PRN And Best Buy Unveil First Syndicated HDTV Programming At Retail

Nationally Syndicated HDTV Programming Available At 350 Best Buy Stores

20-Apr-00

As part of its continuing efforts to provide high quality digital programming and information content to America's consumers, Pics Retail Networks (PRN) announced the unveiling of the first custom high definition (HDTV) programs at retail in over 350 Best Buy stores nationwide. PRN has worked with Best Buy to develop programming that is delivered via satellite to individual store-based servers in the highest possible quality for digital television, the Advanced Television Systems Committee's (ATSC) 1080i, an extremely data-heavy signal requiring a huge bandwidth or ""pipeline"" for transmission. The PRN programming allows over 2.5 million Best Buy customers per month to see rich digital programming, advertising and other informative content on television walls and monitors while they shop. Most programming offered in the stores feature sports clips, movie trailers, and live concert music footage, plus other programming - all in HD. HDTV delivers twice the image resolution, five times the picture quality and ten times the color information of an analog picture. At this level of resolution, the picture takes on a three-dimensional effect with incredible visuals, almost as if you were looking out a window. ""Due to our partnership with Best Buy, more consumers have seen HD programming than any one show broadcast in that format by the networks, including ëMonday Night Footballí or ëThe Tonight Showí,"" said Charles Nooney, President of PRN. ""Simply put, this is the first nationally syndicated HD programming available anywhere in the nation."" Because PRN's programming is created and transmitted to Best Buy stores in digital form, consumers can ""comparison shop"" and view digital programming on various types of televisions: HD CRT monitors and projection sets, as well as down-converted for analog monitors and projection televisions. ""The great thing about this content is that it not only offers shoppers an entertaining experience while they're in the stores, but it also provides a gauge of how digital programming will look and sound in the shoppers' own homes,"" said James Damian, Vice President of Best Buy. ""Digital programming is here and now, and we couldn't be more pleased that we're one of the first major retailers to offer this in-store programming to our customers."" The show is produced in association with industry leaders in video design and post-production. Ylonda Stevens and Atalanta Powell of PRN supervise the production. A portion of the content is programmed monthly by veteran HD producer Barry Rebo, who is contracted by PRN to secure the latest examples of state-of-the-art in HD production. ""When I was first introduced to PRN in the Fall of 1998, I quickly realized the incredible power of their 'entertainment at retail' concept. That a major progressive retailer such as Best Buy was invested in promoting true HDTV to the American public was indeed exciting,"" said Barry Rebo. ""After years of screening HD to small groups, it's really a thrill to be able to assist producers and broadcasters in getting their work screened in HD to an interested public."" PRN's programming, created on state of the art digital equipment, is generally a 40-minute program of music videos or concert footage, movie trailers, nature programming and sports footage - all shown during the customer's in-store experience. Several graphic-intensive advertising spots have been re-conformed using state-of-the-art systems at leading HD studios. What is quite possibly the first 30-second HD spot completed entirely on the PC desktop in a non-linear HD editing environment was executed for this program. PRN has worked with several advertisers and studios to transfer their 35mm film negatives to HD at the required 1080i spec. HD materials only available as data have been transferred via FTP, resized and output to tape - all at uncompressed full resolution. In addition to HD programming, PRN has also partnered with Best Buy to offer bi-monthly Interactive PC Workshops, a monthly radio program, a DVD Demonstration, speaker and amplification programs, and a Home Theatre Surround Sound Program. PRN is the dominant retail media network that partners with America's largest retailers and advertisers to build brand equity, shopper satisfaction and loyalty. PRN was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company delivers retail programming and interactivity via digital satellite to over 46 million Nielsen-measured viewers a month as they shop in America's largest retailers, including Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Sears and Circuit City.