Q&A: ZeeVee’s Chris Scurto on Reinventing IP Video Distribution

ZeeVee has some advice for integrators and installers, especially when it comes to what’s on the horizon for AV distribution.

CI Staff

As companies create and distribute more audio and video content than every before, system designers are tasked with providing signal distribution solutions that will keep their clients’ organizations ticking.

As part of our Spotlight on AV Distribution, CI spoke to Chris Scurto, VP of marketing and North American sales at ZeeVee, about the future of IP video distribution, manufacturing for compatibility with any source or network, and what it takes to work side by side with integrators.

What would you say to dealers who are already familiar with your product line?

First, thank you for making ZeeVee the industry leader. Also say stay tuned! ZeeVee is a continuous improvement development group; constantly working on the next evolution and highly focused on keeping our partners ahead of the technological curve. In 2015 alone we introduced products that move us into the future of video distribution.

We launched ZyPer4k, our uncompressed 4k distribution over off-the-shelf 10Gb network gear and our iSeries IPTV products.

What would you say to dealers who are stumbling across your company for the first time?

Q&A: ZeeVee’s Chris Scurto
Email Address: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Company Name: ZeeVee, Inc.
Twitter: @ZeeVeeChris
For those looking to become dealers: Contact Chris Scurto, VP marketing and North American Sales, 303.884.1499, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Welcome, and give me a call. We want to learn about your business and work with you to build it today and help you take it into the IP future. No matter what your video source, SD, HD, UHD — component, VGA, composite, HDMI, HD-SDI, we have you covered. No matter your network, RF-Coax, CATx, fiber, we have you covered. Almost any distance or number of displays, we have you covered.

Tell us about one particularly interesting installation of your product.

From the Colorado Rockies’ Coors Field, the New York Stock Exchange, the many Twin Peaks Restaurant’s and the numerous broadcast facilities, ZeeVee has had so many amazing installs. If I have to narrow to one particularly interesting, it would be the Top Golf. These guys have completely reinvented the concept of the driving range, and video delivered by ZeeVee is an integral part.

Besides the usual, what really specific thing differentiates you from your competitors?

ZeeVee‘s approach is truly different. ZeeVee operates with the understanding that until the integrator sells something, we don’t sell something. We work side-by-side with integrators during the sale and installation, which assures we are building products with the feature they want and need. Ask anyone about ZeeVee’s people, products, and support; you will hear great stories about how we partner, collaborate, and were with them every step of the way.

What’s the best sales tip/tactic you’ve come across?

Best tip — be genuine, be you, and seek first to understand. Best tactic — ZeeVee has an equipment evaluation program that lets integrators get comfortable with our technology and demonstrate the quality of our product to end users. 70 percent of the time demonstrations result in sales.

What one technical tip can you offer about installations?

Aside from using ZeeVee products? It seems obvious, but don’t overcomplicate things. We often see ZeeVee equipment brought in to replace installs that ended up being science projects, were overly complex, didn’t scale or just plain didn’t work. Ease of use and simplicity of design always wins.

Where do dealers typically get tripped up on installs?

We don’t often see dealers getting tripped up, but when we do, it’s usually an issue of time, complexity or resources. Either product was ordered last minute or simply the way AV falls into the schedule, it can be an 11th hour install and they are resource constrained.

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