BRINGING BLUE LASER TO MARKET, DATA ARCHIVING,
AND MANAGING THE DIGITAL FILE EXPLOSION TO BE
FOCUS OF OPTICAL STORAGE SYMPOSIUM – 2004


Annual Symposium on Perspectives and Prospects for the Optical Storage Industry to be
Held in Conjunction with CEA Industry Forum at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco

CUPERTINO, Calif., July 29, 2004 — The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) today announced that it is hosting Optical Storage Symposium – 2004, to be held Oct. 18 and 19, 2004, at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, Calif. The event is co-located with the Consumer Electronics Association’s (CEA) Industry Forum to enable attendees of both events to participate in sessions from the two conferences and selected joint activities, including a joint CEA/OSTA Session on Monday, Oct. 18, entitled, “Blue Laser Goes to Market,” and joint keynote luncheons on both days, featuring “Customer Innovation in the World of CE” on Monday, and a keynote address on Tuesday on the impact of intellectual property laws on innovation by Lawrence Lessig, founder of Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society. OSS 2004 attendees will also have full access to the joint CEA/OSS Marketplace exhibit area.

OSTA’s third annual Optical Storage Symposium provides a venue at which business and technology leaders from a diverse range of industry segments, including consumer electronics, digital photography, entertainment, music, personal computers, information technology and optical storage can exchange ideas and address issues. Through two days of presentations and roundtable forums, trends, prospects and issues related to optical storage technology will be debated.

"The annual OSS is an excellent forum for attendees from different industry segments to exchange ideas and the information needed to keep pace with the latest trends in the industry as DVD recording continues its explosive growth and blue laser technology comes of age,” said David Bunzel, President of OSTA. “OSTA is hosting this symposium as part of its effort to encourage an open exchange of information among various industry segments, promote widespread compatibility, and to address issues that affect consumers, manufacturers and developers of digital content.”

An important addition this year is a Commercial Optical Storage Applications (COSA) track focusing on archival data storage, with sessions on archive compliance requirements and standards, and how optical storage fits into the overall data archival picture.

Following are highlights of the Optical Storage Symposium – 2004. Additional details and registration information can be found online at http://www.osta.org/oss.

Monday, Oct. 18, 2004
12 p.m. Opening Keynote Luncheon: Customer-Driven Innovation in the World of CE
Consumer electronics and innovation go hand-in-hand, so how do the industry’s top executives regard innovation within their companies? Are customers at the core of new technologies and products? Find out what innovation means to leading CE companies, the new direction innovation is taking, and what it takes to implement new ideas.

2 p.m. Session 1A: Market Watch - Industry Leaders, Conversations and Perspectives
Is format an issue in the DVD recordable market? Will DVD video recorders replace VCRs? Do we need 15 GB on a 120 mm disc? When will blue laser ROM products become a factor in the video distribution market? Which factors will drive the growth of optical storage products? Analysts and industry leaders will provide perspective on issues that will affect the growth and technology trends in the PC, CE, and entertainment industries. This annual discussion on applications and critical success factors for optical disc technology will provide valuable insight for industry professionals.

2 p.m. Session 1B: Why Optical Makes Sense for Archive (COSA Track)
In this session, attendees will learn how optical fits into the overall picture of archive applications from experts in the archive industry. In addition, these authorities will discuss what archival issues are better solved with optical technology, and explore other technologies that can be used for archive applications, total cost of ownership of an archive system, archive longevity, data migration, and other benefits gained from using optical.

4 p.m. Session 2: Blue Laser Goes to Market (Joint Session with CEA)
The short wavelength of the long-awaited blue laser diode will mean higher recording capacities for DVD. Hear from the movers and shakers in distribution and retail about the blue laser’s upcoming track to market. This roundtable of leading channel executives addresses mission-critical issues for a successful launch of blue laser technology.

5:30 p.m. Marketplace Reception
Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2004
8:30 a.m. Session 3: Managing the Digital File Explosion
Consumers’ lives are turning digital, with digital cameras, digital camcorders, music downloads, and recordable CDs and DVDs. How can users manage these mushrooming photo, music, and video files? Where do they put them? How do they find them?

10:15 a.m. Session 4A: MPV Metadata: Fool’s Gold or Hidden Treasure?
According to history, the richness of metadata available to a device enhances a user’s enjoyment. However, from that history, it is also true that metadata available today can lead to incompatible and frustrating user experiences. This panel digs into the future of CE devices and their need to access metadata in a consistent, easily understandable, and standard form. Come learn about OSTA’s MPV (MusicPhotoVideo™) hidden treasure, and how it will enhance the digital user’s experience from the creators of professional and personal content sources, including broadcast TV, audiobooks, music, photos, and videos.

10:15 a.m. Session 4B: How Optical Meets Archive and Compliance Requirements Standards
Become informed about the compliance requirements for specific regulations, and why optical storage is best suited for these applications. Session attendees will hear from some specific vertical application users who implemented optical storage as part of their archive and compliance solutions. Moreover, the panel will compare archive technologies and present the benefits and trade-offs of disk, tape, and optical archive solutions, focusing on the benefits of optical and match it to the need for regulatory compliance.

12 p.m. Keynote Address Luncheon: Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig
Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law School professor and founder of the prestigious university’s Center for Internet and Society (CIS), will deliver a joint keynote address on the impact of intellectual property laws on technological innovation to attendees of both the CEA Industry Forum and the OSTA OSS 2004 conferences. Lessig, recently named one of Scientific American’s Top 50 visionaries, founded CIS in 2000 to create a public interest technology law and policy program to study technological innovation as it relates to society and public policy. He is regarded as one of the nation’s foremost legal authorities on intellectual property and cyberlaw.

2:30 p.m. Session 5: Digital Imaging’s Drive into the Digital Home
This panel explores the impact of the mobile imaging revolution on the DSC market and the new digital imaging devices in the digital home. Hear knowledgeable industry members’ views on viewing digital images on TV, and learn how to establish connectivity of digital imaging devices with other CE devices in the home. What new home networking opportunities does digital imaging spur, and what is the status of digital image printing: home solutions versus Web services versus kiosks?
Receptions will follow each day’s sessions to provide an opportunity for further networking with industry peers.

Sponsors for OSS 2004 include DVDplusRW.org, Imation Corp., LightScribe, Panasonic Technologies Company, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., and Verbatim Corp. A limited number of additional sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, please contact Debbie Maguire at dmaquire@osta.org, or by phone at (408) 253-3695.

The cost for this information-packed event is just $350 for OSTA members or associates, and $425 for non-members. Advance registration discounts are offered to attendees who register before August 30, reducing the cost to $295 for OSTA members or associates and $395 for non-members. Limited walk-up reservations at the door are available for $400 for members and $500 for non-members. For more information, or to obtain the registration form, visit the OSTA Web site at www.osta.org/oss, or call (408) 253-3695.

The OSTA Optical Storage Symposium – 2004 will be held at the Fairmont Hotel, 50 Mason Street, San Francisco, California. For room reservations, call (800) 441-1414 or (415) 772-5000. Ask for rooms in the Consumer Electronics Association or CEA block. To take advantage of group rates, hotel reservations must be made by September 24, 2004.

For more information, or to register for the CEA Industry Forum, go online at http://www.ce.org/industryforum, or contact CEA Customer Service at CEAreg@ce.orgor by calling (703) 907-7600.

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 Optical Storage Applications (COSA), Marketing, MPV (MusicPhotoVideo), 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.

About CEA:
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the consumer technology industry through technology policy, events, research, promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA represents more than 1,700 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of audio, video, mobile electronics, wireless and landline communications, information technology, home networking, multimedia and accessory products, as well as related services that are sold through consumer channels. Combined, CEA's members account for more than $90 billion in annual sales. CEA's resources are available online at www.CE.org, the definitive source for information about the consumer electronics industry.

CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES – Defining Tomorrow’s Technology. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.