HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc Presentations at MEDIA-TECH Expo

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'MEDIA-TECH 3rd Generation Forum' - HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc Presentations at MEDIA-TECH Expo in Las Vegas
Thursday April 14, 1:04 pm ET


HANAU, Germany, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The race of the two competing third generation optical disc formats, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc, will enter its next round at the upcoming MEDIA-TECH Expo in Las Vegas, May 10 - 12. In the "MEDIA-TECH 3rd Generation Forum," both camps will present their technologies at this, the leading annual tradeshow for the media manufacturing industry. The Blu-ray seminar will take place on May 10, while HD DVD is scheduled for May 11.

"This highlights the fact that MEDIA-TECH Expo 2005 is truly viewed as the place where the latest technology should be unveiled," says MEDIA-TECH Association Managing Director Bryan Ekus. "Our '3rd Generation Forum' will provide a huge amount of information on, and demonstrations of, these next- generation formats, and we are sure that they will be a major attraction for all attendees."

MEDIA-TECH 3rd Generation Forum: Blu-ray Disc Association Program & Pavilion

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has just finalized the schedule for its presentation. Titled "BD Manufacturing Technology," the BDA workshop will feature presentations by several different companies. They will touch on all aspects of the production and replication of Blu-ray Discs, both prerecorded and recordable, as well as the important topic of copy protection. These technical presentations will be complemented by Q&A sessions and the chance for individual questioning.

In addition to the Forum program, the BDA will showcase their products at the Blu-ray Disc Pavilion at Booth 31.029. The pavilion will be fully equipped with prototype players from Sony, Panasonic and Philips, as well as HDTV displays, allowing many visitors to see these high-density formats with their sharp pictures and clear sound in operation for the very first time.

MEDIA-TECH 3rd Generation Forum: HD DVD Program

Meanwhile, the HD DVD Promotion Group will present its technology at the "MEDIA-TECH 3rd Generation Forum" on Wednesday, May 11. Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo and Memory-Tech are coordinating this workshop.

These companies will send key representatives to the Forum and will also invite speakers from Hollywood studios, disc manufacturers and replication machine vendors. Besides touching on the issues regarding the production of HD DVD, the program will include HD DVD prototype player demonstrations. Toshiba HD DVD players and HD DVD drives from NEC will be hooked up to an HD projector and a 5.1 Channel audio system, providing for a movie theater-like atmosphere. The footage comes from Hollywood movies, optimized for HD DVD usage.

Background Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD

While the market for DVD, according to studies of Understanding & Solutions, will be growing significantly until at least 2007, the development of the next format generation is not to be stopped. Two formats are already vying to become the successor of the DVD: HD DVD (High Density DVD) and Blu- ray Disc. Both disc formats offer enough storage capacity to record content broadcast in high-definition television (HDTV).

In contrast to the red laser used for DVD, both next-generation formats use a blue laser. The blue laser has a shorter wavelength that allows it to make finer signal markings on the optical media. A shorter wavelength combined with a newly developed compression process results in higher storage capacity. HD DVD accommodates 30 gigabytes, Blu-ray 50 gigabytes on a double-layer disc.

The developers behind the HD DVD format, which was introduced in August 2002, are, among others, Toshiba, NEC and Sanyo. The Blu-ray Disc was launched in February 2002 and counts Sony, Philips, Apple, Hitachi, Matsushita, LG, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp and Thomson among its advocates. While HD DVD specifications have won the approval of the DVD Forum as the post-DVD standard, the Blu-ray developers have formed the Blu-ray Disc Association to further promote the format and make a it global standard.

It is expected that only one of the two possible formats will survive in the market in medium-term. The decision in favor of one of these formats will be taken not just by the consumer or disc producer but rather by Hollywood. Major film studios, including Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures and New Line Cinema have announced the U.S. release of 80 film titles on prerecorded HD DVD by the end of 2005.

Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Columbia Tristar and MGM, however, are backing the Blu-ray Disc and it is expected that these studios will follow suit soon with their releases. By the turn of the year 2005/2006, the requisite recorders and home entertainment equipment for both formats should be available for 600 USD.

Background MEDIA-TECH Association

The MEDIA-TECH Association is a body created in 2001 to serve every facet of the optical and removable storage media manufacturing industry, spanning the range from all current formats of optical discs and magnetic media to future formats such as HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

Member companies of the Association range from content owners and licensees through designers and software developers, to raw material and equipment manufacturers. They are involved in the entertainment industry; the games market; data storage innovations; plastics technology; injection moulding; quality assurance; printing, packing, wrapping and distribution; sales and marketing; and many other areas of expertise within the media manufacturing industry.

Represented in Europe, Asia and the Americas, the MEDIA-TECH Association aims at providing its members with a forum for information, discussion and exchange of ideas, as well as ways to develop business opportunities and strategic partnerships. Another premier goal is the assurance that the industry as a whole continues to grow and stay dynamic.


For more information, please contact:
MEDIA-TECH Association Press Office
Simon Feess, MetaCom Corporate Communications, Postfach 1937, 63409
Hanau, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6181 982 80 42
E-Mail: s.feess@go-metacom.de
Web: http://www.media-tech.net