DDD.L Regulatory News (DDD)

11 Oct 2007 07:00

DDD Group PLC11 October 2007 3-D TV SPECIAL USING DDD's 2-D TO 3-D CONVERSION SOLUTION TO AIR ON CARTOON NETWORK Santa Monica, California (October 11th, 2007) - DDD Group plc (AIM: DDD), the3-D software and content company, today announces that DDD's market leadingTriDef(R) Media Creator 2-D to 3-D conversion solution has been used to deliverthe Fried Dynamite 3-D special to be aired on Cartoon Network on October 12thand October 31st, 2007. Fried Dynamite, Cartoon Network's new programming franchise will air half hourepisodes of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends and Out of Jimmy's Head thatwere converted from their original 2-D broadcast format to anaglyph 3-D,allowing them to be enjoyed in 3-D on normal televisions by viewer's wearing red/blue 3-D glasses. DDD also delivered a 3-D version of the television commercialfor Thrillville: Off The Rails that will air during Fried Dynamite. Thrillville:Off The Rails is a videogame, published by LucasArts, where players create andexperience the theme park of their dreams and is available in stores October 16,2007. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends is an Emmy(R) Award-winning animated serieswhile Out of Jimmy's Head combines live-action with animation. Both segmentswere efficiently converted to 3-D using DDD's recently released TriDef(R) MediaCreator that combines real time 3-D depth recovery with the ability to edit theresulting 3-D scene. This allowed DDD to quickly process the scenes as they weredelivered by Cartoon Network's animation studios while still providing theflexibility to change the 3-D effect in each scene prior to approval. Theproductivity made possible by TriDef Media Creator allows an entire 20-minutetelevision episode to be reprocessed to 3-D in just four weeks. The combinedvalue for DDD for all three conversions is approximately £36,000. Chris Yewdall, Chief Executive of DDD, said: "The 3-D episode of Fried Dynamitemarks another first for DDD as our TriDef 2-D to 3-D conversion solution is usedto efficiently deliver 3-D broadcast programming. As the momentum continues tobuild in 3-D entertainment, we expect that TriDef Media Creator will beincreasingly drawn upon to deliver cost effective content for the emerging 3-Dtelevision market." Enquiries: DDD GroupChris Yewdall, President & CEO +1 310 566-3340e-mail: info@ddd.com Cartoon NetworkCourtenay Palaski +1 310 788-6903courtenay.palaski@turner.com Brewin Dolphin (NOMAD)Ken Fleming, Director - Corporate Finance +44 (0) 141 314 8114 Notes to Editors About Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in more than 91 millionU.S. homes and 160 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System,Inc.'s ad-supported cable service offering the best in original, acquired andclassic animated entertainment for kids and families. Overnight from 11 p.m.-6a.m. (ET, PT), Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, alate-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for youngadults 18-34. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer ofnews and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider ofprogramming for the basic cable industry. More information is available at cartoonnetwork3d.com About DDD DDD, also known as Dynamic Digital Depth, is transforming the viewing experiencewith applications for 3-D displays. Its patented technologies enable 3-D viewingwith and without glasses; simple integration of computer graphics applicationswith 3-D displays; supply of 3-D content through 2-D to 3-D conversion; and 3-Dtransmission over existing networks. DDD is quoted on AIM, a market operated bythe London Stock Exchange (AIM: DDD). Background •A new category of flat screen LCD, plasma and Digital Light Projection (DLP) rear projection displays are being developed and marketed by major consumer electronics companies that provide stereoscopic 3-D images both with and without the need for the viewer to wear glasses. Stereoscopic 3-D images appear to have natural in and off-screen depth. 3-D displays have already been included in mobile phones in Japan and Korea, in desktop PC displays and notebook computers in North America and Japan and in DLP rear projection televisions in North America. •DDD's solutions provide an important bridge between conventional two-dimensional (2-D) software applications and content and the new 3-D displays. Normal 2-D pictures, video and computer graphics images are manipulated by DDD's patented software enabling them to be displayed on 3-D displays without requiring the content to be created specially for a 3-D display. DDD's solutions also enable automatic conversion of virtually any media from 2-D to 3-D without any pre-processing of the 2-D image. •DDD licenses these software applications, marketed under the TriDef(R) and DDD MobileTM brand names, to consumer electronics manufacturers for inclusion with the 3-D display products supplied to their end users. DDD also licenses its software directly to end users who already own 3-D displays and through an international sales channel. DDD's customers include Sharp Corporation, Samsung Electronics and Arisawa Manufacturing Company. Television •In September 2007, Samsung America announced that DDD's TriDef 3-D Experience software solution had been selected as the basis for 3-D gaming and movie entertainment for Samsung's range of glasses-based 3-D ready DLP rear projection HDTVs that are available from US retailers. •In September 2004, DDD entered into a hardware development agreement with Arisawa Manufacturing Company for the TriDef Vision+ 3-D set top box. DDD's set top box, combined with Arisawa's polarising materials applied to a large LCD television, allows for the real-time conversion of virtually any media from 2-D to 3-D for viewing on the switchable 2-D/3-D television. DDD and Arisawa intend to license this solution to global television manufacturers. Mobile Phone •In July 2007, Samsung released the SCH-B710 'glasses-free' 3-D mobile telephone in South Korea. DDD entered into a development and license agreement with Samsung Electronics allowing Samsung to include DDD's 3-D mobile telephone software solution in Samsung's SCH-B710 3-D mobile telephone. The license agreement yields a royalty to DDD for each handset manufactured. Samsung renewed its exclusive rights for DDD's real time 2-D to 3-D conversion capabilities for use on 3-D mobile phones in Korea in October 2006. •In July 2005, DDD entered into a two-year, non-exclusive, DDD Mobile software licensing agreement and a development agreement with Samsung for a second-generation, glasses-free 3-D mobile phone. •DDD expects to license its DDD Mobile software library to additional mobile phone manufacturers who wish to include 3-D LCD displays in a variety of wireless devices, including next generation smartphones and PDAs. The licensing arrangements are expected to yield per unit royalties. These projects may also include one-time development fees for assisting the manufacturer with the integration of DDD's software into the 3-D wireless device. Mobile Content •In July 2005, DDD entered into a memorandum of understanding with Jamster! for the 2-D to 3-D conversion of images and animations from Jamster!'s mobile content library using DDD's offline content conversion process for subsequent download by 3-D mobile phone owners. •DDD intends to enter into revenue sharing agreements with mobile phone network operators (carriers) and content providers for the conversion and delivery of existing libraries of premium wallpaper, animations and movies to wireless subscribers who download 3-D content that has been converted from 2-D to 3-D by DDD. Desktop PC • In September 2003, DDD entered into a three-year, non-exclusivesoftware licensing agreement with Sharp which allows them to include five ofDDD's 3-D software applications with their Actius range of switchable 2-D/3-Dnotebook PCs sold in Japan and North America. Further information on DDD Group plc, its markets and products is available atwww.DDD.com and through the online store at www.DDD.com/store/dddstore.html Trademarks: TriDef and DDD Mobile are trademarks of DDD Group plc. All other trademarks arethe property of their respective owners. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange