Thomson Announces Availability of HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc Manufacturing and Distribution Capabilities

Thomson today announced that the next- generation DVD manufacturing and distribution capabilities of its Technicolor Home Entertainment Services business are in place and operational. The company's replication lines for HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc have been in operation since September, 2005 and early November, 2005, respectively.

Technicolor Home Entertainment Services' next-generation DVD replication lines are installed at the company's worldwide headquarters in Camarillo, Calif.

The company has three HD DVD replication lines, and three Blu-ray Disc replication lines, in place to meet early studio and consumer requirements. In addition, Technicolor Home Entertainment Services has installed dedicated, state-of-the-art mastering and testing equipment for both of these new formats in its Advanced Media Development Center in Camarillo. This facility also houses complete printing, custom packaging, and distribution facilities to support North American retail operations. The company plans to add future capacity for both formats in different geographies to meet projected demand, and to satisfy the ongoing needs of studio and independent right holder customers.

"As the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of DVDs, we are pleased to support all of our studio clients with the industry's most comprehensive portfolio of mastering, replicating, printing, custom packaging, anti-piracy, and supply chain management services for both next-generation DVD formats," said Quentin Lilly, president of Technicolor Home Entertainment Services. "As a trusted partner of the media and entertainment industries for more than 90 years now, Technicolor is proud to be at the forefront of this important industry transition, and we are committed to delivering the same high-quality products, services, and technologies for both HD DVD and Blu-ray as we have for years with standard-definition DVDs."

Technicolor Home Entertainment Services manufactured and shipped the first titles for the retail launch of HD DVD, including the first shipment of Universal Studios Home Entertainment's "Serenity," on April 12, 2006. For the launch of HD DVD, Technicolor manufactured and distributed numerous Universal Studios Home Entertainment titles, including "Doom," "Apollo 13," "Jarhead," "Cinderella Man," "Assault on Precinct 13," "The Chronicles of Riddick," "Van Helsing," "U-571," and "The Bourne Supremacy." Since the consumer introduction of HD DVD, the company has also replicated and distributed other HD DVD titles for Universal, including "Happy Gilmore," "The Rundown," "Friday Night Lights," and "Pitch Black."

The company's Blu-ray Disc replication equipment has been fully operational since early November 2005, and was subsequently optimized prior to the retail launch of the format in June 2006.