Netflix’s Sarandos to keynote Blu-con
Event to discuss future of high-def format
By VB staff -- Video Business, 10/21/2008
OCT. 21 | Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos will deliver the keynote speech at Blu-con 1.0: The Congress for Blu-ray Innovation, a one-day conference created to foster discussion about how studios and their partners can advance the creation, production and distribution of the next-generation physical media.
Sarandos
Sarandos will talk about consumer acceptance and expectations of Blu-ray Disc.
Blu-con’s opening address will be provided by Ron Sanders, president of Warner Home Video and DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group. The conference is sponsored by DEG, Video Business, ContentAgenda.com and Variety.
Blu-Con will be held on Dec. 8 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It precedes the 28th annual Video Business Video Hall of Fame dinner and gala awards ceremony, which will be held at the same venue starting at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 8. The Video hall of Fame benefits Variety—The Children’s Charity (no relation to VB’s sister publication Variety).
Sanders will be honored at the Video Hall of Fame, along with HBO Home Entertainment president Henry McGee and DEG.
Blu-Con attendees will participate in discussions on a variety of topics, including BD Live, digital copy, Blu-ray and music and a Blu-ray hardware update. Sessions also will cover authoring, replication, packaging and software tools; a studio creative panel; and exclusive Blu-ray case studies on key titles in the market.
In addition to Sarandos and Sanders, speakers will include: Chris Brown, CEO and president of Metabeam; Andrew Carlson, executive director of Interactive Media at New Wave Entertainment ; Steven Chester, general manager worldwide of Blink Digital; Erin Crawford, senior VP and general manager of Nielsen Home Entertainment; Russ Crupnick, president of NPD Music & Movies; Eric Dilts, president - U.S. of AudioDev; Marc Finer, technical director of DEG; Paul Gluckman, managing editor of CE Daily; Rolf Hartley, senior VP and general manager - Professional Products Group at Sonic Solutions; Mark Johnson, CEO of Javelin Ventures and co-author of DVD Demystified; Aslam Khader, chief technology officer of marketing and strategy at Ensequence; Isaac Larbi, CEO - U.S. of Sofatronic; Victor Matsuda, chairman of the BDA Global Promotions Committee; Mike Mitchell, executive VP and general manager of Sony DADC; Paulette E. Pantoja, founder/CEO of BluFocus; John Town, senior VP of Blu-ray R&D at Technicolor; Adam Vadnais, supervising producer of Trailer Park; and Zane Vella, president of Related Content Data Base.
Blu-con attendance is open to DEG members, sponsors and invited guests only.
Registration information is available at www.blu-con.com. For sponsorship information, contact Video Business publisher Linda Buckley-Bruno.
Individual tickets for the Video Hall of Fame dinner are $495 or $4,950 for a table of 10. Contact Jessica Ichien at 323.965.4453 or jessica.ichien@reedbusiness.com for reservations.
