OSTA INTRODUCES MPV™ INTEROPERABILITY SPECIFICATION AND TRADEMARK LICENSING PROGRAM

Available Now, New MPV Specification Improves Playback Interoperability and Exchange of Collections of Digital Media

Cupertino, Calif. (Sept. 7, 2005) – The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) has made the MPV Interoperability Specification (MPV-IS) version 1.0 available for downloading from the OSTA website. MPV or MusicPhotoVideo™ is a series of specifications aimed at developers of digital imaging and consumer electronics solutions to enhance interoperability of large collections of personal digital photo and video content. Many digital media companies are using the specifications in various consumer electronics and PC-based products. To date, these implementations have been strictly to manage the transfer of data between products of the same company. With the MPV Interoperability Specification, companies can now guarantee interoperability with MPV-IS compliant products from other companies.

OSTA also made public its MPV trademark licensing program to bring awareness of compatibility between MPV-IS compliant products. The licensing program includes a MPV Distribution License Agreement enabling compliant companies to use OSTA’s MPV trademarks for use on products and marketing materials and a self-certification Validation Tool to test MPV-IS product compliance. OSTA’s MPV Committee also ratified and released additional MPV specifications -- the MPV Portable Storage Profile v1.0 (MPV-PS) and a new version of the MPV XML Manifest Specification v2.0.

MPV Interoperability Specification
The completion and release of the MPV-IS is a significant development for companies that have been looking for enhanced interoperability between devices that capture digital media content and playback devices that need a simple, fast, and easy way for consumers to quickly view, navigate, and share their digital media collections.

To insure interoperability between capture devices (“writers”) and playback devices (“readers”), the MPV-IS defines certain guidelines for implementation of MPV in a consistent manner on all consumer electronics devices, including those with limited performance or memory. The guidelines provide a list of Do’s and Don’ts that must be implemented in each product. The current MPV-IS v1.0 supports the MPV Basic, Presentation, and Music Profiles. The MPV-IS was developed by the Interoperability Working Group, chaired by Samsung, under the open processes of OSTA.

MPV Portable Storage Profile Specification
The MPV-PS Profile specification assists consumers and manufacturers in the storage and management of large collections of digital media files stored on CDs, DVDs or memory cards. This specification defines the minimum requirements of a directory tree structure which is suitable for the storage of thousands of digital still pictures and video for a long period. In order to maintain the structure, the MPV-PS Profile specification provides guidelines for the file handling rules such as importing, exporting, modification, and migration procedures to a new medium.

The specification, developed by the Portable Storage Working Group chaired by Konica Minolta, enhances the ease of searching and browsing large quantities of digital media content as well as provides guidelines for a common naming convention and handling method for files and directories to reduce the chance of name conflict in future migration and archiving.

MPV Trademark Licensing Program
Companies wishing to release products compatible with the MPV-IS must successfully complete a certification process comprised of 1) passing validation tests and 2) sending the positive results along with an administrative fee to OSTA’s Licensing Administrator.

The MPV Validation Tools for self-certification will be available shortly from OSTA-approved third-party vendors. Software Architects’ ValidateMPV! writer test tool is currently in beta and available to interested parties by contacting Lee Prewitt at leep@softarch.com. For a current list of suppliers, please go to http://www.osta.org/mpv/licensing/validationtools.htm.

Companies that successfully implement the MPV-IS and pass the validation tests may license the MPV trademarks. Use of the MPV trademarks on products and their accompanying marketing material will provide a powerful visual indicator and recognition of interoperability between devices for collections of digital media content.

Upcoming MPV Events
With the release of the MPV-IS and supporting trademark licensing program, OSTA will be providing various opportunities for companies to learn more about MPV:

• The next MPV Committee meetings are scheduled for September 26th and 27th at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, 1333 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA. 94010
• OSTA’s annual Optical Storage Symposium (OSS) follows on September 28th at the same location. The Optical Storage Symposium is co-located with InfoTrends Digital Imaging Forum.
• Additional MPV Committee meetings focused on upcoming Printing and Camera profiles will be held in Tokyo on October 11th.
• A day-long MPV Seminar will be held in Tokyo on October 12th. Additional information on timing, agenda, and logistics will be made available on the OSTA MPV website.

About MPV
MPV (MusicPhotoVideo), which provides multimedia playlists and access to their associated metadata, is an open specification that enhances 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 specifications are being developed in phases, and results in “profiles” specific to product category implementations. All of these specifications are designed to enhance interoperability and playback of collections of personal digital media content (photo, video, audio) in consumer electronics products. The MPV specifications can be found at http://www.osta.org/mpv. MPV is an open standard, extensible, and no per-unit royalty is charged for the use of the specifications from OSTA. The MPV-IS and Trademark Licensing Program does require an administrative fee.

A MPV White Paper is available on the OSTA website at:
www.osta.org/mpv/public/documents/technology/MPV-Whitepaper-July-2005.pdf

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), MPV, 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