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Millimeter(CULVER CITY, CA. Nov. 15, 2001)--Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced a plan to accelerate the creation of digital masters of its library, with the goal of mastering at least 500 film titles a year over the next three years. The Studio's intention is to have 2,400 feature film titles, or two-thirds of its library, digitally mastered by 2005, it was announced today by Benjamin S. Feingold, President, Digital Studios Division, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, CTMPG. To meet the new schedule, all mastering will be outsourced, and the High Definition Center on the Culver City lot will be closed.
The Center was established in 1987. In 1998 Sony was honored with an Emmy award for the Center's development of a high-resolution film scanner. Its operations will be phased out by March 2002, eliminating roughly 50 jobs.
"Sony's HD Center pioneered the development of high-definition products and systems, and set the benchmark for HD quality while introducing such significant new formats as DVD," commented Feingold. "Now that high definition has been embraced by the L.A. production community, we chose to strategically reconsider our capabilities, given our desire for broadband readiness. Our growing volume requirements suggest that using the resources of the post-production community is economically the best route forward."
The HD Center has already digitally mastered 900 titles on high-definition video. Sony has converted more of its own titles to digital masters than any other studio and remains committed to maintaining leadership in the evolving digital marketplace.
Moving forward plans call for SPE's DVD Center to add encryption and video compression services for broadband media distribution to its lines of business.
Dr. Robert Hopkins, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the HD Center, who has been a pioneer in establishing digital high definition standards, will remain in the Digital Studios Division to oversee the acceleration of the HD mastering plan.
Sony Pictures Entertainment's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, digital content creation, post production and distribution, home video acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, development of new entertainment technologies and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries worldwide.
Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at www.spe.sony.com