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To: Stoctrash who wrote (26468)	12/10/1997 3:12:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Respond to of 50808

Phillips having a fit over lossing MPEG-2 audio standard............................................ New Turmoil in Dvd Launch for Europe Consumer Electronics Mon, Dec 08 1997 Show of industry harmony at Sept. Berlin Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) fair supporting unified launch of DVD Video players and movies in Europe next year (TVD Sept 1 p8) disintegrated last week into nasty finger-pointing, and prospects for spring product introductions there became cloudy. Original member companies of DVD Forum voted 8-2 (Philips and Sony dissented) to rescind 1995 DVD-Video specifications requiring MPEG-2 multichannel audio soundtracks on DVD-Video titles released in PAL and SECAM markets. Decision leaves individual studios free to use Dolby Digital AC-3, MPEG-2 or linear PCM stereo on DVD movies in Europe as they see fit. Unchanged are specs governing DVD releases in NTSC territories such as U.S., where AC-3 has emerged as adopted multichannel standard for DVD-Video. Philips critics said Forum's vote was just dessert for company's failure to deliver promised MPEG-2 multichannel audio encoders necessary for wide availability of PAL and SECAM DVD movies. Philips responded that those who voted to rescind MPEG-2 multichannel requirement for Europe had done so based on "incorrect information," that encoders were placed as intended in key authoring centers. Dolby Labs Vp Edward Schummer predictably hailed decision, saying action was "yet another indication that Dolby Digital is the worldwide standard for multichannel audio." However, Philips said it "regrets" decision, and will continue to support MPEG-2 multichannel audio for PAL and SECAM markets. Jan Oosterveld, Philips senior dir.-corporate strategy, said he doubts action is in best interest of consumers in Europe because of relatively high household penetration of MPEG-based products. Philips, like other suppliers, said it will introduce multistandard AC-3/MPEG-2 DVD-Video players in Europe next year. Company said: "It is now up to the software industry to make sure that a sufficient number of discs is available." Philips spokeswoman said her company believes that revising format specs so close to market introduction sets "a dangerous precedent," but she wouldn't answer directly when asked whether Philips would seek to have decision overturned on procedural grounds, as had been reported from Tokyo where vote took place Dec. 5. "It's now time to move forward," she said, adding that Philips will honor decision and doesn't want to conduct "yes-or-no debate" through news media. Earlier in week, Oosterveld told DVD seminar in Versailles that delays in Europe weren't being caused by AC-3/MPEG audio debate. "Producing for PAL is not remotely like producing for NTSC," where DVD implementation has gone relatively smoothly, he said. "Rights clearance is much more difficult" in Europe, he said. If software isn't available in time for spring launch in PAL and SECAM territories, he said, "we shall have to move the launch to fall." Forum's vote against MPEG-2 in Europe was orchestrated by Toshiba DVD point man Koji Hase, who in Versailles openly accused Philips of failing to deliver audio encoders to Hollywood. Philips countered that it did ship working encoders to key Hollywood players, including Warner and Sony-affiliated Columbia TriStar. But Warner Home Video (WHV) Vp Operations Lewis Ostrover described them as "beta" prototypes. "There is a difference between making one title in a lab, and quantity production," he said. WHV Pres. Warren Lieberfarb declined comment. At IFA, he had pledged to market slate of titles with MPEG-2 multichannel audio starting in first quarter. Hase said: "I do not know of any studio that is comfortable using MPEG-2 as a working system." Claim was denied by Philips spokeswoman, who said of MPEG-2 in Europe: "It works." Decision on European audio debate came just as Forum was expanding membership to 122 companies. Roster reads like who's who list of present and future DVD marketers and developers, with Circuit City's Digital Video Express (Divx) among more notable additions. (Copyright 1997 by Warren Publishing, Inc.)

To: Stoctrash who wrote (26468)	12/10/1997 7:15:00 PM
From: John Rieman	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 50808

Fred, your only allowed 2 Buds, or Beck's. It doesn't matter that your not driving, it's a production limit. You can have as many Qingdao, Pearl River or Holy Spring's as you want......................................... Beer Fear Chinese officials have called for new regulations limiting the production of foreign beer in China in a bid to save domestic brewers from the growing popularity of overseas brands such as Beck's, Carlsberg and Budweiser. The Business News Daily reported that China's National Council of Light Industry (NCLI) has called for a moratorium on all new beer joint ventures and has set production limits for foreign brands. Under the proposal, joint-venture breweries would be limited to 30 percent of the PRC's total production while wholly owned foreign enterprises would be limited to 10 percent. The NCLI plan also called on the government to support local breweries such as Qingdao, Pearl River and Holy Spring with the eventual goal of increasing the breweries' market share to 40 percent by the year 2000. The brands now account for around 21 percent of beer sales in China. The NCLI's petition is now awaiting approval from the State Council.