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Presents the 

2006-2007 Panel and Salon Series

Wine and light refreshments will be served during a networking mixer prior to the programming. 

 

DVD: A Dying Medium or Savior of New Media?

The format that Hollywood has relied upon to generate enormous profits – DVD - has been rumored in recent months to be on the wane in this, the 10^th anniversary of the DVD format.  The DVD juggernaut’s maturation arrives at a time when new high-definition DVD formats – Blu-Ray and HD-DVD – and holographic storage are entering the market.  Next-generation gaming consoles – PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 – rely on DVD formats as delivery vehicles for online and multi-format communication.  While DVD as a stand-alone format for home video viewing may have peaked, the DVD is still a platform that offers tremendous creative opportunity for filmmakers and new media producers alike. 

A conversation featuring: Peter Becker, President, Criterion Collection

Peter Becker has served as the president of Criterion Collection – the leading distributor of authoritative DVD releases of classic and contemporary films - since 1997, just prior to the company’s foray into the DVD format.  Becker has often called Criterion’s special edition releases – which the company pioneered in 1984, with the laserdisc release of ‘Citizen Kane’ and ‘King Kong’ – ‘a film school in a box,’ incorporating numerous bonus materials, such as trailers, directors’ audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentaries, alternate endings, deleted scenes, and other materials.  Criterion also pioneered many innovations in the way movies are presented on video that have become standard today, including the use of letterboxing, the release of multi-disc sets and special editions, and definitive versions. Established in 1984 as a joint venture between Janus Films – the company that brought the films of such renowned directors as Ingmar Bergman and Akira Kurosawa to the U.S., and Voyager Company – the critically-acclaimed CD-ROM publisher - Criterion Collection is noted for spending great effort and resources in tracing the best source materials for classic films, and engaging in thorough video clean-ups — a practice that has influenced other companies, most notably Warner Home Video. 

Chris Pfaff, President, Chris Pfaff Tech/Media LLC; board delegate, PGA New Media Council

A board delegate of the PGA New Media Council since 2006, and a PGA NMC member since 2004, Chris Pfaff leads a consultancy – Chris Pfaff Tech/Media LLC – that represents some of the leading service providers, audio/video technology firms, networking vendors, and media companies in the world, from PRIMEDIA and Eastman Kodak to Cantor Telecom.  A veteran of the venture world, Chris helped launch more than 20 ventures from the Lucent New Ventures Group, including iBiquity Digital; Flarion; Lucent Digital Video, and GeoVideo Networks, among others.  In addition, he has helped launch AT&T’s Internet strategy; the Viacom New Media division of Viacom, Inc.; Sony Electronics’ Digital Betacam format, and Sharp Electronics’ LCD product division. 

Space is limited so a confirmed RSVP for this event is required.   Please email: rsvp_natas@pga-ny.org to request a seat. 

All RSVP’s are for one person only. All RSVP’s must be re-confirmed to be considered valid.

Location: The Screening Room at the Core Club
66 East 55th Street
Between Madison and Park Avenues , NY

Date: June 19, 2007, 3 p.m. - June 19, 2007, 5 p.m.