Dell Joins DVD+RW Alliance

BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 25, 2001--Hewlett-Packard Company, Mitsubishi Chemical/Verbatim, Philips Electronics, Ricoh, Sony, Thomson and Yamaha -- seven members of the DVD+RW Alliance, a group of companies committed to the benefits of the DVD+RW format -- today announced the launch of several new consumer electronics and personal computing products supporting the DVD+RW standard.

The Alliance made the announcement during an event at IFA 2001 where show attendees were allowed to test new DVD+RW products for the first time. During the event, the group also welcomed Dell, the world's number one computer systems company, as its newest member.

Philips announced plans for a September shipping of DVD+RW 4.7GB discs and its DVDR1000 DVD+RW video recorder, a device that makes it easy for consumers to create digital-quality video recordings in the living room. With a time-shift recorder for TV programs, it is an ideal solution for those who want to preserve custom movies on a reliable and user-friendly platform. In October, the company will ship its DVDRW208 DVD+RW PC drive, a combination drive that allows customers to write custom CDs and DVDs.

"Now, consumers can enjoy the true benefits of DVD+RW," said Didier Juin, vice president, Philips Consumer Electronics. "By adding a recording button, this DVD+RW video recorder is a useful and desired extension of the well-appreciated DVD video products."

Other announcements from DVD+RW Alliance members included the following:

• HP has launched the PC-based HP DVD-Writer dvd100i and 4.7 GB DVD+RW discs for data and video storage. The HP DVD-Writer dvd100i allows consumers to create custom DVDs and CDs using one component. This drive is expected to be available in retail stores worldwide in the next four to six weeks. HP's DVD+RW family of products will be offered in an after-market model and built into select HP PCs.
• At the end of September, Ricoh will begin shipping the Ricoh MP5120A PC drive, which has DVD+RW and CD-R/CD-RW writing capability. Also in September, Ricoh will begin shipping its 4.7GB DVD+RW discs for data and video storage.
• Verbatim Corporation will ship 4.7GB DVD+RW and DVD+R discs for the PC and consumer electronics markets. Delivery of the new discs is expected to coincide with the availability of the new DVD+RW drives and video recorders.
• Sony Corporation, also showing its support for the DVD+RW format, is preparing to introduce a DVD+RW drive for PCs and DVD+RW discs optimized for both PC and video applications.
• Thomson announced that it will release a DVD+RW recorder in 2002. Yamaha Corporation announced that it will release a DVD+RW recorder in 2002.

The DVD+RW Alliance believes DVD+RW is the logical extension of CD-R/RW technology and will enable a new level of convergence for digital video between personal computers and consumer electronics products. DVD+R and DVD+RW discs will provide up to seven times the storage capacity of a CD-R, can be written and read by DVD+RW drives, and can be played back in most DVD-ROM drives and DVD video players in use today.

Gartner Group/Dataquest analysts predict the rewritable DVD market will reach approximately 2.1 million units in 2002 and grow to about 14.5 million units by 2005.

"As newly launched DVD+RW drives hit retail shelves, consumers will determine the winning rewritable DVD standard that best meets their needs," said Nick Grifiths, Strategy Analytics. "Consumer will not make this decision overnight, so we expect the format competition to continue. However, it will be easier for everyone to test these products out for themselves and vote with their dollars in determining the ultimate DVD standard."

Further information about DVD+R and DVD+RW can be found by visiting www.dvdrw.com.

About The DVD+RW Alliance

Hewlett-Packard Company, MCC/Verbatim, Philips Electronics, Ricoh Company Ltd., Sony Corporation and Yamaha Corporation, the developers, promoters and leaders in CD-R and CD-RW technology, are developing the next generation of optical storage technology with the DVD+RW format. The companies promote the universally compatible, rewritable DVD format that enables true convergence between personal computing and consumer electronics products. DVD+RW discs written on a DVD+RW recorder can be read and played on the vast majority of existing and future DVD-Video players and DVD-ROM drives. Dell Computer Corporation and Thomson Multimedia, manufacturer of RCA entertainment products, recently joined the companies to actively support and promote DVD+RW. More than 30 additional companies have formally pledged support for DVD+R and DVD+RW technology.