3DsoundSurge Press Release: Harman Kardon Announces Alliance With ZapMedia to Market New Home-Entertainment Convergence Component

Harman Kardon Announces Alliance With ZapMedia to Market New Home-Entertainment Convergence Component

WOODBURY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 20, 2000--In a move that establishes an entirely new product category in home-entertainment consumer electronics, Harman Kardon today announced a strategic alliance with ZapMedia, Inc., to launch the DMC 100 Digital Media Center(TM). The DMC 100 is a groundbreaking digital convergence component that enables consumers to enjoy music, movies, the Internet and much more via an all-in-one interactive device that integrates seamlessly with other Harman Kardon high-performance home entertainment products.

The Harman Kardon DMC 100 marks the beginning of a new era of convergence in home-entertainment. With its built-in full-feature DVD player, the DMC 100 handles playback of prerecorded optical media (DVD and CD), and offers fast, easy access to a virtually unlimited range of entertainment, information and communications via the Internet. The DMC 100 connects to a consumer's home-entertainment system and TV set, and includes a programmable remote control and wireless keyboard.

Tom McLoughlin, Harman Kardon President, pointed out: ``The introduction of the DMC 100 Digital Media Center and our partnership with ZapMedia enables us to deliver on the promise of digital convergence by combining the legendary audio/video performance of Harman Kardon components with the innovative interactive software and Internet portal developed by ZapMedia to create an all-in-one content-rich, interactive entertainment experience far beyond anything available today.''

McLoughlin continued, ``Most important, the design of the DMC 100 embodies Harman Kardon's decades of experience in creating products that are elegant in appearance and easy to operate. The DMC 100, one of the most sophisticated pieces of digital electronics ever created by Harman Kardon, is the ultimate expression of our commitment to Power for the digital revolution(TM). It is sure to create unprecedented excitement among dealers and consumers.''

The Harman Kardon DMC 100 Digital Media Center offers a multitude of sophisticated capabilities. Highlights include:

Built-in full-feature DVD/CD player
Massive storage capacity (30 GB) for up to 10,000 music tracks or 30 hours of digital video
Playback of MP3 and Windows Media streaming or downloadable programming
Web browsing and e-mail access
Easy to use graphical interface with intuitive navigation and playlist creation
Wide variety of audio, video and data connections including digital audio, composite and S-Video, SVGA, Ethernet and USB
Access to ZapMedia portal provides unique, interactive Internet entertainment options
Automatic software upgrades keep the system current and add additional features for subscribers to the ZapMedia Service

Additional details about the Harman Kardon DMC 100 Digital Media Center will be announced at the Harman Kardon press conference at CES on January 6, 2001. (Room N243, Las Vegas Convention Center, 3:00 PM)

About Harman Kardon

The Harman Consumer Systems Group (HCSG) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a wide range of high-fidelity loudspeakers, audio and video components and multimedia systems for use in homes and automobiles, and with computers. The Group's brands include JBL, Infinity, Harman Kardon, Mark Levinson, Madrigal Imaging, Revel, Proceed, Audioaccess and Lexicon.

HCSG is a division of Harman International Industries, Inc. Harman International ( www.harman.com ) is a leading manufacturer of high-quality, high-fidelity audio and video products for the consumer and professional markets. The Company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ``HAR.''

About ZapMedia

ZapMedia ( http://www.zapmedia.com/ ), based in Atlanta, is a privately held convergence technology company bringing customized entertainment to consumers. With ZapMedia's co-branded products and services, consumers of all ages can access movies, music, video and the Web, as well as play CDs and DVDs through their existing televisions and stereos. The ZapMedia ecosystem, developed in-house, consists of the ZapStation (device), ZapMediaEngine(SM) (software), ZapAccess(SM) (service) and the ZapMedia Portal.

Harman Kardon is a registered trademark, and Power for the digital revolution is a trademark, of Harman Kardon, Inc.

Digital Media Center is a trademark of Harman International Industries.

Microsoft, Windows Media and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

Contact:

     Dobbin/Bolgla Associates, New York
     Franklyn Roth, 212/388-1400
     froth@dba-pr.com