Inaugural HDTV Forum Sells Out: HDTV Considered Inevitable and Biggest Event in History of TVs.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

HDTV Forum

MARINA DEL REY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 18, 2003

"The HDTV Forum: Enabling HDTV From the Factory to the Home" was welcomed by the TV industry last week in Marina del Rey, Calif., selling out and bringing together leading executives throughout the TV food chain. Over 290 people attended the inaugural event, which included over 40 presentations and panel discussions, covering the creation and distribution of HDTV content, all TV display and electronics technologies, experiences and challenges found in online and retail channels, and market forecasts.

The event was sponsored by market research firms DisplaySearch and Insight Media, along with the Consumer Electronics Association, and included a small exhibition area. The proceedings are now available on CD.

According to DisplaySearch president Ross Young, "We hoped that by bringing together the entire TV food chain, we would accelerate awareness regarding the benefits and status of HDTV technology and programming in order to minimize the chicken and egg problem that has affected this technology, and also to help fuel growth. It was important for TV manufacturers, panel/tube/engine/IC manufacturers and resellers to learn of network and movie studio commitments to HDTV content. At the same time, it was important for the networks and movie studios to learn of the TV manufacturers ambitious plans to sell a lot more HDTVs. With the FCC digital tuner mandate upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals, the digital cable `Plug & Play' agreement accepted by the FCC, and the FCC having defined the `Broadcast Flag' encoding rules regarding content protection, everything now appears to be in place for rapid HDTV content and HDTV growth. As was discussed during the conference, the rapid growth of HDTV is now inevitable."

"The HDTV Forum appears to have been a watershed of information, while providing a great platform for dialog for all those that attended," said Chris Chinnock, president of Insight Media. "This sentiment was echoed by many as noted below."

"I have been to so many forums that I now have limited expectations," says Toshiba's Marketing V.P., Scott Ramirez. "But I was very pleased to see and hear the high caliber of both the speakers and attendees at the HDTV Forum. It was a most worthwhile event."

Key highlights from the conference included:

-- Keynote Jim Sanduski, Samsung Electronics V.P. of marketing,

provided five important predictions for the HDTV

industry including the expected "tipping point" result of the

Plug & Play agreement on HDTV adoption, the impact of cable

and satellite competition, what content will prove to be the

"killer app," the importance of recording devices and the

impact of new form factors. He also issued requests to

broadcasters and suggestions to the FCC and Congress, arguing

that the transition to HDTV is the largest and most important

in the history of the TV industry due to its impact on

resolution, aspect ratio, sound, form factor and expected time

to saturation.

-- Sean Wargo from CEA, provided data suggesting that consumers

are aware of some HDTV terminology, but are still quite

confused about what it really is. This was echoed by numerous

speakers, including those from Best Buy.

For more highlights, visit www.displaysearch.com/press/111803.htm.

The HDTV Forum attracted an all-star cast of senior-level presenters from the industry's top companies. These included ABC, ATI Technologies, BBC, Best Buy, Brillian Corporation, CBS Network, CEA, Chi Mei Optoelectronics, ClairVoyante Laboratories, Coretronic, DisplaySearch, Echostar, Gateway, HDNet, Hewlett-Packard, iFire, InFocus, Insight Media, Joe Kane Productions, LG.Philips LCD, Motorola, National Semiconductor, OCLI, Pixelworks, Runco, Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI, Sharp, Silicon Image, Silicon Monitor, Sony Electronics, Texas Instruments, Thomson/RCA, Toshiba, USDC, Warner Bros., WB Network and Zoran.

Sponsors included ATI Technologies, CustomRetailer, Dealerscope, HighDef Magazine, High Definition Television Association of America (HDTVAA), Pixelworks, Residential Systems, Sony, USDC, Widescreen Review and Zoran.

For more information on the proceedings which are available for $795, please contact Kendra Smith from DisplaySearch at 512-459-3126, [e-mail] or www.displaysearch.com or Insight Media at 203-831-8464 or www.insightmedia.info.