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Up to 16 Hours of Video and Up to 8.5 Gigabytes of Data Per Disc |
| TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct.
7, 2003--Dell, HP, Mitsubishi Chemical/Verbatim, Philips, Ricoh, Sony, Thomson and Yamaha,
members of the DVD+RW Alliance, announced the feasibility to make a dual layer DVD+R disc
compatible with the dual-layer DVD-ROM standard (DVD9). The dual layer DVD+R disc nearly
doubles the storage capacity from 4.7 Gbytes to up to 8.5 Gbytes, while remaining
compatible with existing DVD Video players and DVD-ROM drives. Demonstrations of the dual
layer DVD+R will be given at the DVD+RW Alliance booth at CEATEC JAPAN 2003, which takes
place from 7-11 October in Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan. Final specifications and the format book are expected to be available this year and recordable media and recorder products that will use this new dual layer technology are expected in the course of 2004. Adding an additional storage layer will nearly double the data storage capacity of a current DVD+R disc. Both layers can be accessed from the same side of the disc, meaning there is no need to turn over the disc to benefit from the extra recording capacity. The technology will allow consumers to record DVD quality video up to 4 hours and up to 16 hours in VHS video quality on a single dual layer DVD+R disc and will enable PC users of dual layer DVD+R discs to enjoy increased storage capacity of up to 8.5 Gbytes. An aggressive feature and performance roadmap has been developed for the DVD+R/+RW format, and compatibility with the installed base of DVD Video players and DVD-ROM drives is key component to this roadmap. Dual layer recording is yet another accomplishment of format strategy designed to bring compatible, simple and functional DVD recording to the consumers. The companies have been consistent leaders in bringing new DVD recording technologies to consumers. The announcement of dual layer capability comes on the heels of their July 2003 announcement of DVD+R 8x. About DVD+R/+RW Today the DVD+R/+RW format is capable of recording up to 4.7 gigabytes of digital video, images or data. This equates to the storage capacity of up to seven CD-R/RW discs and the potential to store thousands of digital photographs or approximately two hours of digital video. The primary benefit of DVD+R/+RW is its two-way compatibility, meaning that DVD+R and DVD+RW media can be played in most DVD video players and DVD-ROM drives tested. (IntelliKey Labs 9/02, 1/03 and 3/03.) About The Eight Companies About Dell Dell Inc. (Nasdaq: DELL) is a premier provider of products and services required for customers worldwide to build their information-technology and Internet infrastructures. Company revenue for the past four quarters totaled $38.2 billion. Dell, through its direct business model, designs, manufactures and customizes products and services to customer requirements, and offers an extensive selection of software and peripherals. Information on Dell and its products can be obtained at www.dell.com. About HP HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing for consumers, enterprises and small and medium businesses. For the last four quarters, HP revenue totaled $71.3 billion. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com. About Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC), parent company of Mitsubishi Kagaku Media, is Japan's largest chemical company and one of the world's leading manufacturers of information storage products. In a line-up of data and image storage media, MCC holds a strong market share in markets such as Recordable and Rewritable DVD discs, CD-R and CD-RW discs, 90 mm and 130 mm MO discs, 130 mm WORM discs. Many of these products are marketed through Mitsubishi Kagaku Media/Verbatim Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of MCC. Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation has approximately 10 000 employees, and on a consolidated basis recorded revenues of approximately US$ 16 billion for the year ended March 31, 2003. About Royal Philips Electronics Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe's largest, with sales of EUR 31.8 billion in 2002. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 164,000 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, semiconductors, and medical systems. Philips is quoted on the NYSE (symbol: PHG), London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter About Ricoh Company, Ltd. Ricoh Company, Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of office equipment, Including copiers, printers, fax machines, CD-R/RW and DVD+RW/+R drives and media, and related supplies and services, as well as digital cameras and advanced electronic devices. The Ricoh group consists of 133 consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates in Japan and 262 overseas. As of March 2003, the Ricoh group employed 74,600 people with recorded annual revenues of $14.73 billion. Additional information about Ricoh and its products can be found at http://www.ricoh.com/ About Sony Corporation Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading personal broadband entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $62 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003. Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/ About Thomson With sales of 9.1 billion Euros (U.S. $8.3 billion) in 2000 and 67,000 employees in more than 30 countries, Thomson multimedia (Paris Sicovam: 18453) (NYSE: TMS - News), provides a wide range of technologies, systems, finished products and services to consumers and professionals of the entertainment and media industries. To advance and enable the digital media transition, Thomson multimedia has five principal activities: Displays and Components, Digital Media Solutions, Consumer Products, New Media Services, and Patents and Licensing. The company distributes its products under the popular THOMSON and RCA brand names. For more information: www.thomson-multimedia.com. About Yamaha Yamaha Corporation is the world's largest musical instrument manufacturer. While Yamaha products have changed with the times and have seen extensive diversification, neither the products nor the foundation of Yamaha's business has strayed far from its original focus on sound. New Yamaha business ventures are expanding from its fundamental expertise in sound, music and multimedia, and innovative products such as Yamaha sound and image LSIs are used widely in computers and game units. The Yamaha Group now has 59 subsidiaries and representative offices in overseas markets in addition to numerous related companies in Japan. Yamaha recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $4.4 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003. www.yamaha.co.jp
Contact: for HP:
Michael Hoog, 303-831-1818
mhoog@CorporateAdvocates.net
OR
for Mitsubishi Kagaku Media:
Shigeru Tamura, +81-3-5484-3925 (Worldwide)
tamura.shigeru@mu.m-kagaku.co.jp
or
Verbatim Corporation
Tim Clatterbuck, 704-547-6652 (US)
tim_clatterbuck@verbatim.com
or
Verbatim Limited
Kevin Jefcoate, +44-1-784-439781 (Europe)
kjefcoate@verbatim-europe.com
OR
for Royal Philips Electronics:
Philips Consumer Electronics
Jeannet Harpe, +31-40-2735677
jeannet.harpe@philips.com
OR
for Ricoh Company, Ltd.:
Satoshi Aoki, +81-0-3-5411-4511
satoshi.1.aoki@nts.ricoh.co.jp
OR
for Sony Corporation:
Yoshikazu Ochiai, +81-3-5448-2200
yoshikazu.ochiai@jp.sony.com
OR
for Yamaha:
AV&IT Business Group
Shin Nishizawa, +81-53-460-3430
nszw-s@avkk.yamaha.co.jp
Source: DVD+RW Alliance |
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