Scott Hetzler Founded Contemporary Research With A Digital Vision
SCN: You worked for both small and large electronics companies when you were in high school and college, later going on to earn your Bachelor of Science degree in electrical and computer engineering. How early was it that you discovered your interest in technology, and what were your earliest projects?
Scott Hetzler: I was fortunate to have comprehensive electronics and computer classes in my junior and senior year of high school. Some of my earliest projects were power supplies, intro to microprocessors, and a color light organ that responded to music.
Scott Hetzler has spent 30 years in the electronics industry, beginning with key roles in the early years of AMX and continuing with his founding of Contemporary Research (CR), where he sought to offer customers his own vision and products.
SCN: Upon graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986, you joined AMX, which at the time only had 12 employees. In your seven years with the company you rose to the position of VP of engineering and chief engineer. How did this work lead you to discover your own vision and subsequently found Contemporary Research ?
SH: The product engineering and participating and interacting with all of the departments from sales, marketing, purchasing, and production gave me a wealth of experience. Further, being a key driving player in the early AMX growth years gave me the confidence.
SCN: Now Contemporary Research is developing a series of HDTV modulators for digital channel creation and distribution over RF. What role will this technology play in the future?
SH: Huge. A cable RF system can carry hundreds more simultaneous HDTV channels than a CAT wired IPTV system— and without consuming any network resources or slowing down the computers for which the network was intended. The new QMOD product makes it easy for anyone to add HD digital channels to their television systems, and takes advantage of the HD tuners built-in to all newer TVs.
SCN: How does energy efficiency inform your designs?
SH: Contemporary Research products have always been designed for efficiency and low power even before green became cool.
SCN: How would you complete the following statements?
Technology design within the AV world... has become much more complex with the growth of digital processing and distribution.
Technology design for the world beyond AV... may end up being Contemporary Research’s biggest contribution. Our research is taking us in directions nobody envisaged 15 years ago when Contemporary Research was founded. I cannot talk more about it now, please stay tuned...
In the high desert and mountains of Santa Fe you might find...
your inner peaceful and creative self.
