News Release：Pioneer Releases the DV-U7 "DVD Mini RAKURA" Compact DVD Player Featuring only 210mm-wide Mini Size and Environmentally-friendly Product Design

May 9^th, 2002, Tokyo, Japan - Pioneer Corporation (NYSE: PIO) announced its new DVD player, the DV-U7, nicknamed as "DVD Mini RAKURA" for the release in Japan in mid June at open retail price. The model applies many environmentally friendly features such as its standby power consumption of just 0.19W, among the best in the industry. The Company is planning to produce 10,000units of DV-U7 monthly.

DV-U7

<< Development Philosophy >>

The Japanese DVD player market has entered a period of high growth, with sales of 2.7 million units expected in 2002 (JEITA forecasts). Models available in the marketplace include not only standalone DVD players, but also a diverse range of products such as DVD home theater packages, portable DVD players, DVD players built into compact stereo systems and DVD recorders at a user base that is expected to expand.

Given these current market trends, Pioneer has designed its new DV-U7 "DVD Mini RAKURA" compact DVD player for users who wish to enjoy DVD playback in a more personal space. These users are mainly younger people, a sector of the market that is expected to enjoy purchased or rented DVD video titles of movies and/or music concerts more regularly over the coming years. The compact size of the DV-U7 gives users more flexibility in the use of space, and the simple design blends well with a variety of tastes in interior decor. It also features easy operation, allowing users to enjoy instantly the world of DVD entertainment.

The DV-U7 has also been designed for minimal impact on the environment from the stage of its product planning, addressing the 21st century concerns for the environment.

<< Main Features >>

1 ) Simple, compact design allows the DV-U7 to be set up and used just about anywhere.

The compact size of just 210 mm wide (half the size of existing Pioneer standalone DVD players) enables the unit to be set up in a wide variety of places and effectively saves space. Its simple design also blends in smoothly around the TV monitor and other accoutrements of most personalized rooms.

2 ) Extremely easy operation for the attainment of instant pleasure.

• The DV-U7 is available with a "Simple Guide" explaining basic connection and set-up procedures, so that the user can open the box and enjoy DVD entertainment almost immediately after purchase.
• The main unit features large, easy-to-find buttons for extremely easy operation.
• The DV-U7 includes a "New Comfort Remote" control designed for quick-and-easy operation studied on Pioneer's user surveys. The menu screen features an improved GUI (graphical user interface).
• The remote control's 10-key pad for direct search and play (chapter/track).

3 ) Environmentally friendly features such as its standby power consumption of 0.19W.

Energy-saving power consumption during standby and the reduction of harmful, non-recyclable substances are considered in the DV-U7. In addition, its compact body also saves on natural resources, improves transportation efficiency, and saves space.

• Standby power consumption of 0.19 watts, among the best in the industry
• 100% lead-free solder in main unit's circuit boards
• Halogen-free resins in main unit's cabinet and hexavalent chromium-free metals in the structural materials, to reduce negative impact on the environment
• 100% recycled paper pulp molding is used for the packaging insulation.
• Owner's manual printed on 100% recycled paper

The DV-U7 is also noteworthy in that it is Pioneer's first product to apply the "Eco Champion Support System" devised by Pioneer as part of the Company's drive to persuade the preservation of the environment.

4 ) A wealth of versatile features loaded in a compact body.

• "Zoom" function, to enlarge favorite scenes for a closer look
• "2 sets of audio outputs, for connecting to a TV monitor and compact stereo system at the same time
• "Virtual Dolby Digital^*1 ," for recreating 3-dimensional sound effects with just the stereo speakers of the TV monitor
• "Audio DRC," for hearing movie dialogs more clearly when volume has to be turned down at night, etc.
• Playback of MP3 music files recorded on CD-R/RW
• Playback of DVD-R/RW discs recorded in Video Mode^*2

5 ) Brings out the full picture quality and high sound quality of DVD technology.

The DV-U7 is equipped with a 192-kHz, 24-bit audio high-sound-quality DAC capable of reproducing 96-kHz, 24-bit audio signals, the highest sound specifications used in DVD-Video, with remarkable depth. It also provides a high-picture-quality D1 video output for connecting to TV monitors equipped with a D input for high-quality picture reproduction.

Product Nickname "RAKURA" Logo Mark

<<Main Specifications >>