DEG Award Winners Include 'Deadpool,' 'Star Wars,' 'Star Trek'
5 Jan, 2017 By: John Latchem
LAS VEGAS — DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group celebrated its 20th anniversary at its annual CES reception Jan. 5 and awarded top honors for digital entertainment products.
The DEG awarded seven awards to acknowledge Creative Excellence in Blu-ray Disc and Digital HD titles released in 2016. The judging panel consisted of reviewers and industry reporters from trade, entertainment and daily consumer news organizations. In addition to overall sound and picture quality, all titles were considered for those features that best demonstrate the value-added nature of the formats.
Winners included:
• Best 4K UHD Blu-ray — Deadpool (Fox)
• Best New-Release Blu-ray — Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Disney)
• Best New Release on Digital HD — Sully (Warner)
• Best Classic Reissue on Blu-ray — Star Trek: 50th Anniversary TV & Movie Collection (Paramount)
• Best Classic Reissue on Digital HD — Beauty and the Beast: 25th Anniversary (Disney)
• Best TV on Blu-ray — ESPN 30 for 30: O.J. Made in America (Cinedigm)
• Best Concert Video on Blu-ray — U2: iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Live in Paris (Universal Music Group)
• Best Hi-Res Audio Download — Led Zeppelin: The Complete BBC Sessions (Warner Music Group)
In memory of the DEG founding Chairman Emiel N. Petrone, the DEG has four awards to acknowledge the year’s most outstanding digital entertainment products. Winners for 2016 include:
• Best 4K Ultra HD TV — LG OLED B6
• Best Sound Bar — Samsung HW-K950 Soundbar with Dolby Atmos
• Best Ultra HD Blu-ray Player — Samsung UBD-K8500 Blu-ray Player
• Best Hi-Res Audio Product — Onkyo DP-X1 Portable Hi-Res Music Player
The DEG also introduced an award for Best Digital Product or Service Innovation. Sonopress, a new member of DEG, won for its Ultra HD Blu-ray 100GB Disc.
“As the industry pivots to meet consumer demands for more innovative and diverse forms of delivering content, so too, must we provide a seamless and frictionless means to bring content to consumers,” said DEG president Amy Jo Smith. “We are delighted to recognize Sonopress with the inaugural DEG Digital Product Innovation Award for its part in bringing 4K Ultra HD into the home in a more robust fashion.”