Most people take for granted the crisp, clear video that they watch on their monitors and TV screens. The technology has become so commonplace that we never think about the innovators that created it and continue to improve on something that is such a true blessing for us all. One of these innovative companies is PureLink and their story is a beautiful one.
For nearly two decades PureLink has been leading the way as an innovator and educator in the professional A/V industry. Founded in 2002 by Minsoo Park, the company has a long list of industry firsts, leveraging their extensive R&D activities to bring to their integrator and designer partners the latest in cutting edge features and functionality.
Years before PureLink became the trailblazer in the industry it is today, Minsoo worked for Samsung in South Korea. Learning the ropes at Samsung sparked a passion for the A/V Technology world and after some time he decided to head to NYU to earn his Masters in Interactive Telecommunications. Upon graduating in 2001, he had a dream of making the world’s first DVI to Fiber Cable and with hard work, his dream came true. He was able to accomplish this dream with a team of trusted engineers, and the first prototype was born. Minsoo couldn’t imagine the difficulties and challenges in the road ahead. The entire world was working off limited analog technology and extremely hesitant to transition to the unproven digital future. He knew he had an innovative product that could change the world of A/V and he refused to give up.
Minsoo reached out to all his contacts in the industry, Samsung colleagues included, but no one believed in his vision and he encountered one dead end after another. For the next seven months, his unwavering faith in his technology had him making an average of 150 phone calls a day in an effort to find someone to see what was so very clear to him. From a small spare bedroom office in his family home in Edgewater, NJ, Minsoo would kiss his children goodbye as if he was leaving for work only to close the bedroom door and concentrate on his vision so the little ones wouldn’t distract him from his goal. Mrs. Park would bring him lunch and handle the children alone every day so that he could focus on the family business and make his dream a reality.
Finally, he had a breakthrough and an online distributor in Seattle purchased 2 fiber optic cables. This would not be nearly enough to finance all his hard work though and he continued his pursuit of potential buyers. Fortunately, his path brought him to a Military Helicopter Simulator company that saw where the world was headed and placed an order for nearly 50 cables. At last, he was able to go into mass production. He was elated by this relationship, being a retired Korean Military man himself. From this fortunate connection, doors began opening for sales to hospitals in need of technology for digital X-Rays and MRI’s.
While Minsoo slowly moved a young PureLink to successful heights, he also was able to bring his vision to a place much closer to his heart. While volunteering at his Presbyterian Church in Northern New Jersey, he saw an opportunity to help his own congregation to update their technology. He was able to convert them from the old ways of analog to his own modern digital innovation.
His church had temporarily expanded its worship location from its main sanctuary to a section of a nearby building to accommodate its growing congregation.
While construction on a second campus was under way, Sunday worship service was simulcast to the temporary site through internet broadcasting, which resulted in noticeable transmission delays and dropped connections. Despite the challenge of a long transmission distance and unstable environment, a decision was made to upgrade to a fiber-optic network that would allow real-time distribution between the two sites.
Live footage from the main sanctuary’s broadcast control room had to pass through a street pole as well as the IT service room at the second campus, before it was distributed to the temporary location, with a total point-point distance of 0.6 miles.
PureLink’s PureMedia™ 4K Fiber-Optic Extension System (PM-FR101-U and PM-FT102-U) was installed as part of the network upgrade, which required complex fiber patch-cabling and distribution, providing a true, uninterrupted real-time broadcast.
PureLink has grown from Minsoo’s home office, working by himself in a small bedroom to a 25,000 square foot facility in Fair Lawn, NJ. He says he has been so blessed with his partners and team who continue to grow the company to this day. He humbly credits PureLink’s success to their hard work and dedication. PureLink is truly a family business and that is what makes Minsoo beam with pride.
With a long history of innovation, they are more than just a black box connecting your sources and displays. They are an organization of dedicated individuals throughout the world committed to delivering real value that goes well beyond 4K. PureLink offers state-of-the-art A/V products and services for all types of infrastructures and levels of criticality. Their brands such as Media Axis™, PureMedia™, HDTools™, PureStream™, and TotalWire™ enable system configuration within any design platform or infrastructure.
PureLink’s technology has contributed to the amazing digital video clarity that has benefited so many, from military applications, to hospitals and to houses of worship. For this reason, it is no surprise that their continued advancement as an innovative leader in this constantly changing industry is due to the talented family of employees and leadership whose values and principles drive their success.
