HD DVD Gains Momentum Across Europe

Hollywood and European Studios Show Broad Support with Nearly 600 Titles

Expected in 2007; European Promotional Group Formed

    HANNOVER, Germany, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- At a press event today at
 the CeBIT tradeshow in Hannover, Germany the companies of the HD DVD
 Promotion Group recapped a strong year for the high definition format and
 provided an overview of what customers across the region can expect in
 2007. Adding to the global promotion structure for HD DVD, a new entity was
 also announced, the European HD DVD Promotional Group, Ltd., to bolster
 marketing efforts for the format as HD DVD gains momentum across Europe.
     By the end of Q1 2007, more than 100 titles will be available
 throughout Europe. More than one-third of these titles come from European
 studios and none of them are currently available on any other
 high-definition format. The overwhelming majority of the discs are
 replicated locally. With more than 21 studios and distributors, 14
 authoring studios and eight replicators producing HD DVD content and discs
 throughout the region, the number of titles is expected to increase rapidly
 throughout the year with an estimated 600 titles expected worldwide by
 December 2007.
     "Our goal is to achieve global penetration of the HD DVD format, so a
 lot of work has gone into making sure that authoring houses and replicators
 across Europe were given the training and expertise they need to get up and
 running quickly allowing a wealth of European content to hit the market
 right from the beginning," said Yoshihide Fujii, Chairman of the HD DVD
 Promotion Group and President and CEO of Toshiba's Digital Media Network
 Company. "This will be a key differentiator for HD DVD in Europe for the
 foreseeable future. Combine that with a solid line-up of US titles and
 affordable hardware and consumers have a lot of options to create a home
 theater experience that is unparalleled."
     Examples of the wide range of content originating in Europe include
 "Stalingrad (Enemy at the Gate)," "2 brothers," "Les Choristes," "La Grande
 Vadrouille," "L'Armee des Ombres," "Le Cercle Rouge," "Das Parfum," "Graf
 Montenegro," and "La Tigre e la Neve."
     Hollywood studios also made a strong commitment to the market and
 announcing the release of several great US titles including "Babel,"
 "Casino," "Charley and The Chocolate Factory," "Dreamgirls," "Happy Feet,"
 "The Holiday," "The Matrix Trilogy," "Ray," and "World Trade Center." All
 of these titles will feature multiple language tracks allowing seamless
 viewing in a variety of countries. Studios also announced expansion into a
 greater number of European countries and are committed to announcing HD DVD
 titles on the same day and date as DVDs wherever possible.
     Toshiba announced a new HD DVD player for the European market, the HD-
 EP10. This mid-range model, which features 1080p output, was designed to
 meet the increasing consumer demand for 1080p HDTVs. The new player, priced
 at 699 Euros, rounds out Toshiba's product line-up, and will be available
 in May 2007.
     Attendees of the press event saw a live demo of HD DVD's new advanced
 interactive features, working on both multiple PC platforms and consumer
 electronics based players -- effectively showing the wide breadth of
 support for these features. HD DVD titles with advanced interactivity will
 take advantage of HD DVD's mandatory specifications for network
 connectivity, secondary video decoders and persistent storage. Titles using
 player memory as well as the secondary video encoder for picture-in-picture
 were shipping throughout 2006, and titles using network connectivity are
 expected to be available in 2007. Using Microsoft's HDi interactive
 technology, the live demo showed how to download HD trailers and other
 content from the Internet, synchronized storyboard playback seamlessly
 switching between full screen mode and story board and subtitle download.
 To date, HD DVD is the only format delivering titles using true
 picture-in-picture.
     Increasing momentum in the global market
     HD DVD's superior capabilities and long-term potential continue to win
 significant acceptance in the global market. In 2006, HD DVD won a clear
 edge in the PC market. According to Techno Systems Research (TSR), a major
 Japanese market research company, 60 percent of the high definition optical
 disk drives for PC applications produced worldwide were HD DVD. In slim HD
 DVD drives for portable PCs, the advantage increased to 70 percent.
     Among the more innovative of the world's first class manufacturers that
 have recently added to the breadth of the HD DVD family are Samsung,
 Lite-On, Alco, Jiangkui/ED Digital, Meridian, Onkyo, and Shinco.
     About HD DVD
     HD DVD is the next generation, post-DVD standard for high capacity,
 high definition optical discs, approved by the DVD Forum. The DVD Forum
 develops and defines DVD formats. Its membership of 220 companies brings
 together leaders in movies and entertainment, computing, consumer
 electronics and software. HD DVD is fast becoming the primary visual medium
 for the age of high-definition TV.
     NOTE: Questions about each company's plans may be individually
 addressed to each company. The names of actual companies and products
 mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
 
 

SOURCE HD DVD