OSTA ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP FOR ITS FILE INTERCHANGE COMMITTEE

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., September 7, 1999 – The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) today announced that Hans Mons, technology officer of Philips Electronics will serve as Chairman of its File Interchange Committee. Mons succeeds Isaac van Kempen, vice president of marketing for Divio Inc. and the committee’s founding chairman, who recently retired from the association.

OSTA’s File Interchange Committee is dedicated to promoting interoperability, hardware independence and advanced data interchange in the rewritable optical industry. The committee developed the acclaimed Universal Disk Format (UDF), a file system specification adopted for use on CD-R, CD-RW, DVD and other drives, that assures interchangeability of writable optical media. OSTA developed UDF in response to an immense need in the optical storage industry for a practical, fully compliant implementation subset of the ISO 13346 standard.

"Both individuals have played pivotal roles in developing important specifications to address the needs of today’s writable optical storage device manufacturers and their customers, as well as promoting the compatibility and long-term viability of optical storage technologies," said Ray Freeman, OSTA facilitator. "We are delighted to have Hans serve as committee chairman and look forward to his continued contributions to OSTA in his new role. We would also like to recognize Isaac for the tremendous value his leadership of the File Interchange Committee brought to the industry and to OSTA.

"I have worked with Hans for four years, and have great respect for his accomplishments and dedication to OSTA and the storage industry," said van Kempen, former chairman of the committee. "Through his steadfast commitment and leadership expertise, Hans will drive the File Interchange Committee to the next level, ensuring continued widespread acceptance and adoption of UDF."

Hans Mons, Philips Electronics

Since joining OSTA in 1994, Mons has been actively involved in the association’s growth and success. Mons contributed to the development of MultiRead, an optical drive specification that enables all classes of CD discs (CD-Audio, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW) to be read on current and future CD and DVD devices. Mons was also instrumental in the development of the UDF specification. Through his continuous involvement in the storage industry, Mons has been active in the development of the CD Audio encoding and decoding system and the standardization functions related to CD Audio, CD-ROM and CD-R.

As chairman of the File Interchange Committee, Mons plans to evaluate industry feedback on UDF 1.5 and 2.0 to help guide the development of release 2.01. He also plans to work on the compatibility between UDF implementations in the UDF Compliance Subcommittee, and his ultimate goal is to make UDF the file system of choice for digital recording on removable discs.
Mons joined Philips Electronics in 1970 and currently works in System Standards and Licensing in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Isaac van Kempen, Divio Inc.
Isaac van Kempen joined OSTA in 1992 and was the founding chairman of the File Interchange Committee, where he was responsible for leading the creation of the UDF specification. During his involvement with OSTA, van Kempen played a pivotal role in promoting industry-wide acceptance of UDF as the file system for DVD, CD-R and CD-RW. He has been awarded a commemorative plaque of appreciation by Jerry Shea, chairman of the board of directors of OSTA.

Van Kempen is currently serving as vice president of marketing for Divio Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., a manufacturer of chip-based solutions that enable the real-time input, capture, manipulation and exchange of digital video data for PC and consumer applications.

OSTA Background

The Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA) was incorporated as an international trade association in 1992 to promote the use of writable optical technologies and products for storage of computer data. 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 CD/DVD, file interchange, market development, magneto-optical and planning committees. Interested companies worldwide are invited to join the organization and participate in its programs by contacting an OSTA representative at 805/963-3853 or by addressing its Web site at www.osta.org.

# # #