Transvideo Closes After 40 Years: French Monitor Pioneer in Liquidation

Transvideo, the pioneering company known for making premium monitors for filmmaking, Steadicam, and even aerospace, including Airbus, has closed with immediate and permanent effect.

French monitor specialist Transvideo has closed down permanently, only a little after celebrating its 40th Anniversary in June.

Back then, founder and CEO Jacques Delacoux posted a short, positive message on the company website.

"It has been a wonderful experience, and I would like to thank all the company's employees who helped create the exceptional products you use daily and that have transformed the way films are made around the world.

"Transvideo has also had the honor of equipping numerous aircraft around the world, including all of the magnificent Airbus A380s and then the Airbus A350s.

"Thank you to our wonderful customers and friends who have loyally supported us over the years, for their suggestions and wishes, which we have always strived to implement.
Our products are exceptional, durable, and most of them still work like new, sometimes after more than 20 years of loyal service. All are proudly manufactured in France."

Unfortunately, it looks like that manufacturing has now come to an end. The latest update simply reads:

Nous sommes au regret de vous informer que la société Transvideo est définitivement fermée.

We regret to inform you that the company Transvideo is permanently closed.

High-End and High-Profile

Over four decades, Transvideo has been synonymous with monitors at the high-end of the industry. It was a key player in the transition from CRT monitors to LCD flat panels that took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It claims to have introduced the world's first professional flat-panel monitor designed for the broadcast industry, the LCM06-HR, which came with a dozen interchangeable backs in 1990. A year later, it followed that with the first high brightness unit, the LCM06HB, and it's been innovating ever since, becoming particularly tied into the Steadicam ecosystem over the years.

It's an area of fierce competition, however. Despite some dramatic price slashing at the end of June, the company started the procédure de sauvegarde (safeguard proceedings) at the end of July. This is roughly equivalent to the US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and gave it some stability while it searched for a buyer.

However, on 11 September, the court ended the safeguard proceedings and ordered judicial liquidation.

What Happens Next?

As yes it's too early for any stock to appear listed for auction, nor is there any confirmed interest in anyone buying the brand assets of the company. Any outstanding creditors are directed towards the liquidators Mandateam. Claims need to be filed within two months. As is usual with these cases, however, customer claims (which includes warranties) will typically be treated as unsecured, so they’re likely to be near the back of the queue.

No word yet on whether anyone else will pick up servicing of the many Transvideo monitors out there. We'll update if we hear anything.

All things must pass, for sure, but it is still a sad end to a pioneering company that has been a byword for excellence on set and elsewhere for longer than many of us have been working in the industry.