CEA Honors Recipients of the 2005 Academy of Digital Television Pioneers Awards; Winners Announced During CEA's Entertainment Technology Policy Summit

Business Wire, March 16, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA(R)) today announced the winners of the sixth annual Academy of Digital Television Pioneers (DTV Academy) Awards. The award winners were honored during a luncheon at CEA's Entertainment Technology Policy Summit, which is being held through Thursday in Washington, D.C.

The DTV Academy Awards recognize HDTV achievements made throughout 2005 in five categories. This year's honorees are:

--Best DTV Program Provider - DirecTV

--Best DTV Leadership (Industry) - Peter Fannon, Panasonic Corp. of North America

--Best DTV Leadership (Government) - U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), U.S. Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX) and U.S. Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI).

--The People's Choice Award for Favorite HDTV Programming - NFL Monday Night Football (ABC)

--The President's Award for Outstanding Contribution - Rick Chessen, former chair, FCC Digital Television Task Force and Association Bureau Chief of the Media Bureau

"It is an honor to present these awards recognizing the outstanding HDTV leadership and accomplishments of the past year," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. "Today we celebrate this milestone in the transition to HDTV, as more and more TV shows are being broadcast in HD, and soon consumers will have new options for recording and playing back HD content. We have indeed come so far on this road to DTV, and with the certainty of a hard cut-off date for analog broadcasts, we can now truly see the finish line before us."

The annual DTV Awards are independently voted on by members of the DTV Academy, which includes more than 200 leaders from manufacturing, broadcasting, government, the engineering community and media who have paved the way for DTV. The DTV Academy represents excellence in all aspects of digital television content development, content delivery and DTV transition leadership.

For more information on CEA's Entertainment Technology Policy Summit and the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers, visit www.CE.org.

About CEA:

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the consumer technology industry through technology policy, events, research, promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA represents more than 2,100 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of audio, video, mobile electronics, wireless and landline communications, information technology, home networking, multimedia and accessory products, as well as related services that are sold through consumer channels. Combined, CEA's members account for more than $125 billion in annual sales. CEA's resources are available online at www.CE.org, the definitive source for information about the consumer electronics industry.

CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES - Defining Tomorrow's Technology. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.

UPCOMING CEA EVENTS

--  CEA Entertainment Technology Policy Summit
    March 15-16, 2006, Washington, DC

--  CEA Digital Patriots Dinner
    March 15, 2006, Washington, DC

--  EHX Spring 2006
    March 28-April 1, 2006, Orlando, FL

--  CONNECTIONS (TM) - The Digital Home Conference & Showcase
    May 2-4, 2006, Santa Clara, CA

--  2006 PARA Conference
    May 3-7, 2006, Hilton Head, SC

--  The 10th Annual Consumer Electronics CEO Summit
    June 21-24, 2006, Southampton, Bermuda

--  2006 SINOCES
    July 7-10, 2006, Qingdao, China

--  2006 CEA Summer Technology and Standards Forum
    July 24-28, 2006, Coronado, CA

--  CEA Industry Forum
    October 16-18, 2006 San Francisco, CA

--  EHX Fall 2006
    November 14-17, 2006, Long Beach, CA

--  2007 International CES
    January 8-11, 2007, Las Vegas, NV