Another Dimension in High Definition TV and Video Gaming

Released on = April 1, 2005, 4:57 am

Press Release Author = Vijay Shanker - VP Asia Pacific (NME)

Industry = Media

Press Release Summary = Versatile MultiLayer Disc or VMD for short is a next generation optical disc designed for High Definition content - motion pictures, video on demand, sports entertainment, and all video content and data. VMD is all set to introduce, the latest video disc standards vying to be the common person’s format of choice for high-definition (HD) video content - replacing DVD.

Press Release Body = Consumers are getting ready to move into a new TV era - the era of HDTV movies and broadcasts. High-definition television is so alluring that once you've soaked in the splendor of a high-definition broadcast there is no going back. With the transition to picture perfect high definition TV looming ahead, a shootout
between optical storage standards is imminent. Who will be the successor to today's wildly popular DVD?

Versatile MultiLayer Disc or VMD for short is a next generation optical disc designed for High Definition content - motion pictures, video on demand, sports entertainment, and all video content and data. VMD was recently demonstrated to enthusiastic groups of industry leaders in several countries and was hailed and embraced as a breakthrough and compelling solution for cost effective High-Definition pre-recorded discs and players.

New Medium Enterprises, Inc. brings to the world this truly revolutionary technology that will enable consumers in the near term, to view brilliant High Definition film features and sporting events on its proprietary cost effective VMD player, bringing razor sharp ‘HD IMAGE QUALITY’ to mass market consumers, priced in the range of
current standard definition discs & players.

VMD is all set to introduce, the latest video disc standards vying to be the common person’s format of choice for high-definition (HD) video content. There is no doubt that VMD is going to be the most popular choice when you look at these advantages.

Affordable Price: The basic VMD player is expected to retail at about the same price as the existing DVD players and therefore should not encounter any resistance from the consumer on pricing.

Technological Advantage: VMD uses the existing Red Laser technology and hence does not require the consumer to worry about compatibility with existing equipment; unlike making expensive choices of equipment for Blue Ray and HD-DVD. Thinking ahead, VMD technology could be easily adaptable for Blue Lasers at a time when the costs of Blue Lasers and associated manufacturing processes will become competitive, though at the present time there simply does not exist a technological need that would validate refurbishing the entire DVD infrastructure to change to the costly Blue Laser (and not in the foreseeable future, either!).

Storage Capacity Advantage: VMD is precisely the same size and thickness as DVD, however, while DVD technology is limited to a maximum of two data layers on a disc. Through multi-layering the disc storage capacity is dramatically increased. Each additional layer adds approximately up to 6 GB of memory over a standard DVD disc.
VMD provides the ability to place up to 20 layers on a single disc with no quality loss in the content stored. This means capacity to record 100 GB or more.

NME possess the technology to manufacture and mass produce low cost RED LASER HDTV playback discs capable of being industrially implemented in the near term to supply the market with cost effective VMD HDTV Discs (20GB first generation, 50 GB by next
year &over 100GB, thereafter) & Drives. These drives are identical to DVD except being a ‘high definition decoder’ and therefore inherently backward compatible, i.e. they fit all previous disc formats, and there is no need to keep 2 drives at home.

The size of the market for VMD technology is substantial, since VMD can be adapted to any optical storage formats, adding substantial capacity, versatility of applications and ease of manufacturing to any of the formats that become VMD capable. Over the next decade DVD penetration is expected to reach 500 million homes worldwide and NME would like to offer the consumer the best possible deal – an
affordable VMD Player that is compatible with latest technologies.

Web Site = http://www.nmeinc.com

Contact Details = Vijay Shanker, VP- Asia Pacific, New Medium Enterprises,195 The
Vale, London W3 7QS
Telephone: +44 (0) 208 746 2018
Fax: +44 (0) 208 749 8025