Barco
Encyclopedia
Barco N.V. is a display hardware
manufacturer specialising in video projector
s, LCD projector
s, DLP projectors, LCoS projectors, LED
displays, video wall
s, flat panel display
s, automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls.
Barco is headquartered in Kortrijk
, Belgium
, and has facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe
, North America
and Asia
-Pacific. Worldwide, Barco employs more than 3,500 people and realised sales of 897 million euro
s in 2010.
s, traffic
, surveillance
, broadcasting
, presentation
, simulation
and virtual reality
, edutainment, events, media, digital cinema
, air traffic control
, defense and security, medical imaging
, and avionics
.
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
manufacturer specialising in video projector
Video projector
A video projector is an image projector that receives a video signal and projects the corresponding image on a projection screen using a lens system. All video projectors use a very bright light to project the image, and most modern ones can correct any curves, blurriness, and other...
s, LCD projector
LCD projector
An LCD projector is a type of video projector for displaying video, images or computer data on a screen or other flat surface. It is a modern equivalent of the slide projector or overhead projector...
s, DLP projectors, LCoS projectors, LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
displays, video wall
Video wall
A video wall consists of multiple computer monitors, video projectors, or television sets tiled together contiguously or overlapped in order to form one large screen...
s, flat panel display
Flat panel display
Flat panel displays encompass a growing number of electronic visual display technologies. They are far lighter and thinner than traditional television sets and video displays that use cathode ray tubes , and are usually less than thick...
s, automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls.
Barco is headquartered in Kortrijk
Kortrijk
Kortrijk ; , ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province West Flanders...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and has facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
-Pacific. Worldwide, Barco employs more than 3,500 people and realised sales of 897 million euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s in 2010.
Active markets
Barco offers display and visualization solutions for professional markets. The company designs and develops solutions for large screen visualization, display solutions for life-critical applications, and systems for visual inspection. Currently Barco is active in the markets of control roomControl room
A control room is a room serving as an operations centre where a facility or service can be monitored and controlled. Examples include:*in television production, the master control is the technical hub of a broadcast operation common among most over-the-air television stations, television networks...
s, traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
, surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
, broadcasting
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
, presentation
Presentation
Presentation is the practice of showing and explaining the content of a topic to an audience or learner. Presentations come in nearly as many forms as there are life situations...
, simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
and virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
, edutainment, events, media, digital cinema
Digital cinema
Digital cinema refers to the use of digital technology to distribute and project motion pictures. A movie can be distributed via hard drives, optical disks or satellite and projected using a digital projector instead of a conventional film projector...
, air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
, defense and security, medical imaging
Medical imaging
Medical imaging is the technique and process used to create images of the human body for clinical purposes or medical science...
, and avionics
Avionics
Avionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...
.
History
Barco is an acronym that originally stood for Belgian American Radio COrporation.Acquisitions
- Barco Graphics was the graphics division of the Belgian Barco Group. It was the result of the 1989 merger of Digitised Information Systems Corporation (D.I.S.C.), Aesthedes and Barco's own "Creative Group".
- In 1997, Barco acquired EIS (Electronic Image Systems), a world leader in high brightness, high resolution calligraphic CRT projectors for the flight simulation market.
- In 1998, Barco Graphics acquired Gerber Systems Corporation, a US company active in Printed Circuit Boards plotters and AOI.
- In 2004, Barco acquired Voxar, a leading 3D medical imaging software company, based in EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The same year, it also acquired Folsom Research, Inc, based in Rancho Cordova, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Folsom's product lines cover solutions for image processing, image communication and image functionality & interactivity. - In 2008, Barco acquired High End Systems, an automated luminaires, digital lighting and lighting controls company, based in Austin, TexasAustin, TexasAustin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. - In 2010, Barco acquired Fimi, a world leading company specialised in medical imaging. Fimi is based in ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, SaronnoSaronnoSaronno is a comune of Lombardy, Italy, in the province of Varese. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree in 1960.The place is well known for its apricot kernel biscuits and is also a manufacturing town....
. Also in 2010, Barco acquired all intellectual property of Element Labs, a manufacturer of LED equipment based in Santa ClaraSanta Clara, CaliforniaSanta Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. - In 2010, Barco acquired dZine, a Belgium based company specialized in Digital SignageDigital signageDigital signage is a form of electronic display that shows television programming, menus, information, advertising and other messages. Digital signs can be found in public and private environments, such as retail stores, hotels, restaurants and corporate buildings.Digital signage Displays are most...
solutions.
Divestments
- In the early 2000s, Barco Graphics was acquired by Belgian Purup-Eskofot, and renamed Esko-Graphics, which was again renamed Esko in 2006.
- In 2007, BarcoVision was acquired by Itema Group from BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. http://www.barco.com/corporate/en/pressreleases/show.asp?index=1932 - In 2008, Barco sold its Advanced Visualisation (AVIS) group (the previously acquired Voxar http://www.tijd.be/nieuws/ondernemingen_technologie/Barco_verkoopt_verlieslatende_Voxar.8108179-436.art) to ToshibaToshibais a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
Medical (TMSC)http://www.barco.com/investors/en/pressreleases/show.asp?index=2202.