CEA Announces 2005 Academy of Digital Television Pioneers Awards Nominees; Awards Honoring HDTV Achievements to Be Presented During Entertainment Technology Policy Summit Luncheon

Business Wire, March 2, 2006

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA(R)) today announced the nominees from five categories for the 2005 Academy of Digital Television (DTV Academy) Pioneers Awards. The awards will be presented on March 15, at the sixth annual DTV Academy Awards luncheon during CEA's Entertainment Technology Policy Summit. The event will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, March 15-16 in Washington, DC.

At the luncheon, nominees from five DTV Award categories will be recognized during a dynamic high-definition production that highlights their outstanding achievements in the advancement of HDTV throughout 2005. The DTV Academy Awards luncheon is included with Summit registration.

The 2005 DTV Academy Award nominees are:

Best DTV Program Provider:

--DirecTV

--Comcast

--Time Warner

Best DTV Leadership (Industry):

--Bryan Burns, vice president, strategic business planning and development, ESPN

--Peter Fannon, vice president for technology policy, government and regulatory affairs, Panasonic

--Marty Franks, executive vice president, planning, policy and government relations, CBS

Best DTV Leadership (Government):

--Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

--Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK)

--Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX)

--Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI)

People's Choice:

--CSI - The Entire Franchise (CBS)

--NFL Monday Night Football (ABC)

--SportsCenter (ESPN)

--Lost (ABC)

President's Award for Outstanding Contribution:

--Rick Chessen

The DTV Awards are chosen by members of the DTV Academy, a select group of more than 200 individuals who have played a significant role in the decade-long effort that has made digital television a reality for consumers. The DTV Academy includes individuals from the broadcasting, program development, consumer electronics manufacturing and retail industries, as well as present and former government officials and members of the media. The awards honor excellence in five areas: digital content development and delivery from a provider, the people's choice for their favorite HDTV programming, analog-to-digital transition leadership in both the industry and government and overall contribution to the transition to DTV.

In recognition of the pervasiveness and success of DTV, the Academy decided to combine several of the previous award categories. This year the awards focus on several key areas that have influenced this arena over the past year.

CEA will continue celebrating industry and government leaders' achievements at the second annual Digital Patriots Dinner held the evening of March 15. Senator Ensign, Congressman Joe Barton and Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates will be honored with Digital Patriot Awards during the dinner. CEA's Entertainment Technology Policy Summit will include conference programming that explores the intersection of digital content, content distribution and hardware, as well as HDTV transition issues, network neutrality and the tension between protecting intellectual property and preserving fair use rights.

Note to Journalists:

The Entertainment Technology Policy Summit is an outgrowth of CEA's former stand-alone conference, the HDTV Summit. Content associated with the HDTV Summit, including the DTV Academy Luncheon, will be held on day one of the Entertainment Technology Policy Summit on Wednesday, March 15. Press may register for day one and day two of the event separately, or may register for the full summit. Please note that meal service at the Digital Patriots Dinner requires pre-registration by 5 p.m. on March 13; otherwise access will be limited to event coverage. For media registration, please contact Erica Corley at ecorley@ce.org or 703-907-7621.

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 EVENTS

--  2006 CEA Winter Summit
    March 2-4, 2006, Vail, CO

--  CEA 2006 Winter Technology and Standards Forum
    March 6-10, 2006, Clearwater Beach, FL

--  CEA Spring Break
    March 14-17, 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

--  2007 PARA Conference
    May 16-20, 2007, Coronado, CA