It's 1973 and Björn Sandlund heads up development at the Studio for Electronic Music in Stockholm. Realizing that there is commercial potential in an easy-to-use and affordable system for electronic music, he quits his job and starts Dataton on September 1, 1973. One year later, Dataton relocates to Linköping.

The first Dataton products are modular synths, but by the 1980s the focus has shifted to full-on audiovisual solutions. Slide projector control is hot and Dataton is at the forefront with programmers such as the Mic3, MicSoft, and modular PAX dissolve units. As multi-image morphs into multimedia in the 1990s, and new technologies enter the market, Dataton leads the way, launching WATCHOUT multi-display production and playback software. 

We're proud of the last 50 years and the road that has taken us from a basement office to a stalwart of the AV industry. Read more about the early days of Dataton here. 

Are you based in Linköping? Call by for birthday cake and coffee from 3 pm to 4 pm on Friday, September 1, Teknikringen 22, Linköping Science Park.

The first version of WATCHOUT was released in 2000. Twenty-three years later, WATCHOUT is the choice of AV professionals worldwide, lauded for its flexibility and reliability.

To celebrate our 50-year anniversary, we're releasing version 7 of WATCHOUT as previewed at ISE in Barcelona, Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt and InfoComm. Version 7 is faster, savvier and offers a collaborative, streamlined workflow. It includes new audio and video engines, NDI in and out, 16-bit color depth, HDR playback, and support of key file formats such as Notch® LC. WATCHOUT is renowned for its usability and operators will still feel right at home when they open up the production interface. The staged release starts in September when we roll out the new version to a limited audience with a general release to follow. 

Read more about the next chapter for WATCHOUT!

We've been designing hardware for 50 years. From slide projector controllers, to dissolve units, to audio guides, to media servers. And here's a first look at our brand new media server, WATCHPAX 30, a compact, four-output unit that's perfect for permanent or temporary installs.