Epson America and Planetweb Collaborating to Bring Consumers Photo Printing for DVD Players; Planetweb Embedding Epson Printer Drivers in its Digital Photo Manager Software

Business Wire, Jan 16, 2002

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

LONG BEACH, Calif. & REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 2002

Epson America Inc., creator of high-quality, award-winning imaging products, and Planetweb Inc., the leading developer of consumer electronics applications for manufacturers worldwide, today announced they are working together to develop a photo printing solution for consumers using DVD players.

This solution involves embedding Epson printer drivers in Planetweb's Digital Photo Manager(TM) application to bring consumers unparalleled access to photo printing using only their DVD player, television and Epson printer.

Planetweb's Digital Photo Manager, one of the company's many popular digital entertainment applications, allows users to view digital images as well as edit, e-mail, print and create slide shows with their photos. With Epson's drivers embedded in Planetweb's core application, printing photos to Epson printers will be a simple and intuitive part of the photo management application. As part of their agreement, the companies will collaborate to jointly develop this photo printing solution for the DVD market.

The market for affordable, convenient digital imaging and entertainment is reaching new heights. According to a Business Week article published Jan. 4, easy-to-use and affordably priced digital cameras, along with low-cost DVD players, were in high demand this past holiday season. Nine million digital cameras were sold in 2001, almost triple the number sold in 1999, and Adams research predicts that DVD player penetration will reach 54.5 percent of American homes in 2002.

"A leader in digital imaging, Epson is clearly in touch with both consumer and retailer desires," said Ken Soohoo, President and CEO of Planetweb. "We are pleased to be working with them to bring simple, affordable and accessible photo printing solutions to these two markets."

"Planetweb offers outstanding photo management software for the consumer electronics market," said Jay Shears, director of consumer imaging, Epson. "The combination of our easy-to-use printer drivers and Planetweb's Digital Photo Manager application embedded in next-generation DVD players will help us reach a new base of consumers for our products."

About Epson

Epson offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the consumer, business, photography and graphic arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) solutions for the retail market. Founded in 1975, Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corp., a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson America Inc. has headquarters in Long Beach, Calif.

About Planetweb, Inc.

Planetweb is the leading developer of consumer electronics software applications and services for OEMs and silicon chip manufacturers worldwide. The applications and services bring popular features and functionality to digital entertainment devices in the living room, including DVD players, game consoles, set-top boxes and interactive televisions. Planetweb is the only company offering a full suite of offline and online applications, including the Digital Photo Manager(TM), Digital Audio Manager(TM), DVD Enhanced Content Viewer and an Internet Communications package, which make consumer electronics devices more attractive to consumers. Planetweb products are designed to be quick and easy for manufacturers to implement and can be customized and ported to any hardware platform, even those without an operating system. Planetweb(R), a privately held company, is headquartered in Redwood Shores, Calif., and has offices in Tokyo, Japan and London, England. For more information, please visit http://www.planetweb.com/