The digital divide: Utah companies bridge the multimedia gap.

• Author: Bjorklund, Todd
• Position: Techknowledge

ALTHOUGH YOU MAY NOT KNOW exactly what digital multimedia is, it is transforming the way you receive and use information. People speak of a "digital multimedia revolution," referring to a huge array of new technologies that continue to transform the presentation of information. These transformations began in the mid1990s, when computer hardware became powerful enough and software became sophisticated enough to handle the integration of previously separate types of media.

Utah companies are at the forefront of this revolution. Some companies, such as Lone Peak Productions and Fusion-Media, are in established industries that have been transformed by digital multimedia. Other companies, such as DAZ Productions and Mantis Media, are in entirely new industries that exist because of digital multimedia.

Lone Peak Productions

Lone Peak Productions was founded in Salt Lake City in 1979 to produce synchronized slides, a technology now long dead. Today, the company provides full video production and post-production services, as well as digital multimedia effects such as graphics and interactivity. Lone Peak president Bob Rock says, "We've had to reinvent ourselves at pretty regular intervals," driven by changes in technology "that have been evolutionary, occasionally revolutionary." The ability to anticipate lasting trends and a willingness to change with the technology, "to be on the leading edge, not the bleeding edge," as Rock puts it, has kept Lone Peak on top.

Lone Peak's core business remains video production, but, says Rock, "At one point you could easily distinguish graphics, video and interactive businesses, but now the lines are totally blurred." Lone Peak now also shoots digital video and incorporates multimedia as desired by the client. The company's end product may be on video, or it may be on CD-ROM or DVD. For Rock, the new technologies used for digital multimedia are 'lust tools," just new ways to create solutions for clients.

A recent Lone Peak project, which Rock calls "a good example of what the technology will afford," is the multimedia display at the Alf Engen Ski Museum at the Utah Winter Sports Park. This presentation, designed to educate visitors about Utah's skiing heritage, comprises a collection of state-of-the-art multimedia projects including touchscreen kiosks; wraparound video; and interactive video, text and audio displays.

FusionMedia

Cedar City's FusionMedia, founded by Matthew Marriott, Kary Smith and Jason...