DVD Compatibility Forum Added to
Optical Storage Symposium 2004 Agenda

OSTA Urges More Industry Involvement;
Event Scheduled October 19 In San Francisco

One hundred percent compatibility is the goal—among different types of DVD media, and among recordable DVD drives, DVD-ROM drives, and consumer DVD players. To provide a single forum to present industry efforts to improve compatibility and quality, a recordable DVD compatibility panel has been added to the Optical Storage Symposium (OSS) 2004 agenda.

“ There is a serious need to have greater involvement from a much wider representation of companies throughout the entire DVD industry” to address this issue, according to Subutai Ahmad, chairman of the DVD Compatibility Committee of OSTA.

Ahmad is one of the panel members. The panel also includes Tony Jasionowski, Recordable DVD Council (RDVDC); Andy Parsons, RW Products Promotion Initiative (RWPPI); and Ted Matsui, DVD+RW Compatibility and Convergence Group (DCCG).

Presentations from each of the participating organizations will be followed by a summary of results from Phase 2 of OSTA’s DVD compatibility testing initiative. OSTA’s DVD Compatibility Committee has established a joint DVD compatibility testing initiative with the DVD Association (DVDA), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The three organizations are participating in a joint testing initiative to provide an independent, objective reference source for compatibility information on recordable DVD technology.

The OSS panel will convene in a general forum on Tuesday, Oct. 19th, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. in the Empire Room of the Fairmont Hotel.

The third annual Optical Storage Symposium will be held on October 18-19, 2004, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, California. Details on other sessions can be found on OSTA’s website at http://www.osta.org/oss or in the conference agenda on page of this newsletter.

“In this industry, the future is where we need to focus. OSTA’s annual Optical Storage Symposium addresses the trends and developments that will affect consumers, our businesses and future growth of the industry.”

David Bunzel President
OSTA

 

First Digital Camera Plugfest Presented In
Conjunction with OSS 2004

Want your products to play well with others in the digital camera “ecosystem”—DVD players, personal media players, portable media, photo software applications and printers? Then come to the OSTA Optical Storage Symposium a day early, on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 17, and enjoy two days of hands-on compatibility testing of digital cameras and various digital devices. Participate in formal discussions of consumer enjoyment and ways to achieve compatibility through industry standards. Meet new friends and colleagues with similar compatibility concerns and objectives. Come away with a compatibility list and an improved understanding of how your product can be compatible to more products. Engineers and marketing professionals are invited to bring their non-PC electronics devices and participate in the Digital Camera Plugfest at no charge, whether they are OSTA members or not. This pre-event is planned to be the first annual Digital Camera Plugfest, presented in conjunction with the OSTA Optical Storage Symposium Oct. 18-19 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, California. The Plugfest is presented by the OSTA MPV™ (MusicPhotoVideo™) Committee and will be held from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Sunday, October 17 and from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 18. Be there or risk being incompatible. For more information on participating in this event, please visit the OSTA website at www.osta.org or call (408) 253-3695.

Opening Keynote “Customer-Driven Innovation
in the World of CE”

What happens in the real world? How does the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailer, Best Buy, respond to consumer demands for innovation? Consumer electronics and innovation go hand in hand, so how do executives at the nation’s largest CE retailer regard innovation within their company? Are customers at the core of new technologies and products? How does this retail giant adjust its business to fit different market segments including the often underestimated female purchaser? In this real life case study, you’ll find out what innovation means to Best Buy, the new directions innovation is taking and what it takes to implement new ideas. For this opening Keynote Luncheon, the panel of speakers includes Best Buy Co., Inc. executives Kal Patel, senior vice president for strategy and international; Phil Schoonover, executive vice president, customer segmentation; Nancy Brooks, Jill Segment and Platform Lead; and Pat Wagner, Studio D Program Manager, along with Jen Drechsler, Co-Director Brand Consulting, Just Ask A Woman. The keynote luncheon is a joint event for attendees of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Industry Forum and OSTA’s OSS 2004. The event is scheduled from noon to 2:00 p.m., Monday, Oct. 18, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

5:30 p.m. Marketplace Reception At the Marketplace Reception, Symposium participants will have the opportunity to interact with each other on an informal basis, while sampling a dazzling array of sumptuous hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.

OSTA’s
Commercial
Optical Storage
Applications
Committee is
presenting two
session at OSS
2004 to discuss
use of optical
storage for
archival
applications

Renowned Futurist to Discuss
Possible ‘Taming’ Of The Web

Famed author and futurist Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law School professor and founder of Stanford’s Center for Internet and Society, will talk about the future of freedom on the Web and other ideas at the second keynote lunch for attendees of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Industry Forum and OSTA’s OSS 2004. Hear from one of the industry’s leading experts on the future of Internet law and digital rights management, and learn what it means for your business. Lessig has been featured on the cover of Wired Magazine and is the best-selling author of “Free Culture,” “The Future Of Ideas,” and “Code And Other Laws Of Cyberspace.” He has also taught at Harvard Law School and the University of Chicago Law School and has been named one of Scientific American's Top 50 Visionaries for his victory in Eldred v. Ashcroft, the ground-breaking case challenging the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. This second keynote luncheon will be held from noon to 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 19, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

Archival Storage to be Addressed in new OSS track on
Commercial Optical Storage Applications

This year for the first time, a track at OSS 2004 has been added to address long-term archival requirements and commercial optical storage applications. The two sessions in this track are “Why Optical Makes Sense for Archive” (Monday, Oct. 18, 4 p.m, Session 1B) and “How Optical Meets Archive and Compliance Requirements Standards,” (Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 10:15 a.m., Session 4B). These panel discussions will both be held in the Empire Room at the San Francisco Fairmont Hotel. The presentations on commercial applications are an excellent example of how representatives from different industry segments come together at OSS 2004 to address issue of interest to the optical storage and business solutions communities. In these sessions prepared by the Commercial Optical Storage Applications committee within OSTA, we will discuss what archival issues are better solved with optical technology. The panels discussions will explore technologies that can be used for archive applications, and examine why optical is often better suited to meet the needs of current archive applications with its low total cost of ownership, archive longevity, data migration and other benefits. We will also discuss a number of governmental digital storage regulations and requirements, and examine why optical is the gold standard for long-term, archive storage. For a more detailed description of these sessions and list of panelists, please see the agenda at the end of this issue.

 

Visit the OSS 2004 MarketPlace Exhibits to See
the Latest in Optical Storage Technology

The MarketPlace is the home base of the CEA Industry Forum and OSS 2004, where all attendees gather for breakfast, receptions and breaks. The OSS 2004 exhibits surrounding the MarketPlace provide a convenient opportunity for attendees to see the latest in optical storage technology. Highlights of the exhibits from several of our sponsors follow:

Imation to Feature DVD+R Double Layer and
Printable CD and DVD Media

Imation is the world's leading provider of removable data storage media designed to help businesses and everyday users create, protect, and retrieve valuable data and digital memories. With a heritage beginning in magnetic tape more than 50 years ago, Imation’s over 20 year history in optical allows the company to advance the performance of removable data storage media formats for all users.

Advanced 52x CD recording speeds and 16x DVD write speeds are the most recent additions to Imation’s broad portfolio of CD and DVD media. The introduction of the latest DVD format--DVD+R Double Layer rounds out Imation’s portfolio for users looking for increased DVD capacity. To further explore the digital creative process, Imation also offers a complete portfolio of full coverage, hub printable CD and DVD products for inkjet or thermal printers. Printable media allows businesses and everyday users to customize the surface of their CD and DVD digital creations. For more information visit www.imation.com.

LightScribe Provides Profitable Licensing
Opportunity to OSS Attendees

LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling is a revolutionary new technology that makes it easy to burn silk-screen-quality labels on CDs and DVDs—and LightScribe uses the same laser that burns the data.

LightScribe will be a profitable feature for ISVs and product brands that become early licensees. Thorough consumer testing provides conclusive evidence that a high percentage of consumers in all age groups want a feature like LightScribe. More importantly, this same extensive research indicates that they’re willing to pay a significant premium for LightScribe’s capabilities. But it’s important to act quickly.

To see LightScribe’s silk-screen quality output, watch live demos, and to access a research summary that backs up these claims, visit the LightScribe booth at OSS.

To schedule a private discussion with a LightScribe executive at OSS, send an e-mail in advance to ts@lightscribe.com. To learn more about licensing opportunities before attending OSS, visit www.lightscribe.com/oss today.

 

Panasonic Demos DVD-RAM with Read-Only and Write-Once DVD Media for Convergent Applications

DVD consumer players and personal-computer drives and writable media are now affordable and widely used. Consumer DVD recorders are also starting to be sold for less than what some of us paid for our first VCR. Because DVD recorders can use the same media as the drives, mass markets for mutually-enhancing entertainment and computing applications are finally possible. However, users still have to sort out the pros and cons of competing media formats.

In this exhibit, Panasonic will be showing two advantages DVD-RAM can bring to these applications. First is the superior reliability afforded by DVD-RAM's protective cartridge, drive-based defect management and greatly-extended over-write capability. Second, and perhaps less obvious, is that Panasonic consumer recorders and drives also recognize read-only and write-once DVD media in DVD-RAM cartridges. Hence, all three types of media can be used in convergent applications, involving both players and drives, with continuous protection.

Sony Electronics to Feature Professional Disc for Data™
and DVDirect™

Professional Disc for Data™ is the next generation of professional high density optical storage. Up to 23GB of data can be stored on a single ProData cartridge at speeds up to 11MB/sec. Both rewritable and write once media types are available and the technology is available in internal/external SCSI, external USB 2.0, and library configurations.

DVDirect™ is a unique DVD recorder capable of stand-alone real time DVD recording directly from a camcorder/VCR, or high speed 16X burning when attached to a computer via USB 2.0. Impressive features include 3 quality settings, auto-chaptering, and compatibility with standard 4.7GB or 8.5GB DVD+R/+RW discs in stand-alone mode, and Dual Format compatibility in computer attached mode.

For more info on Sony Electronics Optical Storage Products, please visit
http://www.sony.net/Products/MO-Drive/ProDATA/

Verbatim to Show Latest Media Formats,
Capacity and Speed

Verbatim® Corporation, a Mitsubishi® Kagaku Media Company, is an international organization that develops and markets innovative, high-quality products for storing, moving and using digital content. Known for its leadership in the optical storage media and related accessories markets, Verbatim provides reliable, unique technologies and products that are highly sought after and broadly distributed worldwide. Offering the latest in media formats, capacity and speed, including double layer DVD+R DL, 16X DVD+R and DVD-R, LightScribeTM CD-R and DVD+R, 8cm DVD, inkjet and thermal printable optical media as well as Store ‘n’ Go™ USB Hard Drives and Store ‘n’ Go USB Flash Drives - Verbatim is the complete solution!

To learn more about Verbatim and our extensive product offering, please visit www.verbatim.com.

 

 

OSS 2004 Agenda

For your reference, the complete symposium agenda can be found below.
Monday, October 18, 2004

Registration Opens 7:30am

OSS Opening Keynote Luncheon - Noon – 2 p.m. (Grand Ballroom)
Customer-Driven Innovation in the World of CE, Best Buy
Consumer electronics and innovation go hand in hand, so how do executives at the nation’s largest CE retailer regard innovation within their company? Are customers at the core of new technologies and products? How does this retail giant adjust its business to fit different market segments including the often underestimated female purchaser? In this real life case study, you’ll find out what innovation means to Best Buy, the new directions innovation is taking and what it takes to implement new ideas.

Session 1A: 2 p.m., (Pavilion Room)
Market Watch - Industry Leaders, Conversations and Perspectives

Is format an issue in the DVD recordable market? Will DVD video recorders replace VCRs? Do we need 15 GB on a 120 mm disc? When will blue laser ROM products become a factor in the video distribution market? Which factors will drive the growth of optical storage products? Analysts and industry leaders will provide perspective on issues that will affect the growth and technology trends in the PC, CE, and entertainment industries. A discussion on applications and critical success factors for optical disc technology will provide valuable insight for industry professionals

Moderator: Melissa Perenson, Associate Editor, PCWorld Magazine

Speakers:

David Barron, Product Line Director, Maxtor
Steve Baker, Industry Analysis Director, NPD Techworld
David Galvin, Director WW Product Marketing, HP Consumer PC Group
Richard Doherty, Managing Director of Blu-ray and Professional A/V, Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory

Session 2B- 4 p.m. (Empire Room)
Why Optical makes Sense for Archive

The new buzz on the street is Information Lifecycle Management and archive. We will discuss the importance of archiving corporate assets so that you can continue to reap the benefits of those assets throughout their data lifecycle. We have put together a panel of speakers from the application side as well as the hardware platform side to discuss the overall solution and the means to implement an Information Lifecycle Management and Archive solution that makes good business sense for your company.

Moderator: Roy Slicker, CEO, Pegasus Disk Technologies

Speakers:

Nick Zihlman, U.S. Geological Survey
Dave DuPont, Vice President of Marketing, Plasmon Data Systems
Rob Koeten, Senior Product Manager/Strategist, VERITAS Software
Wolfgang Schlichting, Research Director - Removable Storage, IDC

Session 2A 4 p.m. (Venetian Room)
Blue Laser Goes to Market (Joint session with the CEA)

The short wavelength of the long-awaited blue laser diode will mean higher recording capacities for DVD. Hear from the movers and shakers in distribution and retail about the blue laser’s upcoming track to market. This roundtable of leading channel executives addresses mission-critical issues for a successful launch of blue laser technology.

Moderator: Perry Solomon, President & CEO, Alera Technologies

Speakers:

Gary Lawson   Sales Manager  Century Stereo
Mike Shelton, Sr. Director of Business Development, Ingram Micro
John Tonthat, Bell Micro

Marketplace Reception 5:30 PM (Gold Room)

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Joint Marketplace Breakfast 7:30 a.m. (Gold Room)

DVD Compatibility Forum 7:30 a.m. (Empire Room)

One recent addition to the agenda, planned for first thing Tuesday morning, is a Recordable DVD Compatibility panel to provide a single forum where the industry efforts to improve overall compatibility and quality are highlighted. In addition to OSTA's DVD Compatibility Committee, presentations are planned from the DVD+RW Compatibility & Convergence Group/Player Group, Recordable DVD Council, and RW Products Promotion Initiative. Presentations from each of the participating organizations will be followed by a summary of results from Phase 2 of OSTA’s DVD Compatibility Committee.

Panel Contributors:

Tony Jasionowski, Recordable DVD Council (RDVDC)
Andy Parsons, RW Products Promotion Initiative (RWPPI)
Ted Matsui, DVD+RW Compatibility and Convergence Group(DCCG)
Subutai Ahmad, Optical Storage Technology Association

Session 3: 8:30 a.m. (Pavilion Room)
Managing the Digital File Explosion

Our lives are turning digital, with digital cameras, digital camcorders, music downloads, and recordable CDs and DVDs. How do we manage these mushrooming photo, music, and video files? Where do we put them? How do we find them?

Moderator: Jim Taylor – Sonic Solutions

Speakers:

Melani DiNapoli, Director of Product Management, Gracenote
Richard Mandenberg – CEO, Mirra Inc Anthony Batt, Co-Founder, CEO Buzznet, Inc.
Bill Holmes, Director of Product Management, Consumer Electronics, DivX Networks

Session 4A 10:15 a.m. (Pavilion Room)
MPV Metadata: Fool's Gold or Hidden Treasure?

We know from history that the richness of metadata available to a device enhances a user's enjoyment. However, from that history we've also learned that metadata available today can lead to incompatible and frustrating user experiences. This panel digs into the future of CE devices and their need to access metadata in a consistent, easily understandable, and standard form. Come learn about OSTA’s MPV (MusicPhotoVideo) hidden treasure and how it will enhance the digital user’s experience from the creators of professional and personal content sources, including broadcast TV, audiobooks, music, photos, and videos.

Moderator: Geoff Tully, DVDList

Speakers:

Piet van Zee, Senior Architect, Hewlett Packard
Todd Moore, Director of Product Marketing, PortalPlayer
Martin Serrano, Senior Software Engineer, TV Guide OnScreen
Guy Story, SVP Business Development and Chief Scientist, Audible

Session 4B 10:15 a.m. (Empire Room)
How Optical Meets Archive and Compliance Requirements Standards

Today, many storage managers and CTOs are struggling with the regulations they are mandated to comply with and how they can meet those regulatory needs while keeping costs in check. This session is designed to address growing regulatory concerns for data permanence and security. In this session we will discuss current regulations and how those regulations will impact the business environment. We have put together a panel of experts from the compliance industry that will discuss these issues in detail.

Moderator: Dr. Victor McCrary, Business Area Executive for Science & Technology

Speakers:

Fred Byers, Technical Staff Member, National Institute of Standards & Technology
Mike Burrows, CEO, Burrows Consulting & American Media International
Eric Vorst, CEO, Synnovative Consulting
Vivek Navale, Ph. D, Chief, Technical Services, NWME National Archives at College Park

Keynote Lunch- Noon to 2pm (Gold Ballroom)
Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law School Professor and Founder of its Center for Internet and Society

Lessig warns of powerful conglomerates that are swiftly using both law and technology to "tame" the Internet, transforming it from an open forum for ideas into nothing more than cable television on speed. Innovation, he argues, will be directed from the top down, increasingly controlled by owners of the networks, holders of the largest patent portfolios and hoarders of copyrights. The choice Lessig presents is not between progress and the status quo. It is between progress and a new Dark Ages. Important avenues of thought and free expression will increasingly be closed off. The door to a future of ideas is being shut just as technology makes an extraordinary future possible. Lessig outlines an important guide to the care and feeding of innovation in a connected world.

Session 5 2:30 p.m. (Pavilion Room)
Digital Imaging’s Drive into the Digital Home

This panel explores the impact of the mobile imaging revolution on the DSC market and the new digital imaging devices in the digital home. Hear knowledgeable industry members' views on whether we will view digital images on TV and learn how we establish connectivity of digital imaging devices with other CE devices in the home. What new home networking opportunities does digital imaging spur and what is the status of digital image printing: home solutions versus web services versus kiosks?

Moderator: Philippe Cassereau, V.P. of Engineering – Roxio
Speakers:

Rajeev Mishra, Epson
Michael Stelts, DLNA Industry Liaison Sub-committee, Thomson Inc
Christopher Wu, Vice President of Mobile, Snapfish
William J. Queen, Product Marketing Manager, Imaging Division, Zoran Corp.
Tom Berarducci, Director of Product Management, Digital and Film Imaging software and services, Eastman Kodak Company

Closing Reception for OSS 2004 Attendees

4:30 p.m. (Pavilion Room/Rooftop Gardens)

OSS 2004 Registration information:

The cost for this information-packed event is just $350 for OSTA members or associates, and $425 for non-members. Limited walk-up reservations at the door are available for $400 for members and $500 for non-members. For more information, or to obtain the registration form, visit the OSTA Web site at www.osta.org/oss, or call (408) 253-3695. For room reservations, call (800) 441-1414 or (415) 772-5000.

 

 

OSTA
19925 Stevens Creek
Blvd. Cupertino, CA 95014 USA

David Bunzel
President
(408) 253-3695
(408) 253-9938 FAX dbunzel@osta.org

Visit OSTA on the
Web at www.osta.org

Newsletter Editor
Jan Johnson
Multipath Comms.
jan@multipathcom.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

On The Horizon

Parker Lee
Chairman
Optical Storage Technology Association

What does the future hold in our rapidly changing industry? At this year’s OSTA OSS, we try to address the relevant questions facing recordable optical storage and how this technology relates to other burgeoning industries, including consumer electronics.

These questions are many and varied. Are we going to achieve 100-percent compatibility? Will people get behind that idea and do what it takes to reach that goal? How are we going to adapt to consumer demand for storing photos and videos and music?

How does consumer demand affect innovation? How do the two interact? What new formats will we see? Will DVDs replace video tapes, as some think? When will blue laser ROM products become a factor in the video distribution market? What are the mission-critical issues surrounding blue laser?

The questions go on and on. What are the issues facing the Internet, and how will that impact our businesses? What archival requirements are better solved with optical technology? How will we manage the ballooning number of files—photos, movies, video, music—from all our digital devices?

What will be the role of metadata in future consumer electronic devices? And will we soon see digital images in every digital home?

Most of these questions are relevant to our future and many of them are vital. My guess is that you will want to attend the OSTA Optical Storage Symposium, Oct. 18-19, 2004, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco to participate in the discussion. If you haven’t already registered, there’s still time to do so now. For more information, visit the OSTA Web site at www.osta.org, or contact Debbie Maguire, OSTA Administrator, at (408) 253-3695 or at debbieostaorg

OSTA encourages you to provide the organization with any feedback you may have regarding this newsletter. I also would like to invite interested industry participants to attend our next quarterly meeting on December 6th and 7th, at the South San Francisco Embassy Suites Hotel.

Thanks once again for your support, and I look forward to seeing you at the Optical Storage Symposium in San Francisco.

Warmest regards,

Parker Lee
Chairman
Optical Storage Technology Association