Developers of DVD-ROM Standard Receive PC Magazine Award for
Technical Excellence
TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 5, 1997--
DVD Forum Receives Top Information Technology Industry Award for Creation of Unified Specification for Next Digital
Multimedia Era
The DVD Forum today announced that it has received the 1997 PC Magazine Award for Technical Excellence in the
category of "Standards," in recognition of the Forum's successful development of the DVD-ROM specification.
Now in its fourteenth year, the PC Magazine Awards for Technical Excellence are one of the computer industry's most
prestigious annual events. Twelve products were recognized this year, from the more than 4,000 that were tested and
reviewed by the editors of PC Magazine.
"New standards are particularly important, since they promise to bring higher levels of technology innovation and market
compatibility to today's technology users," said Michael J. Miller, editor-in-chief of PC Magazine. "DVD-ROM is a
compelling technology that was chosen because it's a familiar format that brings a wealth of new computing, educational,
gaming and entertainment possibilities to the user."
In the Award citation to DVD-ROM technology, PC Magazine referred to DVD as the format that will "replace the
CD-ROM as the primary means of PC content distribution."
Representatives of three companies involved in development of the specification, Hitachi Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial
Company (Panasonic) and Toshiba Corporation, accepted the award on behalf of the DVD Forum in a ceremony held on
November 17 at COMDEX '97 in Las Vegas.
"Products based on specifications defined by the DVD Forum are now shipping in volume to the worldwide computer and
consumer electronics markets, and the Award for Technical Excellence adds to the market's validation of the success of the
standards process," said Koji Hase, General Manager of the DVD Products Division at Toshiba Corporation and a founding
member of the DVD Forum. "We are extremely pleased to see the work of the DVD Forum recognized as one of the key
technical achievements in the personal computer industry, particularly as the Forum expands the scope of its work with a
larger, global membership in 1998."
"The members of the DVD Forum developed the DVD-ROM specification as the best technical approach and also the best
approach for customers in the marketplace," said Sakon Nagasaki, director of the DVD Business Development Office of
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic). "Acceptance of the format illustrates how standards-making efforts
advance the goals of the entire electronics industry."
In addition to its role in development of the DVD-ROM and DVD-Video standards, the Forum has proposed the format for
recordable DVD, known as DVD-R, and rewritable DVD, known as DVD-RAM, to international standards bodies. Work
is also continuing on definition of a DVD Audio specification.
"The mission of the DVD Forum is to define a smooth migration path from CD to DVD technology by working with the
widest possible representative group of manufacturers and technology end-users in the converging industries of computers and
consumer electronics," said Dr. Yoshita Tsunoda, a member of the Executive Staff of Hitachi, Ltd. and Chairman of the DVD
Forum's DVD-RAM Working Group. "The different working groups have already completed definition of three separate
DVD technology standards, and we have begun work on developing next generation specifications that will provide
compatible products well into the next century."
The DVD Forum, previously known as the DVD Consortium, was originally comprised of 10 member companies: Hitachi
Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Victor Company of Japan, Pioneer Electronics Corp.,
Sony Corp., Toshiba Corp., Philips Electronics N.V., THOMSON Multimedia, and Time Warner Inc.
Earlier in 1997, the DVD Forum announced that it has opened its membership to additional companies in the worldwide
electronics industry, as part of its continuing work in developing standards for new optical drive and media technologies.
Recipients of the PC Magazine Awards for Technical Excellence are named by a team of editors, senior contributors and PC
Labs personnel after months of evaluation and discussion. PC Magazine, the sponsor of the Technical Excellence Awards, is a
1.175 million circulation magazine published by Ziff-Davis Inc. PC Magazine is published 22 times a year in print, quarterly on
CD, and continuously on the World Wide Web (<http://www.pcmag.com>;).
CONTACT: DVD Forum, Japan
Office of the Secretary, +81-3-5444-9580
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