A small Gardena outfit is preparing to launch a programmable electronic device that will enable theater owners to replace the traditional one-sheet movie posters with audio/video digital displays. Antex Electronics' new Media Director sequencer can store movie clips, advertising and interactive content, which can then be custom programmed by the user.

Rather than traditional displays that are controlled through a DVD player or a VCR and limited to a single loop of content, the Media Director can be programmed and managed via PC from any location. Content can be added or subtracted to the sequence in real-time by satellite, the Internet, a local server or even a built-in DVD player.

"(The Media Director) has the ability to have unique play lists for every hour of the day, every day of the week," said Boyce Williams, Antex's Director of New Technologies. "It's really like a broadcast network in a box.". Outside of theater lobbies, Media Director would be an ideal tool for on-screen advertising, large retailers, theme parks, billboard companies and anyone else who wants to present customized content to a captive audience, Antex officials said.

Privately held Antex, which announced the formation of its Digital Media Division in April, has sold about 5,500 audio-only versions of Media Director in the past five months. The company will roll out the audio/video version later this summer, and Antex officials say they are attracting attention from studios, theater advertisers and billboard companies.

Laura Adler, vice president of marketing for National Cinema Network Inc., one of the nation's largest theater advertising companies, said her company has been developing a similar system that is being tested at about 80 theaters nationwide.

"I think the timing is right for this technology in terms of the (theater chains) and advertisers, particularly for the megaplexes," Adler said. "If you have a 30-screen theater, you can program all the screens from the home office and tailor the content to a specific demographic."

Boosting revenues

Michael Turner, a marketing director for Newport Beach-based Edwards Theatres Circuit Inc., said the new audio/video displays are part of a broader effort to better utilize technology for advertisers and increase

revenues for theater owners, many of whom have suffered devastating losses and bankruptcy during the past few years because of overbuilding. "This is the first product that I know of where the content can be controlled in real time," Turner said. "Certainly this can be a profitable endeavor if they can find a cost-efficient way to get it out there."

Antex Sales Director David Antrim said cost efficiency is one of the main benefits of the Media Director, which sells for about $1,000 for an audio-only setup and $1,500 to $2,000 for the audio/video version,

thousands less than other systems with similar capabilities. To make the system operational, the user must also purchase video monitors and audio equipment.

Antex has gone through more than one incarnation since it was established in 1983 as the product of a leveraged buyout of Guardian California, a division of Guardian Electric Manufacturing. At the time, Antex, which built relays and control devices, was supported almost exclusively by military contracts. As those contracts started to dry up, Antex began applying its technology to digital audio equipment. During the 1990's, Antex grew into one of the leading domestic manufacturers of sound cards for the post-production business. Antex will continue making sound cards and other digital audio equipment, but selling the Media Director will be the company's main focus.

"This is a big shift for us. We expect (Media Director) to be the dominant product for our Company," Antrim said. "It's inevitable that motion displays will show up in a wide variety of places. This is the time for us to make our noise."