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SunnComm Answers the Call with MediaMax-TM- Version 5 - Breakthrough Technology Developed Using Valuable Feedback from Four Major Record Labels and CD Buyers PHOENIX --(Business Wire)-- July 6, 2004 -- MediaMax's new "On-the-Fly" Technology(TM) empowers music CD buyers to make licensed copies of their favorite music compatible with a growing list of secure formats and media players.SunnComm International, Inc. (OTC: SCMI), the creator and provider of MediaMax, North America's most widely used and accepted copy management and enhancement technology for audio CDs, announced today that its upcoming version of MediaMax, Version 5, will include "on-the-fly" DRM (digital rights management) encoding. SunnComm's proprietary new technology will enable songs to be moved from a protected MediaMax audio CD to a consumer's computer and further enable the consumer to select a secure format that will be compatible for play on the music player of the consumer's choice. Until MediaMax (Version 5), CD copy management applications that involve DRM-protected songs require the content to be previously encoded on the CD itself in what is referred to as a "second session." Alternatively, the protected content is made available for download from a remote music server. According to SunnComm's president, Peter H. Jacobs, "The MediaMax Version 5 platform creates an environment where digital information can now be encoded with the required DRM security information and instantaneously delivered to the consumer's computer in real time, or 'on-the-fly.' Because this newest version of MediaMax has rendered obsolete the need to place additional 'pre-protected' copies of each music track on the CD, there will be more room for music and other bonus features. Also important is the fact that the labels will eliminate any potential publisher royalty liability they might incur when a second, protected copy of every track is placed on the CD as was the case for older copy management methodologies. SunnComm's principal consultant, Artie Ripp said, "Based on millions and millions of commercial MediaMax CDs in the North American marketplace, it is extremely gratifying to see that our breakthrough technology has been overwhelmingly accepted by consumers who gave us extremely high grades for playback reliability and customer friendliness. MediaMax has proven that its use reduces the unauthorized practice of 'casual copying' (which occurs when consumers make illegal additional copies of a CD for friends), and contributes to a reduction in the week-to-week album sales drop-off rates expected when new music is initially released. MediaMax is the only CD copy management and enhancement technology found good enough to be used on current hit records in the US including recent releases that have made it all the way to #1 on Billboard's Top 200. SunnComm and MediaMax were also proud to be part of recent gold and platinum releases as well." SunnComm's chief technology officer, Eric Vandewater, adds, "Our development team has extensively tested and evaluated the "on-the-fly" encoding technology and I am pleased to report that Version 5 has performed beyond our expectations in every tested environment to date. We plan to include our new technology on advances and promotional CDs this quarter (Q3/04) and are preparing to make it available for commercial release worldwide in time for the winter holiday season." SunnComm's MediaMax suite of products delivers security for digital CD audio along with an enhanced consumer experience that provides additional bonus content and value-added features available in a user-friendly multi-media session that is mastered directly on the audio CD and accessible using a personal computer. Bonus features include on-board press kits, artist-related promotions, videos, song lyrics, artist bio page, photo gallery, web links and tune-sharing capability through SunnComm's MusicMail(TM) functionality. ABOUT SUNNCOMM SunnComm International, Inc. (OTC:SCMI) copy management and protection technology was first commercially released by Nashville's Music City records in 2001. The album, "Charley Pride - A Tribute to Jim Reeves," became the first commercial copy-managed CD in America. SunnComm also became the first company to commercially release a content-protected audio CD utilizing an early version of the Windows Media Data Session Toolkit. (http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/ jan03/01-20SessionToolkitPR.asp) (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field. You may also need to remove an extra space in the URL if one exists.) In just four years, SunnComm has become the leader in digital content enhancement and security technology for audio compact disc media with its MediaMax suite of products, which have been successfully implemented on some of today's best selling music including Velvet Revolver, which reached the #1 spot on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart. SunnComm's MediaMax suite of digital content enhancement technologies are built by integrating its own proprietary technology with the Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Media 9 Series media player, but still operates on both Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Microsoft Windows-based systems (NASDAQ:MSFT). For more detailed information about the company, its vision or philosophy, personnel, partners, and customers, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.sunncomm.com , or call the Company directly at (602) 267-7500. For additional information or investor relations please contact: NOTES ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements contained in this release, which are not historical facts, may be considered "forward-looking statements" under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and the current economic environment. We caution the reader that such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Unknown risk, uncertainties as well as other uncontrollable or unknown factors could cause actual results to materially differ from the results, performance or expectations expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. |
