DVD ENTERTAINMENT GROUP GETS NEW NAME

Dan Alaimo

LAS VEGAS -- The former DVD Entertainment Group, Los Angeles, is expanding its mission and will now be known as the Digital Entertainment Group, said Bob Chapek, president of the group, during the Video Software Dealers Association show here last week.

As of Aug. 1, the industry-funded, nonprofit organization is seeking to move beyond the promotion of the DVD format and engage in future opportunities that relate to other new digital technologies, Chapek said.

"The fact that the Digital Entertainment Group is comprised of both hardware and entertainment software companies gives us a unique forum for the discussion of such future potential technologies," he said. The DVD group's activities are seen as one reason for the unprecedented success of the DVD format, according to industry observers.

Reporting on first-half numbers, the group said that over 427 million DVD software units were shipped to retail, up from over 272 million units the year before. The figures were compiled by Ernst & Young, New York.