``Visually Perfect'' Compression Firm DemoGraFX Inc. Lands $10 Million Investment; Baker Capital Finances Pioneering Video Compression Technology.Business Editors & High-Tech Writers NAB2001 Room N205 SANTA MONICA Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2001 DemoGraFX Inc., a digital video compression technology company, announced $10 million in financing from Baker Capital. DemoGraFX is led by two pioneers in digital video and film, Bob Rast and Gary Demos. The investment will fund commercialization of DemoGraFX "Visually Perfect" video compression for applications ranging from digital cinema to television to personal computers. Baker Capital is a New York-based private equity firm focused on communications industry investments. Baker Capital has $1.5 billion under management, and is one of the largest equity pools focused exclusively on the digital communications industry. "We found the perfect partner in Baker Capital," said Robert M. Rast, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of DemoGraFX. "Baker's previous investments show they have great insight into the future of broadband communications. We are privileged to join a roster that includes Internet leader Akamai (Nasdaq:AKAM AKAM Akamai Technologies, Inc. (stock abbreviation) AKAM Automated Key Access Machine ), broadband equipment vendor Advanced Switching Communications (Nasdaq:ASCX), and German broadband service provider An ISP, telephone company, cable company or other carrier that offers high-speed communications to homes and businesses, typically for Internet access. Cable modems, DSL and T1 lines are the common technologies. See broadband, cable modem, DSL and T1. QSC AG (Neuer Markt: QSC QSC Quality Service Communications (Cologne, Germany) QSC Quilter Sound Company (QSC Audio Products Inc.) QSC Queens Surface Corporation QSC Low-Traffic Ship (radiotelegraphy) ; Nasdaq: QSCG)." The investment is through Baker Communications Fund II L.P., which raised $1.1 billion last year. "Gary Demos achieved a true breakthrough in cinematic quality at extremely competitive bit rates," said Dr. Henry G. Baker, partner at Baker Capital. "The system also scales very well to the lower bit rates required for applications such as streaming over cable and DSL modems. Gary's quarter-century history of consistently producing the highest quality digital images, both computer-generated and natural, uniquely qualifies him to develop the next-generation of video compression technology. The next generation of broadband services will feature ubiquitous high-quality digital video, whether for entertainment, conferencing, enterprise or educational applications. We believe DemoGraFX layered digital compression technology will play a vital role. This technology is now ready for the marketplace. Bob Rast's background at General Instrument and Dolby Labs, and his leadership in HDTV (High Definition TV) A set of digital television (DTV) standards that offer the highest resolution and sharpest picture. Although some HDTV sets are available in standard (rather square) screen sizes, the overwhelming majority of sets are wide screen, which eliminates and digital cinema make him a natural leader for this commercialization," Dr. Baker concluded. DemoGraFX will be demonstrating its technology April 23-26 at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Room N205 at the Las Vegas Convention Center The Las Vegas Convention Center is owned and operated by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and is located in Clark County, Nevada. It is one of the largest Convention centers in the world. At the end of 2004, the center had 3. , North Hall. In the coming months, DemoGraFX will be discussing rollout strategies with potential partners in the entertainment, motion picture, television, home video and computer industries. "Delivering 'Visually Perfect' images at competitive bit rates can change the game in each of these industries," Rast said. About DemoGraFX DemoGraFX provides "Visually Perfect" compression algorithms yielding superior picture quality at competitive bit rates for the movie, television, cable, computer and Internet markets. The algorithms and supporting technology compress vast amounts of motion image data for efficient delivery via satellite, broadcast and cable without compromising picture quality. The company has previously received research and development funding from the Department of Defense, the National Institute of Standards and Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology, governmental agency within the U.S. Dept. of Commerce with the mission of "working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards" in the national interest. and the state of California to develop compression technology that retains the visual integrity of the original pictures. Bob Rast recently joined DemoGraFX. He played a vital role in the development of FCC-adopted standards for digital television (DTV (Digital TeleVision) Transmitting TV using digital signals. The major DTV standards are ATSC (North America), DVB (Europe) and ISDB (Japan). All three use MPEG-2 video compression and Dolby Digital audio compression. DVB and ISDB also include MPEG audio compression. ) and HDTV. Rast was a vice president at General Instrument (GI) from 1990 to 1998. He led the GI's effort to establish an all-digital HDTV standard, and was its principal interface with the FCC (1) (Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC, www.fcc.gov) The U.S. government agency that regulates interstate and international communications including wire, cable, radio, TV and satellite. The FCC was created under the U.S. Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service. Rast joined Dolby Labs in 1998 as vice president, business development. He led Dolby's efforts in digital cinema. Gary Demos, founder of DemoGraFX, now serves as its chief technology officer. Prior to founding DemoGraFX, Demos pioneered the convergence of film and digital technologies for visual effects applications on such landmark films as Tron, The Last Starfighter and 2010. Demos has been honored as co-recipient of three Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Scientific and Technical Awards for his work. He is also an Associate Member of the American Society of Cinematographers The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is an educational, cultural, and professional organization. It is not a labor union, and it is not a guild. Membership is by invitation and is extended only to directors of photography and special effects experts with (ASC ASC Ambulatory surgery center, see there ). About Baker Capital Founded in 1995, Baker Capital is the investment manager of Baker Communications Fund L.P. ($406 million) and Baker Communications Fund II L.P. ($1.1 billion), private equity funds focused on communications industry investments. Baker Capital makes investments in equipment, services and applications companies. For more information, please visit www.bakercapital.com. (Editor's note: Electronic photos of Bob Rast and/or Gary Demos are available. Please email ccspr@aol.com, and specify resolution and format if other than JPEG JPEG in full Joint Photographic Experts Group Standard computer file format for storing graphic images in a compressed form for general use. JPEG images are compressed using a mathematical algorithm. .) |
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