DEG HONORS INDUSTRY’S BEST AT CES 2007


Best Buy Honored as the Year's Top Retailer

     LAS VEGAS (Jan. 9, 2007) – DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group held its annual reception during the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to award top honors for digital entertainment products and retailers.

DEG Retailer of the Year Award
     The DEG presented its fourth annual industry awards honoring the Retailer of the Year. Two retailer awards were established to recognize excellence in merchandising and promoting both (1) new digital entertainment products and (2) DVD titles and high definition packaged media during the past year. This year, the DEG membership voted Best Buy as Retailer of the Year in both categories. This is the second year that Best Buy has won for both categories: the first time was in 2004.

     DEG members were asked to consider national, regional and online retailers in their voting. The voting was done in a secretive ballot.

     The content providers (studios’ home video divisions and music companies) commended Best Buy’s dedication to excelling in its marketing, merchandising and promotion of DVD titles and high definition packaged media. One member praised the retailer for excelling in honing in on consumer needs and tailoring offers that best fit the consumer in each individual store. Another member remarked that Best Buy is a true innovator in merchandising and marketing and credited their pioneering methods with making them a premier retailer.

     The DEG’s hardware members (consumer electronics and IT companies) agreed that Best Buy has continued to lead the industry in consumer education of new entertainment technologies through demonstration of products, promotions and key advertising.  One member noted that Best Buy is an innovative company that views their relationship with their vendors as a partnership. Other members commended Best Buy for its home entertainment solutions for consumers that easily translate to understanding and execution in the home.

The DEG Emiel N. Petrone Digital Innovation Awards
     In memory of the DEG’s founding Chairman Emiel N. Petrone, the DEG has three awards to acknowledge the year’s most outstanding new digital entertainment products released in calendar 2006 in the categories of Sight, Source and Sound.

     Selected by a panel of product reviewers from the industry’s home theater enthusiast publications, the following three products were awarded with the top honors:

The DEG Emiel N. Petrone Digital Innovation Award for SIGHT
Sony Electronics for the Sony VPL-VW50 front projector

The DEG Emiel N. Petrone Digital Innovation Award for SOURCE
Sony Electronics for the Sony PlayStation 3

The DEG Emiel N. Petrone Digital Innovation Award for SOUND
D&M Holdings’ for the Marantz SR8001 home theater receiver

DEG Creative Excellence Awards
     The DEG also awarded seven honors to acknowledge Creative Excellence in DVD titles and high definition packaged media released in calendar 2006. The judging panel, nominated by the motion picture studio and music company members of the DEG, consisted of reviewers and industry reporters from trade, entertainment and daily consumer news organizations. In addition to overall sound and picture quality, all titles were considered for those features that best demonstrate the value-added nature of the format.

The DEG Creative Excellence Award Winners for 2006:

The DEG Theatrical DVD Title of the Year (full length motion pictures that were originally released for theatrical viewing)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Buena Vista Home Entertainment

The DEG Catalog DVD Title of the Year (DVD titles of a full-length theatrical film, as exhibited theatrically or in an enhanced version, released on DVD more than 18 months from its original theatrical release date)

Superman: The Ultimate Collection
Warner Home Video

The DEG TV DVD Title of the Year (full-length programming that originally was broadcast on television)

The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection
Image Entertainment

The DEG Direct to DVD Title of the Year (full-length programming that premiered on video)

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (Special Editon)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

The DEG Music DVD Title of the Year (full-length music programming that have been designed or repurposed for DVD)

Neil Young – Heart of Gold
Paramount Home Entertainment

The DEG Blu-ray Disc Title of the Year (the best Blu-ray Disc title released in the calendar year)

Black Hawk Down
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

The DEG HD DVD Title of the Year (the best HD DVD title released in the calendar year)

Batman Begins
Warner Home Video

      DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group is a Los Angeles-based, industry-funded nonprofit corporation that advocates and promotes the many benefits associated with DVD while providing updated information regarding the format to both the media and the retail trade. The DEG offers a forum for member companies to engage in ongoing discussions concerning various issues and opportunities, which relate to other new digital technologies that may emerge in the future.

     Regular members of the DEG are Buena Vista Home Entertainment, D&M Holdings, DTS Entertainment, Gibson Guitar Corporation, HBO Video, Hewlett-Packard, Image Entertainment, JVC Company of America, Lionsgate, MGM Home Entertainment, Microsoft, New Line Home Entertainment, Panasonic Consumer Electronics, Paramount Home Entertainment, Philips Consumer Electronics, Pioneer Electronics (USA), Sony Electronics, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Starz Home Entertainment, Thomson, Toshiba America Consumer Products, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video.

Associate members are AGI Media, Ascent Media/Blink Digital, Blockbuster, BMG Columbia House, CinemaNow, Cryptography Research, Deluxe Digital, EDC, e2amp inc., Giant Interactive, JVC Disc America, Kestrel Wireless, Macrovision, Memory-Tech, Netflix, Nielsen Entertainment, Panasonic North America, ScreenPlay, Sonic Solutions, Sonopress, Sony DADC, Technicolor and Universal Operations Group.

     The DEG can be reached at 310-888-2201, via e-mail at getinfo@digitalentertainmentinfo.com or through its Web site at www.digitalentertainmentinfo.com.

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