News Release：Pioneer Introduces HDD/DVD Recorders, Stylish and Easy-to-use

DVR-330H-W

DVR-330H-S

September 28, 2005, Tokyo, Japan - Pioneer Corporation announced today the introduction in Japan of the DVR-330H-W (white) and DVR-330H-S (silver), DVD recorders with a built-in HDD (160 GB). Offering sophisticated design and user-friendly 'Simple remote control', the new HDD/DVD recorders are mainly targeting the market for VCR replacements.

The market in Japan for DVD recorders has been expanding rapidly, and the DVD recorder has become firmly rooted as the standard home video recorder. The range of purchasers has also been widening to include customers not normally accustomed to using A/V devices, as well as those switching from VCRs.

Pioneer DVR-330H series provide easier time-shift for videophiles, who want to simply watch a TV program later rather than to enjoy a wealth of editing and copying functions. The 'Simple remote control' improves user friendliness by limiting the number of buttons to an absolute minimum. The main unit features a simple, sophisticated design and a choice of white or silver so that it will look attractive in any interior and suit the individual tastes of users. The compact width of just 360 millimeters (the industry's smallest^*1) also gives the user greater freedom of placement within the room.

The DVR-330H-W and DVR-330H-S will be available in the Japanese market in the mid October 2005 with no retail price suggested.

Main features

1 ) Sophisticated design and a choice of white and silver

The new models come in white and silver with sophisticated design. On the front panel, the display window employs a two-color LCD. Since it is normally white in use and turns pink when recording is in progress, the user can easily recognize the current status of operation.

2 ) User-friendly 'Simple remote control' for easy operations in record and play

On the newly-designed remote control, the EPG^*2 button for setting timer recording is large and green in color, while the View button for viewing the recorded program is large and blue, for quick, easy-to-understand operation. Users can easily accomplish record and play operations with these two large color buttons and the cursor button on the remote control.

3 ) Compact size for greater freedom of placement within the room

The compact width of just 360 millimeters (the industry's smallest) not only makes it easy to replace a compact VCR, it also matches small-sized TVs.

4 ) "Quick View Screen" and "Help Navigator" support easy, comfortable and smooth operations

Through human-friendly designing approach, the easy-to-use on-screen interface has been developed in cooperation with the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) at the University of Tokyo. Even when users operate the new recorders for the first time, they will sufficiently enjoy their simple, convenient, and clear on-screen controls thanks to:

• Quick View Screen offers rapid scrolling and title display options.
  Users can find the recorded programs they want to view quick and smoothly with rapid scrolling and several title display options (number of titles displayed: 4 or 8; order of title displayed: from the latest recording to the oldest one, priority to new programs, alphabetical/numerical by title name, or from the oldest recording to the newest one). Also, users can select multiple titles at the same time in the delete, edit or other operations.
• Help Navigator displays the operation guide screen to tell users the next operation even if they haven't read the instruction manual^*3. With this function set to ON, a pop-up operation guidance automatically appears to give tips on convenient playback functions, etc.

5 ) Simple and powerful auto-search functions in EPG timer recording

In the EPG timer recording, there are useful automatic search functions, including:

• Keyword Search automatically searches for TV programs related to the keyword entered by the user, owing to the specially tailored data containing about 220,000 words. With Automatic timer recording set to ON, all TV programs keyword-searched will be automatically recorded in turn by using this Keyword Search.
• New Program Search quickly searches for new TV programs.
• Rough Genre Search searches for TV programs related to the user's desired genre selected from 12 selections.
• Program trace functions are available, to automatically/manually adjust the ending time of timer recording each for selected programs in case of the extension of the broadcasting time.

6 ) Up to 340-hour recording to the 160-GB HDD in the SEP recording mode^*4

Six recording modes (XP, SP, LP, EP, SLP, and SEP) are available. With the SEP recording mode selected, the built-in 160-GB hard drive can record the programs of up to about 340 hours.

7 ) Other features

1. Playback of DVD-R DL (Dual Layer), DVD-RAM, and DVD+R/+RW discs^*5 as well as DVD-R/DVD-RW discs supported.
2. Max. 60x-speed copy^*6 from the HDD to a DVD-R 8x-speed disc
3. A variety of playback functions including CM Skip, CM Back, Auto CM Skip, and 1.5x-speed Quick View
4. One Touch Copy to copy the program being played with one button from the HDD to a DVD disc and vice versa.
5. Auto CM Cut Copy to automatically cut commercial parts from the TV program while copying from the HDD to a DVD.

8 ) Environment-conscious design to realize low energy consumption

Power consumption (in use/standby): 35 W / 0.38 W

Notes: