Dispatch from MIPTV - Wednesday April 5  {no-combomax}

(to read all of Bernie Mitchell's "Dispatches from MIPTV", Click President's Messages in the Main Menu, at left.)

L to R: David CHOMARD, Bernie MITCHELL

It's hump day at MIPTV. So far, it has been a typical marketplace. Moments of mayhem, greeting old friends, making new friends and enjoying the spectacle that is Cannes. Last evening, I ate at a small and very good authentic Italian restaurant. Just as I was getting used to ordering in French, all of a sudden I was hit with waiters speaking Italian. Over dinner, I got to thinking about how DVD is a universal language. Yes, we have to put up with Region Codes, but with subtitles, the language barriers disappear. As if to prove this point, this afternoon, David Chomard of Little Worlds Studio (one of our French members) stopped in the DVDA booth to show off his new DVD titles, including the first DVD with artificial life. In this disc you have to complete tasks and keep your goldfish alive. Here you can see me attempting to keep the little fish alive, and not doing a very good job even with David’s help.  As I say DVD is truly an international experience. As David and I were playing Leo (the fish game), Gerard Schmidt was talking to a DVD producer from Sydney who is keen not only to join, but also to get involved with starting a Sydney chapter of the DVDA. As you know we just completed our 2006 DVD Excellence Awards and there were many international entries and winners. The DVD industry just continues to grow.

It is a very exciting time to be in DVD, and it just keeps getting better!

Bernie Mitchell – President, DVDA