MPEG Industry Forum

Sebastian Moeritz (President)
Chief Executive Officer, dicas digital image coding GmbH
email: sm (at) mpegif . org

Sebastian Moeritz is an internationally recognised figure in the field of digital television, video compression and its various applications. With an extensive network of contacts across the technology, media and telecommunications sectors, he combines business acumen and corporate experience with technical knowledge providing a practical perspective and strategic commercial approach.

A serial entrepreneur, Sebastian is chief executive of dicas, a company which specialises in developing MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 real-time video coding software and hardware systems. As President of the MPEG Industry Forum (MPEGIF), he leads the world’s largest not-for-profit organisation promoting the adoption of open MPEG standards, including MPEG-4, MPEG 7 and MPEG 21, representing around 40 international institutions and member companies. MPEGIF also produces full day conferences at NAB and IBC.

MPEGIF plays 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 standard video compression technology, powering next generation television, such as HDTV, and most mainstream video content delivery services as well as multimedia consumption applications including packaged media.

Sebastian has many years of corporate experience with both large and small companies in various sectors and his current focus lies on the transition from analogue to digital television and the deployment of next generation television services in Russia. He previously worked in property and investment, with a specific focus on Russia, after studying social sciences and economics. He speaks English, German and Russian.

Sebastian is a regular chairman, speaker and panellist at industry events and conferences across Europe, North America and Asia, and a frequent contributor to industry publications. He is co-author, with Professor Klaus Diepold, of “Understanding MPEG-4—Technology and Business Insights”, published by Focal Press. He is listed in "Cable and Satellite Europe's Euro 50 for 2004", which features the leaders in Broadband and Pay-TV across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

David Price (Vice President)
Vice President, Business Development, Harmonic, Inc.
email: David . Price (at) mpegif . org

David Price is currently Vice President, Business Development at Harmonic Inc., based in Sunnyvale, California where he is responsible for pioneering Harmonic's leading position in digital video broadcast, distribution and IP based delivery technologies.

David was previously Vice-President with TV/COM International, in San Diego (formerly Oak Communications), where he was responsible for the Sales Account and Operations management functions. TV/COM produced the world's first MPEG-2 DVB video encoding systems. Originally from the UK, David came to the US as Vice President of M/A-COM Linkabit, now Hughes Network Systems.

David has over 19 years experience in the telecommunication industry during which he has successfully carried out executive management responsibilities in sales, engineering and operations and general management functions for satellite and terrestrial based communications technology providers. David has written many articles for trade publications and journals around the world and has also appeared on a number of business television and radio programs in the US, Europe and the Middle East.

David has lectured at UCSD and is a frequent guest speaker at many of the worlds leading symposiums on advance communications technology. Originally, an electronics engineer on the design team of the worlds first CAT scan system, he graduated from CIT with a Fellowship MBA and has an Honors Bachelors degree in Cybernetics, Instrument Physics and Mathematics.

Rich Mavrogeanes
Chief Technology officer - VBrick
email: rmavro (at) vbrick . com

Rich Mavrogeanes has been in the communications industry for more than 30 years. Prior to founding VBrick in 1997, he was a founding executive at several other successful technology companies. His background includes senior technical, marketing and management positions at Avidia, Switched Network Technologies, Dataproducts Corporation and General DataCom. He received the "Innovator Of The Year" award, was named one of 17 industry executives to Federal Computer Week's "Federal 100" list for making a difference in Federal Information Technology, was named a "A List" executive by Telecom Magazine, received the Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year Finalist Award, and accepted ComputerWorld's Hero's Award. He also serves on the board of directors of the Connecticut Technology Council and the Internet Streaming Media Alliance. Most recently, he was named one of the top most influential people in the streaming media industry by Streaming Magazine, and he has authored many articles on the subject of Streaming Media which have appeared in the top industry journals.

Sean McCarthy
Principal Scientist, Motorola
email: smccarthy(at)modulusvideo.com

Dr. Sean McCarthy brings to Modulus Video many years’ experience as an engineer and research scientist in small and large organizations. Before joining Modulus Video, Sean helped found ViaSense where, as Chief Scientist, he led technical development of commercial applications based on understanding the human visual system. Some of the applications that Sean developed include: a system for optimizing video compression; a system for optimizing video displays; methods of extracting natural features in images and video; and methods of measuring the perceptual quality of processed images and video. He is also the author of several papers on retinal processing and holds several domestic and international patents on image and signal processing. In addition to his role at Modulus Video, Sean is currently serves as a member of the board of directors of the MPEG Industry Forum. Sean earned his Ph.D. in bioengineering jointly at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco.

Nicola Wissler (Coordinator)
Association Management Solutions
nicola.wissler_at_mpegif_dot_org