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Finer Quits DEG, ‘Frustrated’ That Industry is ‘Slow to Embrace’ Consumer Trends

Consultant Marc Finer resigned as senior director and technical guru of the Digital Entertainment Group because he became “increasingly frustrated” with the home entertainment industry’s “approach” to “market segmentation and consumer engagement,” especially in “meeting the expectations and needs of…

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young entertainment enthusiasts,” he emailed DEG members Tuesday. Resigning “will allow me to pursue a new direction that goes beyond the scope of the DEG's mission, while remaining focused on all of my current projects related to 4K UHD and Hi-Res Audio,” said Finer, who will continue to run Communication Research, his Pittsburgh-based consulting firm. The industry “has been slow to embrace” consumer trends, said Finer in a statement Wednesday that shed little additional light on the nature of the frustrations that persuaded him to leave. Amy Jo Smith, DEG's president, said Finer's departure from the group was amicable. She praised Finer's efforts on behalf of DEG and said he played an "instrumental" role in the launch of new industry formats, such as DVD. DEG hopes to work again with Finer on future projects, she said.