"This merger is a great marriage of the integrity of the Linear Acoustic line with the cutting-edge innovation of Omnia," said Denny Sanders, Telos-Omnia-Axia managing director. "We always wanted to take a serious stab at TV audio processing, but not in a half-hearted way, so it was only natural for us to join forces with Tim Carroll and Linear Acoustic to pool our knowledge to create the hands-down best solution for our customers."

With $400,000 in funding and business support services from Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern Pennsylvania over a three year period, Linear Acoustic designed and developed the highest quality digital audio processing equipment for television broadcasting. The merger of Linear Acoustic into Telos Systems group expands the group's offering of advanced audio processing solutions to include leading technologies for multichannel DTV audio processing.

Pam Martin, regional director for Ben Franklin's Harrisburg office, commented, "This merger proves what we at the Center suspected right from the beginning: When Tim Carroll and his team developed their product line, they also developed an advanced alternative to current technologies for a worldwide market. We are proud to have played a small role in their success." 

"In just nine short months, the broadcast industry will discover just how well it has prepared for the DTV transition," said Tim Carroll, president and founder of Linear Acoustic. "Many broadcasters are still unaware of the processing needed to provide high-quality multichannel audio within their digital services. As part of the Telos Systems group, Linear Acoustic will be able to expand its reach, helping TV stations across the world to sound better than ever, while continuing the development of sophisticated audio processing solutions for the competitive DTV marketplace."

"In leading Linear Acoustic, Tim Carroll has done a tremendous job in the research and development of audio processing for DTV," said Frank Foti, president of Omnia. "Tim's extensive understanding of Dolby^® and surround sound for HDTV has enabled Linear Acoustic to create products that allow television broadcasters to deliver on the enormous potential of digital audio. With our background in radio broadcasting, our understanding of audio processing and coding, and our experience in building brand awareness in this market, the Telos Systems group is well-equipped to support Linear Acoustic in becoming the premier audio processing company for DTV applications."

"Linear Acoustic shares our passion for innovation and support," said Michael Dosch, Axia president. "Clients rave about the company's products, and we think they are a great cultural fit. We intend to increase our work with the television broadcast industry, and Linear Acoustic's great reputation along with a loyal customer base will be valuable to other companies within the group as we introduce new ideas and technologies to market."