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3D@Home Consortium Appoints Board of Directors and Initiates Steering Teams

"The industry has rapidly and enthusiastically coalesced around the 3D@Home concept and established a structure for cooperation," stated Mark Hartney of USDC, the consortium's managing director. "A Participation Agreement is now in place that allows companies to join the 3D at Home Consortium and to begin contributing their ideas and creative energy on issues related to content, storage and marketing. We have also begun interacting with standards bodies that look to us as the voice of the 3D business community," he added.

The 3D@Home Consortium is a vehicle for bringing 3D content into the home and accelerating commercial success. Primary activities of the consortium include technical requirements and market development working groups, quarterly meetings, member-only market reports, and an industry portal for posting and exchanging relevant information on the 3D market.

"It is very exciting to be a part of the consortium that will help decide the direction of this new form of entertainment. Theatre audiences have been enthralled by what has come to them so far -- ensuring demand for this format in the home. We look forward to smoothing the path to the home, " commented Wook Kim, manager, New Business Development Group of Samsung Electronics America.

"The interest in 3D by consumers has prompted the industry to work towards bringing this form of entertainment to the home. We look forward to helping achieve this goal, "added Keith Jack, director of product marketing at Sigma Designs.

The consortium's workplan is underway, with identification of steering committees and leadership, and assignment of company representatives already completed. Project teams will provide an update at the next quarterly 3D@Home Consortium meeting, scheduled for October 2, 2008 inLos Angeles, California, in conjunction with 3D Biz-Ex event (http://www.3dbizex.com). The four steering teams are:

    ST1 -- 3D Content Creation/Production
    Chairman: Martin Oerder, Philips 3D Solutions

    ST2 -- 3D Content Storage / Transmission / Distribution
    Chairman: Jae-Seung Kim, Samsung Electronics
    Vice-Chairman: Thierry Borel, Thomson

    ST3 -- 3D Promotion
    Chairman: Mark Hartney, USDC/FlexTech

    ST4 -- 3D Displays
    Chairman: Chris Chinnock, Insight Media

Chris Chinnock, president of Insight Media and a member of the consortium board, remarked that, "There is a tremendous amount of work to be done in ensuring a rich and seamless experience for the 3D consumer. An industry-wide effort that simultaneously addresses the technical and marketing issues provides the best path to success."

Current member companies of the 3D@Home Consortium include: Intel, Philips, Samsung, Sigma Designs, Sony Electronics, Mitsubishi Electric, Thomson, Turner Broadcasting System, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, XPAND, 3ality Digital, 3DIcon, 3Dlized, Corning, Da-Lite, DDD, Dolby, ETRI, Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications HHI, Holografika, IMAX, In-Three, LG Electronics, MacGillivray Freeman Films, NanoLoa, Planar Systems, QPC Lasers, Quantum Data, Sensio Technologies, Setred, SeeReal Technologies, Sim2 Multimedia, ST Microelectronics, TDVision Systems, THX, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Volfoni.

To attend the October 2, 2008 event or to participate in the steering committees and work group activities, companies must join the 3D@Home Consortium. Three (3) levels of participation have been set up to promote affordable access to the consortium's services. More information is available at the consortium website -- http://www.3Dathome.org.

About 3D@Home Consortium -- The 3D@Home Consortium is tasked with ensuring the best possible viewing experience as 3D technology and content moves into home entertainment. The consortium accomplishes its mission through regular meetings and other communication of the members of its governing board, steering teams and project teams. The consortium is managed by Insight Media and USDC. More information is available at the consortium's website -- http://www.3DatHome.org.

SOURCE 3D@Home Consortium