Hitachi Home Electronics Navigates Consumer DVD Players to Retail Stores Nationwide

Business Wire, August 4, 1999

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 4, 1999--

New DVD Players with Exclusive Fast-Access Disc

Navigation System Now Shipping

The Home Electronics Division of Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT), today announced the release of its first-ever consumer Digital Video Disc (DVD) player (model number DVP250U). The new Hitachi DVD player will strengthen the company's entire family of digital display products including HDTVs, M2 recorders and digital cameras. Along with state-of-the art audio and visual technology, the DVP250U will provide an exceptional viewing experience.

"Hitachi UltraVision Digital products have always pushed beyond the high-performance and high-quality visual experience," said Gary Bennett, executive vice president of sales for Hitachi America Ltd., Home Electronics Division. "With our DVP250U rounding out our UltraVision Digital product offering, we have another opportunity to define the ultimate digital viewing experience -- state-of-the art audio equipment, powerful processing technology and customizable play back features."

Product Highlights -- Exclusive Features

Boasting advanced and exclusive system features, Hitachi's DVP250U offers a range of options that give audiences total control over their viewing and listening experience. From choosing a specific action sequence from a hit-movie and changing the viewing angle on a particular stunt to pausing a still-clear picture and zooming in on a character's face -- this is all possible with DVP250U:

Fast-Access Disc Navigation System: DVP250U will feature an exclusive Fast-Access Disc Navigation System that reads all chapters on the disc and displays a still image of the first scene from each chapter. Simply select a chapter image and that sequence will start playing back immediately. This function also works with DVDs and Video CDs without menu screens.

Digital Zoom Function: With a simple press of a button, DVD users will get a closer look at an object up to four times its original size. The screen area is divided into nine sections that correspond with the number keys on the remote, while on-screen horizontal and vertical bars highlight the section being magnified.

Jog/Shuttle Variable Speed Playback: With five reverse speeds, two slow speeds and four quick play speeds, in addition to the normal and pause modes, these functions offer users total control of their viewing needs.

Last Play Function: Allows users or viewers to pick up where they left off, just before shutting down the player. Last Play automatically remembers the play back settings for up to 16 discs, including screen aspect ratio, selected languages and subtitles.

Multiple Angle Viewing: If the DVD movie is recorded from several different angles, Hitachi's DVP25OU allows viewers to selectively access each view at their command. Multiple Playback Modes: Offers customized playback features -- repeat, random or sequence playback. Whether tracking a specific title, chapter, track or a designated section on a disc or mixing a sequence of audio tracks or video titles, users have total control over their viewing experience.

Smooth Visual Search: Hitachi's IP Search uses a combination of Intra-frame picture (I) and Predictive-coded pictures (P) to assure smooth search playback, providing more natural-looking video.

Still Picture with Frame Advance: This function allows you to pause during playback to view a clear, still picture of a specific scene. Users can also progressively advance one frame at a time, or reverse 0.5 seconds each time, by simply pressing the STEP forward and reverse buttons.

Audio Highlights

The DVD experience is heightened by state-of-the-art audio technology delivering both natural sounds, as well as enhanced samples and audio effects:

Dolby Digital (AC-3) 5.1 Channel Decoder: Delivers realistic, high-fidelity reproduction of Dolby Digital original recordings and recreates the ambiance of a movie theater sound system. The Dolby ProLogic Decoder is also included for DVD discs that are not recorded in AC-3 format.

Virtual Surround (Spatializer N-2-2) System: Using Surround Technology, this is a virtual surround sound system that simulates rear speakers, using only two front speakers by encoding five audio channels of information into two channels.

Digital Theater Sound (DTS) System: DTS is a 3D sound system that is widely used in movie theaters for recording sound while employing a high degree of signal compression. The DVP25OU digital sound output is DTS compatible and allows the system to reproduce the full dynamics of original DTS sound.

96 kHz/24-bit Audio Digital to Analog Converter (DAC): Hitachi's powerful 24-bit DAC processes up to 16 million increments of audio information, ensuring more natural sound by accurately predicting and reproducing original sound waves over 40 kHz.

Visual Highlights:

The latest data processing and optical technology allows the Hitachi DVD system to fully take advantage of the DVD format and to display clear and realistic images on screen.