Gefen solves the mystery of connectivity

I remember interviewing Hagai Gefen in the mid-1990’s, shortly after he founded the company he lent his name to.

I also remember him as a clear thinker who understood that computers and audio visual hardware were only at the beginning of what would surely be a long marriage. Gefen thought about storage, networking, and, if I remember correctly, was predicting the day when what we now call the cloud would be a reality.

The company’s newest product, GAVA, brings an easy to operate front-end to anyone who wants to create a network of connected audio/video devices, both in commercial and home environments.

"GAVA offers the most intuitive system setups available today," said Orrin Charm, Gefen’s automation project manager. "By using templates and a driver library to identify and configure A/V equipment, you can set up multi-zone rooms in in just a few minutes.”

Once configured, GAVA retains a unique IP address that enables any authorized device with wi-fi capability the ability to access and control the entire A/V system. Although designed to run on a network, it does not require Internet access for configuration or use, but it can be connected to the Internet for firmware and library updates or for remote technical support or control.

"One of the best features of GAVA is the ability to save the configuration onto the computer hard disc, then have the ability to recall the setting later on," said Hagai Gefen, president and CEO, Gefen. "With this option, you can essentially ship GAVA to the installation site and literally drop it in with total plug and play functionality."

More about GAVA, and the company’s full product line, can be found at the Geffen website.