LaserPacific Helps New Line Home Entertainment Launch infinifilmô

23-Jul-01

LaserPacific Media Corporation's (NASDAQ: LPAC) award-winning New Media development team has again distinguished itself through its significant contributions to New Line Home Entertainmentís new and acclaimed DVD brand infinifilmô. infinifilm takes viewers ""beyond the movie"" by providing both the movie itself and new and unique, specially crafted in-depth explorations of the filmís subject matter and themes. In addition to the special added-value supplemental material that consumers have come to expect from New Line DVDs, New Line infinifilm gives viewers original content and specially created productions that take viewers beyond the movie. The supplemental material can be accessed through ""pop up"" navigation menus which offer viewers more control of their movie watching experience with user friendly instructions and navigation.As they have before with Platinum Series innovations, New Line turned to LaserPacific to realize and create the techniques and methods that allow the new infinifilm functionality.New Line Home Entertainment launched infinifilm on July 10, 2001, with the release of ""Thirteen Days, "" the acclaimed Cuban Missile Crisis drama starring Kevin Costner. ""15 Minutes"" is the next infinifilm title from New Line Home Entertainment slated for release.Michael Mulvihill, Vice President of Content Development, headed up the New Line Home Entertainment team on the project, ""infinifilm was born out of visualizing and contemplating how to make the DVD experience even more entertaining and compelling. Thatís one of the mandates of the Platinum Series, which has been an incredible collaborative process on every title weíve released."" He concluded, ""From the beginning, LaserPacific has played an important and critical role in many of the pioneering titles that weíve brought to market. They have consistently proved to be a valuable part of what makes our titles special and unique.""Leon Silverman, Executive Vice President of LaserPacific, noted that ""This new process is yet another example of how our customers rely upon our deep knowledge and technical creativity. Creating complex DVD content is an incredible challenge given the relatively limited nature of the DVD specification and the tools available to create DVD. Over the years, our team has been able to help our customers create technically complex and creatively compelling DVD titles not only by building our own tools, but employing significant ingenuity.""Jay Sherbon, Senior Research Engineer at LaserPacific, headed the LaserPacific team on the infinifilm project. ""Because of our team's experience in authoring complex DVD titles, our clients regularly present creative ideas that are very challenging to the technology as it exists. Our ability to help New Line execute their creative vision has helped to distinguish their Platinum Series, which is widely acknowledged as the state of the art in DVD authoring and features. We have worked closely with New Line to create other firsts in DVD. For example, 'Lost In Space' was the first DVD offering Web connectivity, and 'Detroit Rock City' had one of the first text-less, audio-driven menu systems. infinifilm is one of those exciting opportunities to push the technology that literally redefines the medium.""As envisioned by Mulvihill and the New Line team, infinifilm features pop-up menus that appear throughout the movie at specific plot points. These menus access bonus material related specifically to a subject, actor or event. New Lineís goal was to combine the linear film viewing experience with complex interactive features in a streamlined, consumer-friendly fashion. The bonus material includes content available only on DVD including specially produced documentaries, filmmaker and cast information, interviews and games. LaserPacific Senior DVD Author Jess Bowers believes that ìinfinifilm creates a new, deeper way to experience a film in subsequent viewings. It sounds simple, but itís a serious change to how we conceive of and execute the creation of a DVD title. And I think that audiences will respond. Putting the value-added material right in front of the audience in the context of the film as it is being watched brings new understandings and insights. This could only be accomplished in the realm of digital media.""""We had this notion of making an 'ultimate' DVD viewing experience. Making it all work together in a seamless process on one disc required an extensive research, development and testing process as well as complex authoring. Once again, LaserPacific's New Media group was with us all the way,"" explained New Lineís Mulvihill. Silverman continued, ""The lessons we learn in DVD have important implications for the future. When we opened Hollywood's first digital media digitizing facility in the early 90's, we knew that is was an important stage in gaining the skills necessary for digital content creation and distribution. These skills have served us well and continue to point the way to our future. Sophisticated DVD titles, such as those that the infinifilm process represent, have fascinating ramifications for the industry as a whole as they relate to groundbreaking technologies such as interactive television."" He concluded, ""Ultimately, our job is to make technology work for our customers and to help them understand its role in the creative process. We are fortunate that forward looking and creative customers such as New Line seek us out and allow us to stretch these skills. Together, we will continue to push the limits of technology and creativity, helping our clients present the very best in innovative and compelling entertainment.""

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