Amazon, Intel, Toshiba Among Previously Undisclosed UHD Alliance Members, DOJ Notice Says

The UHD Alliance filed written notifications June 17 with the Justice Department and the FTC disclosing the identities of its members and “the nature and objectives of the venture,” the DOJ said in a public notice published in Friday’s Federal Register. The notifications were filed to give alliance members antitrust protections under the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993, the notice said. New members listed in the notice, but not previously disclosed as members by the alliance, include Amazon, Intel, MediaTek, Realtek Semiconductor and Toshiba. Those company names still were not posted on the alliance's website when we checked its member roster Friday. The alliance told DOJ and the FTC it wants to “create a framework to enable the global industries interested in premium next generation content related technologies,” including Ultra HD, high dynamic range, wide color gamut, high frame rate and next-gen audio, the notice said. It will “specify and develop requirements” for premium content, as well as for “related devices, distribution and other elements of a UHD Alliance-based ecosystem,” it said. The alliance also will “promote the global development and adoption” of specifications and spec-compliant “content, devices and services,” and will “provide clear definitions, industry guidelines and best practices on emerging technologies and collaborate with other standards development organizations,” it said. The alliance also will “develop and administer” compliance “testing methodologies and certification programs” based on its specs, establish a logo program for identifying certified products and services in the marketplace and will “promote the UHD Alliance brand and ecosystem to consumers,” it said. Completing work on a logo and certification program within a year was “the stated goal at launch” of the alliance on the eve of the January CES (see 1501050023), “and we’re on track” to finish that work by the end of 2015, Mark Turner, a vice president at founding alliance member Technicolor, told us last month (see 1506030045). The alliance also filed separate, but nearly identical, notifications with DOJ and the FTC, also on June 17, “in its capacity as a standards development organization,” said a second notice in the Federal Register, also published Friday.