PHIL WISER
Chief Technology Officer, Sony Corporation of America
Philip R. Wiser is the Chief Technology Officer of Sony Corporation of America (SCA). In this role, Mr. Wiser leads SCA's overall technology strategy, oversees the team responsible for the development of the company's digital services businesses and infrastructure, and provides critical leadership across all U.S. operating companies. He is also responsible for developing the strategy with respect to media technologies and formats for SCA, including digital rights management and interoperability issues; digital services and solutions; and content, service, and device integration.
Mr. Wiser joined SCA in June 2004 from Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (SMEI), where he held the post of Chief Technology Officer, and Senior Vice President, Digital Services. At SMEI, he was responsible for overseeing all digital media initiatives, including digital music distribution, mobile music businesses, new physical music formats and anti-piracy technologies.
Prior to joining SMEI in 2002, Mr. Wiser co-founded Liquid Audio, Inc., in 1996 and served on its Board of Directors and as Chief Technology Officer of the Company through June 2001. He has also worked in key industry standard groups such as MPEG, SDMI, and AES to accelerate the adoption of networked technologies for media distribution.
Prior to Liquid Audio, Mr. Wiser worked extensively in the Silicon Valley. During this time he developed audio algorithms and audio processing systems for several professional and consumer audio organizations. He directed audio compression work at Chromatic Research, a multimedia semiconductor device company. He also served as director of digital signal processing research for Studer Editech Corporation, a professional audio recording equipment company. Prior to that, he developed audio software systems for Sonic Solutions and Euphonix, both developers of professional digital audio products.
Mr. Wiser holds a summa cum laude B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and a M.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1993. He spent time at the world-renowned Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) during his tenure at Stanford. He focused his research on digital audio signal processing algorithms and technologies. Mr. Wiser has developed several patents covering digital rights management, music distribution systems, and signal processing. He has also published research in the area of auditory neural processing and other areas of neurophysiology.
Mr. Wiser resides with his wife and son in Westchester County, New York.
Sony Corporation of America, based in New York City, is the U.S. subsidiary of Sony Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo. Sony is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, motion picture, television, computer entertainment, and online businesses make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony's principal U.S. businesses include Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., and a 50% interest in Sony BMG Music Entertainment, one of the largest recorded music companies in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $72 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, and it employs 162,000 people worldwide. Sony's consolidated sales in the U.S. for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004 were $20.4 billion.