Alfatron on Its Global Expansion, AVoIP, PTZ, DSP Product Offerings

Commercial Integrator: Can you discuss Alfatron’s strategy and key factors that have contributed to its growth within the USA market?

Kevin Gelman National Sales Director, CFO, Alfatron. Courtesy / Kevin Gelman

Kevin Gelman: Alfatron was established in the U.S. market just before the onset of COVID and the focus at the time was all about UC devices and cameras. Alfatron was poised with the right mixture of products at that time and reinforced our brand and products with our key strategy of being a service delivery driven company. Our core focus is to deliver products that are easy to install, configure and manage, meeting the needs of the client and market with innovative product and solution designs, but to then back our offering with excellent service and customer satisfaction. This has been and is one of the main cores of our business and strategy; to provide excellent pre-sales and after-sales service to the market.

CI: Offering a 10-year warranty is quite significant in the AV industry. What does this say about Alfatron’s confidence in its product quality and commitment to customer satisfaction?

Gelman: As we’ve mentioned, the core driving force of Alfatron is service delivery. Whether that be in quality service, or having a product tried and tested that is robust and designed for a long service life. Therefore, we offer our standard seven-year warranty on all our products right out of the gate. The end-user client can then opt to register for the additional three-year warranty giving them a total of 10-years of confidence that they will get maximum return on their investment into Alfatron.

CI: With AV-over-IP becoming increasingly important, how is Alfatron positioning itself as a leader in this technology? Can you elaborate on the innovations or solutions Alfatron is bringing to the market?

Gelman: AV-over-IP solutions can be perceived to be complex to setup, with various settings and configurations that need to be set up, especially configuring network VLAN’s and settings like IGMP snooping and multicast vs unicast. This can make or break the communication between the AV-over-IP Encoders and Decoders. The Alfatron AV-over-IP solutions strives to take the complexity of network settings out of the equation and offers simple AV-over-IP solutions for both 1080p60 and 4K30 without the need to configure specific setting or VLAN’s on the network. The system uses H.265 Video compression for low bandwidth requirements on the network as well. Further to the ease of installation and setup, daily management of the system is also made simple as the system offers app control in the form of an iOS, Android and Windows application, making it easy for the user to change sources on the fly.

CI: The PTZ camera range is a crucial part of modern AV setups. How does Alfatron differentiate its PTZ cameras in a competitive market?

Gelman: The Alfatron PTZ camera range has been one of the key products in our portfolio. We have developed our PTZ range to meet the various requirements of the different market segments using PTZ cameras from boardrooms to auditoriums and houses of worship, by providing a variety of connectivity and technology options. Our PTZ range can connect over USB, SDI, HDMI, HDBaseT or NDI|HX allowing it to interface with a variety of third party products and solutions. In addition, we offer visca over IP control as well as network video streaming using H.264 or H.265 encoding, enabling direct streaming to platforms like YouTube or Facebook. Future developments into our PTZ product line will see some more technologies and features added to expand the capabilities of our PTZ range.

CI: Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is essential for achieving high-quality audio. Can you share insights into Alfatron’s DSP technology and how it enhances the user experience?

Gelman: As one of our core strategies is to provide simplified installation, configuration and control to the user experience, our DSP range exactly fits that requirement. Our DSP’s are designed to be set up easily and require minimal configuration by the integrator, but can also then be easily controlled by the end user via the custom designed GUI available on iOS and Android. Our DSP’s feature industry-leading fourth generation Analog Devices SHARC Audio DSP chips, ensuring that high audio quality and standards are met. The software interface and Custom GUI designer is easy to use, and the interface is laid out in easily accessible ‘channel strips’ similar to an analog mixing console, allowing users of all levels to quickly navigate the software and get audio flowing. Features like AEC, Automixing, Dante and USB connectivity allow for integration of the platform into multiple different systems and applications.

CI: Alfatron has strategic relationships with HDBaseT and Dante. How do these partnerships benefit your customers and enhance your product offerings?

Gelman: Alfatron’s partnerships with both HDBaseT and Dante allow us to develop products that are easy to integrate into existing and future systems utilizing these connectivity standards. With HDBaseT we can provide BYOD solutions like our new ALF-TRUK100-RS wall plate and receiver set that allows for remote sharing of peripheral devices and simultaneously sharing your laptop or MacBook’s video output over a single cable solution. With Audinate’s Dante platform, products can connect seamlessly over the Dante network, providing ease of interconnectivity, expansion, and management of systems like our Dante Audio converter, DSP and amplifier ranges. With Dante-AV, video streams from source to display are just as easily managed and routed as audio streams with Dante Controller.  With the adaptation of Dante in the AV market, the learning curve for integrators and clients to use Dante-AV is also minimized as the platform is already familiar to them.

CI: How has Alfatron managed to expand globally, and what regions or markets is the company focusing on next?

Gelman: Alfatron Electronics experienced rapid growth in 2019 through to 2021 which saw us opening offices in USA, Australia and Germany. This growth path enabled us to be represented directly in five countries where we have offices and warehouses. We are also represented by distributors in more than 20 countries around the world that provides us with the reach and ability to service the global market. Alfatron is represented at a variety of local shows across the world, and we are directly exhibiting at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) and Infocomm annually.

Our growth plan includes expanding more into the Asia Pacific market as well as growing our present market share and footprint in our current markets with a sharp focus on the USA.

CI: Is there anything else you’d like to add? Do you have any closing thoughts?

Gelman: Alfatron Electronics is an innovative product range, which is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the AV market. The products have been developed by people who are driven by excellence and customer satisfaction. With its seven-year warranty, you get peace of mind that you are working with a product that is trusted and reliable, as well as one which promotes quality and longevity. Our products are carefully designed to meet our clients’ needs yet are kept simple and easy to install.

Through dedication and attention to customers, we have been able to achieve simplicity while still meeting top industry and consumer standards. Alfatron holds within its desired and generous range, all the requirements for AV solutions and is the number one choice within many industries. With certified and eager staff behind this brand, we look forward to taking the Alfatron journey with you.