DEG KICKS OFF 7TH YEAR WITH NEWLY ELECTED BOARD AND THREE NEW REGULAR MEMBERS

Industry Supported Trade Association Welcomes New Members GoodTimes Entertainment, Hewlett Packard and Hitachi

     

          LOS ANGELES ( July 6, 2004 ) – Starting its seventh year, DEG: the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) has elected a new Board of Directors and re-elected its Executive Committee (roster listed below).

     The DEG is a trade association charged with promoting the DVD format, as well as offering member companies a platform to engage in ongoing discussions concerning various issues and opportunities which relate to other digital technologies that may emerge in the future.

     The DEG's Executive Committee is responsible for providing leadership and oversight of the DEG's overall agenda, budget and Executive Staff. The DEG Board, which elects the Executive Committee, agreed to re-elect the existing Executive Committee to allow them to continue the work they began when re-chartering the DEG as an issues-oriented group.

     Buena Vista Home Entertainment President Bob Chapek remains President of the DEG, while Mike Fidler, Sony Electronics' Senior Vice President, Home Products, succeeds his Sony counterpart Joe Stinziano who had held the position previously. DreamWorks Home Entertainment's Sandy Friedman has been re-elected as CFO and New Line Home Entertainment President and COO Steve Einhorn has been re-elected as Secretary. Emiel Petrone, executive vice president, Philips Corporate Alliance Group, remains as Chairman, a position he has held since the group formed in 1997.

     Additionally, the DEG is starting its new fiscal year with three new regular members. They are GoodTimes Entertainment, Hewlett Packard and Hitachi . Hewlett Packard is the first IT company to join the DEG roster of some 35 companies. Broadcast Text, the world's largest supplier of subtitles, joins as an associate member.

     “We are very proud of all that the DEG has accomplished this past year and look forward to continuing our work together as a Board that brings together industry leaders from the studios, music companies and consumer electronics manufacturers,” said Bob Chapek, president, Buena Vista Home Entertainment and president, DEG. “We are also pleased to welcome our new members and especially encouraged that Hewlett Packard is joining the DEG as our first IT member company. As our industry becomes increasingly convergent, this is a natural addition.”

DEG: THE DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT GROUP – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Marshall Forster
Executive Vice President, North America
COLUMBIA TRISTARHOME ENTERTAINMENT

Ted Cohen
Senior Vice President, D3
EMI MUSIC

Thomas Sasaki
Manager VCR/DVD, Consumer Video Division
JVC COMPANY OF AMERICA

David Bishop
President and Chief Operating Officer
MGM HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Reid Sullivan
Vice President - Entertainment Group
PANASONIC CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Gary Bauhard
Director of Marketing
PIONEER ELECTRONICS

Tom Lesinski
President
PARAMOUNT PICTURES WORLDWIDE HOME ENTERTAINMENT

John Town
SVP, Research and Development
THOMSON

Jodi Sally
Assistant Vice President
TOSHIBA AMERICA

Peter Staddon
Senior Vice President, Marketing
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Paul Bishow
Vice President, Marketing – New Formats
UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP

Craig Kornblau
President
UNIVERSAL STUDIO HOME VIDEO

Jim Cardwell
President
WARNER HOME VIDEO

   Lastly, at the DEG Board's request, the three working Committees have all agreed to serve another term in their existing roles. The Committees, which meet once or twice a month, are:

 TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
Charter: To provide a business context on current and emerging technologies that impact the members of the DEG and consumer acceptance. The Committee provides an objective resource for identification and assessment of future technology development that will have relevance to the DEG.

Chair
Chris Carey
Senior Vice President, Studio New Technology
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS

Co-chair
Jodi Sally
Assistant Vice President
TOSHIBA AMERICA CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Members

Don Eklund
Vice President, Advanced Technologies
COLUMBIA TRISTAR HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Peter Kaars
Director of Business Development
PHILIPS ELECTRONICS

Lewis Ostrover
Senior Vice President, New Media Applications & Operations
WARNER HOME VIDEO

CONTENT COMMITTEE
Charter: To provide insight into the impact of new technologies identified by the Technology Committee. The Content Committee provides a perspective on the commercial or business model impact that these technologies may have on the consumer marketplace.

Chair
Peter Staddon
Senior Vice President, Marketing
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Co-chair
Tom Dixon
Senior Marketing Manager
PIONEER ELECTRONICS ( USA )

Members

Kelly Sooter
Head of Home Video
DREAMWORKS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Chris Brown
Co-founder / Creative Director
INTERACTUAL TECHNOLOGIES

Meagan Kennedy Burrows
President
PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Paul Bishow
Vice President, Marketing – New Formats
UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP – ELABS

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
Charter: Provide guidance on current activities within the DEG, including, but not limited to trade events, DEG quarterly meetings, public relations, promotions and merchandising opportunities. The Communications Committee also creates opportunities for involvement for the DEG Retail Advisory Board.

Chair
Matt Lasorsa
Executive Vice President, Marketing
NEW LINE HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Co-chair
Reid Sullivan
Vice President, Entertainment Group
PANASONIC CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

Members

Jeff Skillen
Vice President
DTS ENTERTAINMENT

Kenneth Lloyd
Director, New Formats Business Development
SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

DEG: the Digital Entertainment Group (formerly the DVD Entertainment Group) is a Los Angeles-based, industry-funded nonprofit corporation that advocates and promotes the many benefits associated with DVD while providing updated information regarding the format to both the media and the retail trade. As an industry-funded, nonprofit organization, the DEG offers opportunities for member companies to engage in ongoing discussions concerning various issues and opportunities, which relate to other new digital technologies that may emerge in the future.

Regular members of the DEG are Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, DreamWorks Home Entertainment, DTS Entertainment, EMI Recorded Music, GoodTimes Entertainment, HBO Video, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, Image Entertainment, JVC Company of America, Lions Gate Entertainment, MGM Home Entertainment, New Line Home Entertainment, Panasonic Consumer Electronics, Paramount Home Entertainment, Philips Consumer Electronics, Pioneer Electronics (USA), Sony Electronics, Sony Music Entertainment, Thomson, Toshiba America Consumer Products, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Universal Studios Home Video and Warner Home Video.

Associate members are Alta Resources, Ascent Media, Broadcast Text, Deluxe Media Services, InterActual Technologies, Macrovision, Muze, Sony DADC and Technicolor.

Interested consumers can reach the DEG at (310) 967-2940, via e-mail at getinfo@digitalentertainmentinfo.com or through its web site at www.digitalentertainmentinfo.com .