MPEGIF and ISMA: ISMA Mission Accomplished, Residual Assets Assumed by MPEGIF

FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Board of Directors of the MPEG Industry Forum (MPEGIF) and Internet Streaming Media Alliance (ISMA) announced today that they have entered into a binding agreement to merge the two organizations by allowing MPEGIF members to become ISMA members and going forward as MPEGIF within the ISMA California non-profit corporation. MPEGIF’s current structure as a Swiss association will be dissolved.

“ISMA delivered massively important technology contributions resulting in great value and lasting benefit to our industry over the years”

“ISMA delivered massively important technology contributions resulting in great value and lasting benefit to our industry over the years,” said Dr. h. c. Sebastian Moeritz, President of MPEGIF and CEO at dicas. “We are absolutely delighted to see the long cooperation and mutual admiration between ISMA and MPEGIF result in this agreement.”

“MPEGIF is pleased to take this opportunity to increase its strength and to gain the operational efficiencies we will be able to bring to our members,” said David Price, Vice President of MPEGIF and Vice President at Harmonic Inc. “The industry is facing huge changes in the way video is enjoyed and the advocacy of MPEGIF for solution wide standards is more vital than ever.”

“ISMA’s highly successful standards will gain additional visibility through the merger, and will continue to be widely available to the broader industry through the success and influence of MPEGIF,” said Yuval Fisher, Chair of ISMA and CTO of RGB Networks.

About MPEGIF

The MPEG Industry Forum is an independent and platform neutral not-for-profit organization representing more than 20 international companies and organizations from diverse industries with the goal to facilitate and further the widespread adoption and deployment of MPEG and related standards in next generation digital media services. It provides a forum to exchange information and views on technological, economic and regulatory issues that are relevant to these services. It also provides a powerful industry voice advocating the adoption of standards and consolidating the direction of the industry in the time of transition from analogue to digital television and media services. MPEGIF, with more than 2,500 people subscribed to its mailing lists, has played a significant role in facilitating the widespread adoption and deployment of MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, the Emmy-Award winning video compression technology, as the industry's video compression standard powering next generation television and most mainstream content delivery as well as consumption applications including packaged media. MPEGIF offers interoperability testing, a conformance program, marketing activities and is present at international trade shows and conferences.

About ISMA

Founded in 2000, ISMA (Internet Streaming Media Alliance) is a global alliance of industry leaders dedicated to the adoption and deployment of open standards for streaming rich media such as video, audio, and associated data over Internet protocols. The goal of its members is to promote standards-based solutions that offer greater choice, flexibility, extensive cost efficiencies and higher quality of service. ISMA achieves this by providing the industry with technical specifications based on non-proprietary and existing standards, testing solutions that enable multi-vendor, multi-platform interoperability, and a product conformance program. ISMA collaborates with industry analysts to track standards adoption, as well as with other trade associations and standards bodies to promote interoperable solutions across the entire content delivery spectrum. (www.ISMA.tv)