out there? support?? Hello D-Cinema lovers with the two year obsolete technology. It won't last. Period  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 12-25-2008 11:58 AM                     Demetrus... The buisness world is just like mother nature... allowing only the fittest ones to survive. It's doubtful that NEC will disappear but I could certainly see them parting ways with Strong, in fact there already exists NEC Direct which doesn't put you out of the ring with the kooks in Omaha. But given the "crappy quality after service" I'd bet that BARCO either shuts down here in the States or undergoes a major re-organization at some point. Folks in Europe tell me they are a first class company... not at all like they are over here... At any rate Christie has room at the plant in Canada for at least a half dozen more DLP production lines... so they could probably take up the slack of the other two companies if they both disappeared!!  |  IP: Logged Demetris Thoupis Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1240 From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-25-2008 04:09 PM                     From my point of view, its the US market and the European market. US market will stick with NEC and Christie and the European Market with Barco, Kinoton, Cinemeccanica. D-Cinema will only be good enough when they are able to do a full 360 degree interactive movie shootout and perform it in a full 360 degree theater. I don't understand why people just don't get it that the equipment they buy today is obsolete tomorrow. It's nothing like the 35mm projectors. D-Cinema projector are obsolete in a matter of mostly five years time just like computers. Demetris  |  IP: Logged Kevin Fairchild Expert Film Handler Posts: 125 From: Kennewick, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2008 posted 12-25-2008 05:29 PM                     quote: Demetris Thoupis It's nothing like the 35mm projectors. D-Cinema projector are obsolete in a matter of mostly five years time just like computers. Demetris Are you saying that new 35mm projectors won't be obsolete in five years? True, I bet that there will be new versions of digital projectors by then that out-perform today's digital projectors, but those same new projectors will be able to out-perform 35mm. The truth is, all 35mm projectors are becoming obsolete. Yes, I know that a properly 35mm projection can look superior to 2K. (But that's another story) Regardless, The conversion to digital is happening. Kevin  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 12-25-2008 11:02 PM                     Hey Kevin...wanna wager on that one? Just what new digital projectors do you see on the horizon? And just what manner do you think they will exceed current models? As for film projectors being obsolete...DCinema...even after nearly 10-years, of which the last 5 have been at the 2K level...have not made a statistical impact on the installed base of cinemas in either the world or the USA. DCinema is proceeding, for sure, but at a snail's pace and for many, though not all, for the sake of the current 3D fad. The bottom line is, DCinema doesn't sell one extra ticket to this industry and it costs more to buy and more to keep...business wise, it is a money loser...though it certainly has been getting less expensive. The biggest invester in DCinema is Access IT and their financials are just plain scary. I also maintain that DLP is not as secure a technology as many hope it to be...it has been drawing red ink since its inception and DCinema won't change that...what if, this time next year, DLP tanks? Would you change your prediction? Steve  |  IP: Logged Demetris Thoupis Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1240 From: Aradippou, Larnaca, Cyprus Registered: Apr 2001 posted 12-26-2008 01:59 AM                     Kevin I totally dissagree. 35mm has been here more than 100 years. 70 year old projectors still are being used and they will be used for many years to come. You cannot beat precision mechanics with boards! It simply cannot be done. Why don't you get that paying that huge amount of money for D-Cinema projectors offers you absolutely nothing (besides maybe the 3D which is a hype now but who knows in 2 years). People should search the market and see, does it worth paying about 50K or more per screen? Instead of that, cinema owners could be sending that 50K to countries which really need them and have true problems like hunger e.t.c. But NO. Lets see how much we can be the FIRST to install something that in 2 years WILL BE obsolete. It's statisticaly proven dozens of times with computers and home theater projectors. D-Cinema projectors are being obsolete the day you buy them. 35mm projectors are not. I mean honestly, why would anyone want to buy a 50K projector to have the same quality of image he can get via a blue ray DVD player! It's 2K after all isn't it?? Or perhaps I am missing the true point behind D-Cinema. Let's get all the exhibitors money!!! I remember in Cine Expo a few years ago that someone mentioned during the lecture that D-Cinema is good enough or even better than todays 35mm (have in mind tha 2K had been there for at least 1 year before). How can a solution, which the same resolution be actually better than last year!? Who are they fooling? The bottom line is: Does D-Cinema get be the extra tickets in the theater or not? Try answering that. Demetris  |  IP: Logged

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