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To: Stoctrash who wrote (36213)9/25/1998 1:25:00 PM
From: BillyG  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 50808
 
Quadrant International Expands Management Team to Meet Growing Demand for Digital Video Solutions

MALVERN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 1998--

Expert Provider of Digital Video Solutions Appoints Managers in

Applications Engineering, Strategic Marketing and Quality Programs

Quadrant International (QI), an expert provider of software and hardware digital video solutions, announced the expansion of its management team. The company appointed Cynthia Jennings as manager of quality programs and Edward Piehl as product line director at QI corporate headquarters in Malvern, Pa. At the company's Silicon Valley offices in San Jose, Calif., Clint Ludeman was named as manager, applications engineering and Art Scott as strategic marketing manager.

"QI's digital video solutions deliver the industry's best overall system performance and integration. As we meet the needs of the exploding digital video market, QI must proactively build its management team in all areas, including marketing, engineering and quality assurance," said Leonard Sharp, vice president of sales and marketing at Quadrant International. "With strong backgrounds and experience in design, marketing, product development and quality assurance, Cynthia, Edward, Clint and Art bring needed skills, knowledge and initiative to the QI team."

Before joining QI as manager of quality programs, Cynthia Jennings worked for SL Waber as a quality assurance and product development manager, where she managed the development of electronic and electromechanical products from design through manufacturing start-up. Previous to that position, Jennings worked in aerospace engineering and design for General Electric, Ketron and AT&T Bell Laboratories.

Edward Piehl joined Quadrant after working as an electronic commerce market entry consultant. In this capacity, Piehl prepared a detailed market entry strategy for CCI/Triad Systems Corp. and assisted various other clients by identifying electronic commerce markets, recommending and initiating marketing technology alliances and evaluating potential competitors. Before his tenure as a consultant, Piehl worked as a director for new publications at Automated Catalogue Services. He has also served in assorted marketing, management and sales positions for The Corporate Word, H.B. Maynard & Co., Inc., Legent Corporation, and Lebhar-Friedman, Inc.

Previous to joining QI as manager of applications engineering, Clint Ludeman built a solid reputation in the Silicon Valley. He brings ten years of experience in product management, marketing and technical sales to QI from working for organizations such as Chromatic Research, Philips Semiconductors and Western Digital. As a product manager for Chromatic Research, Ludeman oversaw the development of the bundled applications sold with the Mpact Media Processor chip for 2D/3D graphics, audio, DVD, MIDI and video.

As strategic marketing manager, Art Scott brings over 25 years of marketing, programming, engineering and product development experience to QI. During his more than four years at Samsung Information Systems America, Inc., he worked as the senior manager, where he initiated and maintained Samsung's Microsoft Windows CE(R) product alliance. In 1985, Scott founded Digital Video, Inc., at a time when digital video was struggling through its infancy.

About Quadrant International

Quadrant International (QI) is an expert provider of digital video and audio solutions to manufacturers of PCs, consumer electronics appliances and convergence devices. QI addresses the convergence of business and consumer markets through a full line of software and hardware products designed around a unique, modular, software architecture that provides a consistent look and feel across technology platforms. Combining the best on-screen quality with the best overall system performance and integration, QI provides flexible and cost-effective solutions to a spectrum of partners in the PC-OEM and semiconductor markets, including Dell Computer, Packard Bell/NEC, ATI Technologies, C-Cube, and ST Microelectronics. Founded in 1994, QI is headquartered near Philadelphia, Pa. and has offices in Silicon Valley, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; Germany; and Japan.

--30--slt/sf* gdr/sf

CONTACT:

McGrath/Power Public Relations

Louie Yan/Scott VanSickle, 408/727-0351

Louie_Yan@mcgrathpowerpr.com

Scott_VanSickle@mcgrathpowerpr.com



To: Stoctrash who wrote (36213)9/25/1998 3:32:00 PM
From: DiViT  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 50808
 
China: Wholesale price war over legal video discs

09/24/98
China Daily
Copyright(C) 1998 CHINA DAILY


BEIJING is rushing to set a bottom line for wholesale prices of Chinese video compact discs now on the market.

"Each VCD of a Chinese film sold wholesale in Beijing should be no less than 12 yuan (US$1.45)," Huang Guangquan, director of the Department of Audio and Visual Products, part of the Beijing Bureau of Radio and Television (BBRT), told Beijing Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference (BMPPCC) yesterday.

Wholesale prices for VCDs of Chinese films in Beijing now can be as low as 6 yuan (US$ 0.72). Huang said it was the result of vicious competition in the VCD market, and is unfair to the artists involved.

The conflict in wholesale pricing is only part of the struggle on the part of the film industry and the makers and sellers of original VCDs to make a profit. The battle against piracy continues, and still overshadows the wholesale price war, said many BMPPCC members.

Although Beijing has cracked down harder than ever before on pirate VCD dealers this year, seizing 200,000 discs since June, twice that of last year, pirate VCD sales are still common on many of the city's streets.

A sudden spot check by the Ministry of Culture on Beijing's officially approved dealers to find pirate VCDs among their wares in this May indicates at least 11.51 per cent of the market has been lost to pirated VCDs.

While China already has more than 20 million VCD players, not including many computers able to play the discs, its average annual retail earnings from disc sales is only 1.7 billion yuan (US$204 million), one-sixtieth of the video recording market in the United States in 1996.

When discussing the anti-piracy battle, Huang frankly admitted the illegal market is even more complicated now. He referred to the involvement of many women who are pregnant or taking small children with them when they sell pornographic VCDs, exploiting a loophole in China's criminal laws and effectively escaping prosecution.

The sale of lewd VCDs is clearly illegal, but Huang said the sellers know the police can do nothing but detain them a while and then let them go.

Last week, police at the Anzhen Station detained a pregnant woman selling lewd VCDs.

But as soon as she was taken to the station, she started to give birth Police had no practical alternative but to take her to the hospital and release her.

"This really has us all a bit flustered, for no law has ever touched on such a situation," Huang said.

Huang said BBRT has also complained about the penalties for pirating VCDs or selling pirate VCDs in Beijing.

Beijing's Municipal Managerial Regulations on Audio and Visual Products, passed in last July, state that VCD pirates should be fined five to 10 times their earnings.

"But most of them do business in cash and use no receipts," Huang said.