LEADING COMPANIES BACK MPV STANDARD FOR
MUSIC, PHOTO AND VIDEO DIGITAL MEDIA COLLECTIONS

March 11, 2003 ACD Systems International, Inc. Ahead Software AG ArcSoft, Inc. Eastman Kodak Company HP LG Electronics, Inc. Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. Planetweb, Inc. Roxio, Inc. Royal Philips Electronics Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Sonic Solutions, Inc. Sony Corporation

CCeBIT 2003, Hannover, Germany (March 11, 2003) – Leading PC, consumer electronics
and digital imaging companies announced their support today for MPVÔ
(MusicPhotoVideo), a new open standard format to enhance the way consumers store and enjoy collections of personal music, photo and video content on storage media, such as data CDs and DVDs. Some companies will release the first MPV creation applications and players in the second half of 2003.

Companies announcing support for the MPV standard include Eastman Kodak Company, HP, LG Electronics Inc., Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., Royal Philips Electronics, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, and Sony Corporation.

Also announcing implementation of the MPV format in future products are companies developing leading software and firmware applications for creating multimedia discs. These applications include ACD Systems ACDSee, Ahead Software’s Nero, ArcSoft PhotoBase, HP Memories Disc Creator, Planetweb Digital Photo and Audio Managers, Roxio Easy CD & DVD Creator, Sonic Solutions MyDVD and RecordNow Max.

CURRENT ISSUES FOR MULTIMEDIA CONTENT ON STORAGE MEDIA

Consumers are already assembling collections of hundreds of files of personal music, photos and video clips and storing them on storage media such as CDs and flash memory cards. Currently, each creative application organizes and records the files with unique structure and naming. There is no standard way for CD and DVD players to recognize and playback the content.

Without a standard method for organization and access, the consumer electronics (CE) device can take minutes to read through large collections of multimedia content and cannot provide convenient ways to select from among hundreds of songs or photos. Consumers get frustrated with trying to find and quickly access their desired music, photo or video content.

HOW CONSUMERS WILL ENJOY MPV

The MPV control file provides a table of contents of the storage media such as CDs and DVDs which a MPV-enabled device can quickly recognize and use to navigate and access the multimedia content. Additions and edits to playlists and multimedia content can be made easily without rewriting the entire disc.

Storage media, like CDs and flash memory cards, containing MPV playlists can be enjoyed on a PC or in any consumer electronics product that supports content in formats used on PCs such as MP3 and JPEG files. This will provide unprecedented ease of use and a much enhanced user experience.

MPV TECHNOLOGY

Manufacturers can add MPV support in new products by adding a small MPV reader. Similarly, most application software requires only modest enhancements to support MPV.

Storage media such as data CDs and DVDs with an MPV playlist are compatible with existing CE devices that already play files on recordable data discs. MPV is compatible with the ISO 9660-1 and Joliet file systems on CD and supports multisession CDs.

The Common Picture Exchange Environment (CPXe) provides a standard way for MPV photo collections to be used with online photo printing services. CPXe was recently announced by the International Imaging Industry Association along with Eastman Kodak Company, Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd and HP.

MPV is an open industry specification developed under the leadership of the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) and available from OSTA at no cost. OSTA will manage a MPV logo licensing program for software application developers as well as CE device manufacturers. Conformance and support of the defined media formats will provide users with a guarantee of compatibility; test suites will be self-administered. Information regarding the MPV specification, SDK for software developers and logo licensing program can be found at www.osta.org/mpv.

MESSAGES FROM SUPPORTING COMPANIES

With today’s announcement, MPV gains significant support in the PC, consumer electronics and digital imaging industries.

“ The development of the MPV format is a major boost for the consumer as it addresses the widespread problem of media navigation, ” said Jim Corbett, Executive Director of Ahead Software AG. “We are excited to be adding MPV support in Nero Applications starting in 2003.”

“ Kodak is focused on making all aspects of digital photography easy, not only taking and organizing pictures, but sharing them with friends and family through electronic display, e-mail, and high quality printing,” said Daryl Hunt, Director, Strategic Standards, Eastman Kodak Company. “The MPV standard complements our infoimaging vision and will extend sharing to an even broader audience.”

“ HP’s support for the open MPV standard will provide consumers with a rich imaging experience anytime and anywhere,” said Mary Peery, Senior Vice President, Digital Imaging and Publishing Organization, HP. “MPV will make it convenient and easy for consumers to cherish the digital experience.”

“ MPV takes a major step forward for the industry by defining a new way to facilitate use of well-established and open media formats,” said Cesar Vohringer, Chief Technology Officer, Philips Consumer Electronics. “Philips will add MPV support to its line of DVD players.”

“ MPV is an essential step towards making it easier for consumers to access their personal digital content quickly and easily - anywhere, on any device,” said Ken Soohoo, president and CEO of Planetweb Inc., the leading developer of software applications, tools, and technology for consumer electronics devices. “Our focus at Planetweb is to add easy-touse enhanced digital audio and photo features to CE devices like DVD players. Open standards like MPV will allow this to happen more quickly.”

“ MPV makes it easier to exchange digital media contents across different platforms,” said Young-Yoon Kim, Principal Engineer, Software Platform Lab, Digital Media R&D Center, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. “Consumers will take advantage of MPV’s capabilities for exchanging media between PCs and CE products. Samsung hopes that MPV will continue to evolve under the open process managed by OSTA.”

“ MPV fills a critical need to standardize and simplify the way media files are stored and accessed,” said Jim Taylor, General Manager, Advanced Technology Group, at Sonic Solutions. “Sonic is dedicated to producing CDs and DVDs that have the best compatibility with the broadest range of players. Combining MPV support with OpenDVD, Sonic’s technology for making CDs and DVDs easily revisable, will provide even more flexibility and varied playback options for consumers.”

“We find it very important to provide customers the environment where they can easily and quickly navigate personal music and video content with electronic devices and enjoy it anywhere in any device seamlessly,” said Koichi Tagawa, General Manager, Corporate Technology, Sony Corporation. “Therefore we are very happy to support this open standard technology, MPV, and expect it to spread widely.”

MESSAGE FROM THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION

“ As the leading advocate association for consumer electronics in the U.S., the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is pleased to work with OSTA in its efforts to address real problems faced by consumers by encouraging industry-wide media and drive compatibility and interchange,” said Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of CEA. “During the past decade, OSTA has developed several key compatibility specifications, including the Universal Disk Format (UDF), which enables file interchange among different operating systems. OSTA continues to facilitate easier exchange of multimedia content between PCs and CE devices with the MPV specification.”

CONTACT INFO FOR COMPANIES AND ASSOCIATIONS

OSTA Background
The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) was incorporated as an international trade association in 1992 to promote the use of recordable optical technologies and products. The organization’s membership includes optical product manufacturers and resellers from three continents, representing more than 85 percent of worldwide recordable optical product shipments. They work to shape the future of the industry through regular meetings of CD/DVD, file interchange, market development, high performance and planning committees. Interested companies worldwide are invited to join the organization and participate in its programs by contacting an OSTA representative at (650) 938-6945, by fax at (650) 938-6521or by addressing its Web site at www.osta.org.

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