PENTAMEDIA GRAPHICS  Multimedia King

Pentamedia Graphics, formerly Pentafour

Software and Exports, recorded a turnover of Rs 393 crore for fiscal 1999-00.

During the fiscal, the company strategically hived off its business software

segment in order to give a definite focus to the entertainment graphics and

multimedia business. The erstwhile Pentafour Software had more than 50% of its

revenues coming from multimedia projects for the export market.

Pentamedia Graphics identified the five

media of film, television, radio, print and stage–hence the Penta in its name.

One of the major highlights for Pentamedia last fiscal was its ranking as the

world’s third best in the computer animation industry in the Roncarelli

Report. Pentamedia Graphics also inaugurated its first technology studio with

the blue screen and motion capture techniques–one of its kind in Asia. The

company also launched the Entertainment Graphics Organization 2000, a non-profit

organization to meet and discuss the potential of the industry.

During the last year, the company

announced major alliances with such companies as Animasia Companies, Digital

Domain Inc, IWERKS-USA and Stan Lee Media, in order to strengthen its activities

in the sphere of animation and graphics. It is presently working on 3D animation

movies like Pandavas: The Five Warriors, Sandman, Sequel to Sinbad, Jester,

Alibaba and Forty Thieves, and Sherlock and Jack.

The convergence of the television and the personal

computer is yet another potential area that the company is working on. In

keeping with this, Pentamedia launched its entertainment portal Num TV–New

Millennium TV, last year. Num TV is targeted at non-resident Indians in Asia,

Europe, and the US. Strategically, it is also looking at internet broadcasting

to pave the way for business-to-business and business-to-consumer segments for

the company in the years to come. DQ

Fact Sheet

START-UP YEAR: 1976  PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:

Multimedia services, 2D and 3D special effects and animation for films

COLLABORATIONS: IBM, Silicon Graphics, Eastman Kodak, Apple, Discreet Logic,

SoftImage  EMPLOYEES: 1,250 BRANCH OFFICES: 20 ADDRESS: 1, First Main Road,

United India Colony, Kodambakkam, Chennai 600 024  TEL: 483 3067, 9853,

9854 FAX: 484 0362 WEBSITE: www.pentamedia-grafix.com