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Consortium formed to standardize digital media

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business,09/12/2008

SEPT. 12 | Major studios, retailers and consumer electronics manufacturers are banding together in a new consortium to help standardize digital media so that it will play on a wide variety of devices and platforms.

More than 20 companies have signed onto the consortium, named the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) LLC, including Fox Entertainment Group, Lionsgate, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros and Sony. Member retailers and manufacturers include Best Buy, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft and Toshiba, among others.

The consortium’s goal is to end consumer confusion over digital content that may not play on all devices.

One current example is DVD-embedded digital copy, which, depending on studio terms, may not be compatible with PCs, Macs, Apple iPods or PlayStation Portables.

DECE LLC plans to issue a licensable specification, which will include a standard logo and brand that companies will stamp on content in order to guarantee to customers of its universal playback. The specification will encompass hardware and software requirements for companies to follow.

“This is great news for consumers hungry for access to a wider array of digital content they can enjoy on any device they own,” said Mitch Singer, president of DECE LLC. “We formed this consortium to give consumers that kind of power and choice. To open up the market for digital distribution, we are developing a specification that connects a wide variety of services and devices. DECE LLC is taking the lessons learned from the successful ‘buy once, play anywhere’ experience that we enjoy with CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray today, and using a similar approach in developing the next-generation digital media experience.”

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