Expectations high for Media-Tech Europe 2009 — www.media-tech.net

Expectations high for Media-Tech Europe 2009

Media-Tech Europe 2009 will be a success, Bryan Ekus (pictured), director, Media-Tech Association told One to One. Over 70 exhibitors from 20 countries will present products, concepts and innovations over a two-an-a-half day period in Frankfurt, Germany on 22-24 April.

Ekus said that because of the tough economic and business climate the event was scaled down, but surprisingly scaled down too much. „We located it in a smaller hall and we were hoping that we’d sell half of the space. We were surprised, that we sold all of the hall space, and had to find more meeting space to put other exhibitors,” Ekus said.

„We have a great conference programme organised by Futuresource Consulting. We are also hoping to get the Blu-ray Disc Association involved as well. Our show is an equipment show, but the replicators and authoring houses that attend these events are the first contact to the content community. It all comes together at Media-Tech,” Ekus said. Blu-ray is, of course, the most interesting item on the shelf. Companies still need to understand what equipment is needed and to learn about what staffing is required to get up and running. Media-Tech is where that education will take place.

„We won’t know exactly how many people are turning out until we open the doors on the first day, but I have high expectations,” Ekus said.

For more information:

* http://www.media-tech.net

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DRA introduced for BD-ROM 2.3

DRA introduced for BD-ROM 2.3

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), China Hualu Group, and Digital Rise Technology has announced that a new digital audio coding technology, DRA, has been included in the BD-ROM 2.3 specification as an optional audio codec by the BDA.

DRA was developed by Digital Rise Technology of China. This announcement means that DRA has become part of the Blu-ray Disc format.

„The adoption of DRA marks an important milestone for the Blu-ray Disc format as it offers more choices for consumers around the world,” said Roel Kramer, president of the Blu-ray Disc Association. „BDA has a high respect for China and we are very happy to include Chinese technology in the format.”

Chen Runsheng (pictured), chairman and general manager, China Hualu Group, said: „I am very happy that a Chinese technology has been adopted by the BDA format. China Hualu Group will promote the Blu-ray Disc format with DRA technology in domestic and global markets. With such good news, we believe 2009 will be the launching year for Blu-ray Disc business in China.”

DRA technology was proposed by the China Hualu Group to the BDA in August 2007 and was adopted following two rounds of technical evaluation conducted in the US and Japan by the BDA.

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MTA and IDMA unite on AACS licensing fees

MTA and IDMA unite on AACS licensing fees

The MEDIA-TECH Association is joining the International Digital Media Alliance-led initiative to express concern that the current AACS licensing fee structure is impeding the adoption of Blu-ray Disc for non-Hollywood titles. AACS is a requirement under the Blu-ray Disc specification, unlike its predecessor the DVD format which did not have licensing agreements.

Bruce Nazarian (pictured), president of the International Digital Media Alliance, told One to One that the AACS requirement has been the biggest problem faced by non-Hollywood producers because of the upfront cost. „It’s stopped a large number of potential BD publishers dead in their tracks. That wouldn’t be such a problem, except we know that well over half of the titles available on DVD did not come from Hollywood, but, in fact, have come from the same independent publishers who are locked out of BD by the upfront AACS licensing fees.”

Marianne Sernevi, president of the MEDIA-TECH Association, said: „The goal is merely to bring focus on AACS and to strongly suggest a tiered approach to licensing fees that will enable everybody to participate according to their means.” Doing so will unleash the pent-up creativity of thousands of independent producers who are waiting to participate profitably in growing the Blu-ray format.”

„The International Digital Media Alliance is pleased to welcome the Media-Tech Association to the growing list of associations and individuals who share our enthusiasm for the Blu-ray format, and our desire to stimulate greater Blu-ray adoption worldwide,” commented Nazarian.

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Technicolor expands business with Disney and Paramount

Technicolor expands business with Disney and Paramount

Technicolor, a unit of France’s Thomson conglomerate, has had a busy week! Not only has it expanded its DVD replication and distribution deals with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, but it has also announced plans to create a post-production studio with Paramount Pictures.

Technicolor continues to provide DVD mastering, replication, packaging, distribution and returns processing for Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in North America, but it has now added freight management services as well.

Technicolor has been providing DVD replication services to Disney since the inception of DVDs in the late 1990s. Frederic Rose, CEO of Thomson, said: „We are pleased to extend and expand our existing DVD service agreements with Disney, an important and long-time customer. This contract is a clear sign of Thomson’s strength and market-leading position in the industry.”

On the Paramount front, Technicolor will create a state-of-the-art post-production sound facility on the Paramount Hollywood lot. The new facility will become the centrepiece of Paramount’s Post Production Village, providing a wide range of services for filmed entertainment, television productions and commercial producers. It will also include two world-class theatrical mixing stages as well as a full complement of ADR, television mixing and audio editorial rooms.

„We are thrilled to team with Technicolor during this exciting time of expansion to our post-production services,” said Frederick Huntsberry, chief operating officer, Paramount Pictures. „This sound facility is a significant opportunity to grow our business and an important step in Paramount’s efforts to provide filmmakers, as well as television and commercial producers, with a wide range of services in a convenient studio environment.”

„It is a pleasure to join with a studio of Paramount’s history of excellence on this important project. We look forward to establishing a facility that will offer marquee services to both Hollywood and the global entertainment community,” added Rose.

Technicolor will manage the operation of the new facility in collaboration with Paramount. In addition, the Paramount Post Production Village will provide producers with editorial facilities to base their entire post-production operations on the Paramount lot. The opening of the facility is anticipated for the first quarter of 2010.

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1,000th Blu-ray title launched in the UK

1,000th Blu-ray title launched in the UK

Pinocchio, the Platinum Edition from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment became the 1,000th Blu-ray title to be launched in the UK, according to figures released by the British Video Association from data supplied by Muze Europe.

The landmark demonstrates that despite tough times for the economy, content distributors in the UK are more committed than ever to high-definition home entertainment. In Europe, Blu-ray Disc uptake is still in the early-adopter phase with consumer video retail sales expected to reach 9 million units this year. The UK has the highest level of BD sales in Western Europe with 3.5 million discs sold last year. This is more than 40 percent of all Blu-ray Disc sales for the region, according to a recent report from Futuresource Consulting.

The positive attitude towards Blu-ray adoption appears to be true in the US and Japan as well. In the US last year, 24 million BD discs were sold, an increase of 320 percent from the prior year. That explosive growth will carry forward this year with BD sales forecast to reach more than 80 million discs, according to Futuresource.

Ironically, as the economy declines, consumers will seek out more affordable alternatives to vacations and out-of-home entertainment, said Futuresource Consulting spokesperson Andy Watson. „The whole idea of a ‚staycation’ where consumers stay at home and surround themselves with consumer electronics and entertainment will contribute to BD growth,” he said.

Hannah Conduct, marketing manager for the British Video Association said: „With this highly significant milestone (of the 1000th Blu-ray release in the UK) we expect to see sales going from strength to strength in 2009, on the back of strong releases such as Quantum of Solace, Slumdog Millionnaire and other recent box office successes.

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EDIA-TECH Association supports the International Digital Media Alliance content protection initiative

EDIA-TECH Association supports the International Digital Media Alliance content protection initiative

The MEDIA-TECH Association announced today that it is joining the International Digital Media Alliance (IDMA, formerly known as the DVDA) led initiative, which expresses concern that the current AACS licensing fee structure might be impeding the adoption rate of the Blu-ray Disc for non Hollywood titles.

AACS is a requirement under the Blu-ray Disc specification, unlike its predecessor the DVD format, which did not have mandatory licensing agreements. With DVD, the decision was left open to the content holder as to whether to implement CSS for virtually no additional charge, or MacroVision for a fee commensurate with the quantity of discs created.

“The goal is merely to bring focus on AACS and to strongly suggest a tiered approach to licensing fees that will enable everybody to participate according to their means”, stated Marianne Sernevi, President of the MEDIA-TECH Association. “Doing so will unleash the pent-up creativity of thousands of independent producers who are waiting to participate profitably in growing the Blu-ray format.”

„The International Digital Media Alliance is pleased to welcome the Media-Tech Association to the growing list of associations and individuals who share our enthusiasm for the Blu-ray format, and our desire to stimulate greater Blu-ray adoption worldwide.” commented Bruce Nazarian, IDMA President.

For information and updates, please visit these websites: http://www.idmadvda.org and http://www.media-tech.net

About the MEDIA-TECH Association

The MEDIA-TECH Association was created in 2001 to serve the packaged media manufacturing industry, spanning the range of optical disc, flash media and future formats such as holographic memory and near field recording. The MEDIA-TECH Association provides the packaged media manufacturing industry with a unique program of trade shows and conferences where the exchange of ideas takes place, along with demonstrations of the latest in manufacturing technology.

About the International Digital Media Alliance:

The International Digital Media Alliance (IDMA) is a global non- profit dedicated to promoting excellence and fostering best practices in digital and interactive media. The IDMA will celebrate its 20th year of digital media evangelism in 2010. As the CDIA, ICDIA, DVDA and now IDMA, our mission has been consistent: to promote excellence and best practices in digital media creation of all types.

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Blu-ray patent pool pending

Blu-ray patent pool pending

Panasonic, Philips and Sony have announced that they are working with other Blu-ray patent holders to establish a ‚one-stop shop licence’ for BD products. This licence, say the companies, „covers essential patents for Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD”, and will be introduced in the middle of this year.

It will be offered by a new independent licensing company that will be based in the US with branch offices in Asia, Europe and Latin America. The CEO of the company will be Gerald Rosenthal, former head of IP at IBM and, more recently, CEO of Open Invention Network.

„By establishing a new licensing entity that offers a single licence for Blu-ray Disc products at attractive rates, I am confident that it will foster the growth of the Blu-ray Disc market and serve the interest of all companies participating in this market, be it as licensee or licensor,” Rosenthal declared.

The three founding companies believe that the introduction of this simplified one-stop shop product licence will stimulate the growth of the market for Blu-ray Disc products. Any holder of essential patents for Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD patents is invited to join this licensing entity as a licensor and also as shareholder.

The fees for the new product licenses are $9.50 for a Blu-ray Disc player and $14.00 for a Blu-ray Disc recorder. The per disc licence fees for Blu-ray Disc will be $0.11 for a read-only disc, $0.12 for a recordable disc and $0.15 for a rewritable disc. As a result of the efficiencies obtained with the combined licence offering, the royalty rates for Blu-ray Disc products are expected to be at least 40% lower than the current cumulative royalty rates for individual Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD format licences.

According to the three founding companies: „The Blu-ray Disc product licensing programme aims to create a level playing field in the market for Blu-ray Disc products by introducing special measures to encourage companies selling Blu-ray Disc products to comply with their licence obligations. The programme also includes measures to easily identify unlicensed products in the market and a system to address those who may not have obtained proper licences for Blu-ray Disc products.”

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AudioDev releases new BD handbook

AudioDev releases new BD handbook

ImageSweden-based AudioDev has announced the release of the new version of the BD Measurement Parameter Handbook, which offers a comprehensive description of the electrical parameters as well as an overview of the manufacturing process and many other relevant technologies. The handbook covers the pre-recorded format (BD-ROM), recordable (BD-R) and re-writable format (BD-RE).

This new edition, version 1.2, has revised text for most parameters as well as a description of all electrical parameters measured by the CATS BD-testers up to the most recent software version. Compared to the previous version of the handbook, the new version includes 30 additional pages, a number of new illustrations and description of 40 new parameters. The new version of the BD Measurement Parameter Handbook is bundled with all new CATS-testers but it is also possible to order it through the company’s website.

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