Panelists, Industry Leaders and Exhibitors to Spotlight the Latest in HD TV Technology

Los Angeles, CA – Nov. 4, 2004 -- The second annual HD EXPO, a gathering of pioneers and leaders in the world of digital and high definition technology, will take place today in Los Angeles, at the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire Blvd., from 1:00 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. The goal of the HD EXPO is to create a High Def EXPO community where the worlds of film and video production/post-production converge to encourage and facilitate education, networking, communication and commerce.

“We’ve brought together leaders in entertainment, production, technology and advertising to discuss the future and growth of HD and digital technology as well as the challenges we currently face in faster market penetration,” said Kristin Petrovich, founder of HD EXPO. “By bringing together the HD community we are creating opportunities for pioneers and leaders to mentor innovators and future users of the technology, thereby driving future growth,” she concluded.

The HD EXPO will feature a full day of workshops, panels and technology demonstrations, as well as never before seen video from the NASA APOLLO mission in full, large screen HDTV.

“The NASA video is from original film footage shot on the moon and in lunar orbit during the Apollo missions and has been kept in below freezing storage for historical preservation,” explained Petrovich. “Some of it was recently sent to a firm specializing in film restoration and re-mastered for the first time to the High Definition format (1080i 30P),” she stated.

Panelists Discuss Advertising, The Future, and Global Hot Spots
Panelists include a wide array of luminaries speaking on topics such as Global HD Hot Spots - the Opportunities, Enablers & Barriers, moderated by Mark Turner of BT Broadcast with panelists including: Stephane Merires, Director for TPS/TF1; Tom Gibbon, Head, Telecommunications Group, Bell, Boyd and Lloyd; Dan Desmet, Vice President and General Manager, TANDBERG Television Americas; and Bill Tillson, renowned expert in broadcast and satellite.

The advertising panel, entitled simply Advertising $$, is moderated by Jon Silberg and features panelists Richard P. Storrs, President, A Creative Group; Stacy Jones, Vice President, Creative Entertainment Services, Inc.; Davina Kent, TiVo Advertising and Research Sales Manager; Terrence Coles, Pier 3 Entertainment, Director of Sales and Marketing; and Greg Solman, Adweek, covering topics such as: How Will Technology Play a Part?   Product Placement & Branding, Advertising Issues Surrounding TiVo & Other Commercial Skipping Devices, and more.

The panel, Reality Television,  is moderated by Randall Paris Dark, Co-Founder and President, HD Vision Studios, Inc., and will address such topics as:  Does Technology Impact the Creative Process?  Are There Budgetary Limitations with HD?; and  Does HD play a Role in Reality Television?  Featured panelists include:  Marc Wolloff, Executive in Charge of Production, Popular Arts Entertainment; Ron Romberger, Editor; and Robert Bennett, Executive Producer, CEO/Founder, HD Republic.

Finally, the grand finale -- HDTV: “The Past, Present and Future”, features a prestigious panel of top level pioneers and experts and will focus on the history of HDTV, its major milestones, the integration of HD systems for advanced networks like digital cinema and theater networks, as well as a firsthand look at the future. This panel will be moderated by HDTV pioneer Robin Ore and includes Richard Mizer, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of CINEvents, Inc. who will be speaking about "Electronic Cinema: The Hands-on Experience"; Jordan Greenhall, CEO and Co-Founder, DivX Networks,  talking about the future of HD DVD and how next-generation compression technologies can improve the user experience across the connected home; and Rex Ridenoure, Space Mission Engineer/CEO of Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation, will be speaking about "Trends in Space-Based Video and Imaging and Why HD Is Needed".

Celebrity Poker Tournament Benefiting Cinema Fighting Cancer
As part of HD EXPO’s ongoing commitment to building a community, there will also be workshops and educational seminars, and the day will culminate in a Celebrity/Industry Poker Tournament benefiting Cinema Fighting Cancer’s Cancer Relief Fund, featuring Rachel Hunter, Lou Diamond Phillips and Robert Hayes, among others.