Optical Storage Technology Association Ratifies MPV Music Profile for Easier, Faster Management of Digital Music Files and Playlists

Now Available for Download: MPV Music Profile Defines Universal Interchange Format:
Give Users Richest Digital Music Experience Available

Music Demo

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — January 7, 2004 — The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA), an international trade group for the promotion of recordable optical technologies and products, today announced that the Music Profile for its MPV™ (MusicPhotoVideo) specification, focused on the exchange, storage and management of digital music files, has been officially ratified and approved by its membership, and can now be downloaded via the organization’s Web site at http://www.osta.org/mpv. The announcement was made by OSTA representatives at this week’s 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nev.

The Music Profile, which defines methods for representing collections of digital audio files and all their associated metadata, gives users faster, easier, and intuitive access to digital music libraries for a richer, enhanced interactive experience. MPV is an extensible, open and royalty-free standard for enhancing consumer storage, exchange and playback of music, photo and video collections on personal computers (PCs) and consumer electronics (CE) products. The Music Profile is an extension to the core MPV specification, which is supported by leading PC and CE manufacturers. The MPV Music Profile will also serve as the basis of future audio related profiles for audiobooks and online digital audio services.

OSTA also announced it will conduct private meetings to showcase the newly-ratified Music Profile at CES, and OSTA representatives will be on hand to discuss the MPV specification. The presentation will show how a digital audio disc created with recording software that incorporates the MPV Music Profile specification, can be easily played back on CE devices, including DVD players. For more information or to arrange a meeting, please contact Keith Pillow (310) 558-3955, or via e-mail at keith@multipathcom.com.

“OSTA’s ratification and release of the MPV Music Profile are significant milestones in providing consumers with the most outstanding entertainment experience,” said Raza Zaidi, MPV Music Initiative Lead for OSTA. “With the proliferation of online music services and digital media players in today’s marketplace, consumers are seeking an effective way to handle, transfer, and enjoy their digital audio collections. Through the definition of a universal playlist format, consumers now have access to powerful and convenient management tools for their rapidly-growing digital audio archives.”


About MPV
MPV (MusicPhotoVideo), which provides multimedia playlists and access to their associated metadata, is an open specification that makes easier the representation, exchange, processing and playback of collections of digital media content, including music, still images, stills with audio, still sequences, video clips, and audio clips. The MPV specification is being developed in phases, and results in “Profiles.” The MPV Core specification, as well as Basic and Presentation profiles, are already ratified and available at http://www.osta.org/mpv. In 2003, a group of leading PC and consumer electronics manufacturers announced support for MPV, along with their intentions to incorporate the open and royalty-free specification into their products. The first MPV creation applications and players were released in the fall of 2003.

About the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA)
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 writable optical product shipments. They work to shape the future of the industry through regular meetings of DVD Compatibility, Commercial Storage Applications (CSA), Marketing, MultiRead, Planning and UDF committees. Interested companies worldwide are invited to join the organization and participate in its programs by contacting an OSTA representative at (408) 253-3695, by fax at (408) 253-9938, or by addressing its Web site at http://www.osta.org.

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