News Release："RW Products Promotion Initiative" Kicks Off

Back in February 2000, the DVD Forum - a standardization body for DVD formats - approved the DVD-RW as a format to enable recording onto DVD discs. Twelve companies (7hardware and 5 disc manufacturers) who are supporting the DVD-RW format, agreed to start the RW Products Promotion Initiative (RWPPI) to formulate promotional activities for the DVD-RW products as a whole.

RWPPI will harmonize its activities with the DVD Forum and will further deepen understanding of DVD-RW among member companies in relation to below listed commercialization and marketing aspects, so that the DVD-RW products can obtain a broad market acceptance, which will lead to achieve a maximum level of customer satisfaction. Furthermore RWPPI will cooperate for smooth introduction of other DVD recording formats, such as DVD-RAM and DVD-R, when the products become available in the consumer market.

Initially the RWPPI coordination office will be located at Pioneer's headquarters in Meguro, Tokyo. Mr. Masao Sugimoto, Executive Vice-President of Pioneer Corporation, is expected to serve as representative of RWPPI.

The RWPPI coordination office will seek the participation from other hardware and disc manufacturing companies worldwide, who can support the objectives of the RWPPI. The first RWPPI meeting will be called in June and regular meetings will be planned thereafter.

Main activities planned by RWPPI:

• To propose standardized product specifications, such as how to express recording time.
• To propose and conduct joint product promotions and campaigns.
• To promote and secure recording and playback compatibility among hardware and disc products.
• To promote the DVD-RW products as PC peripherals.
• To exchange information on enhancing the efficiency of product development, such as the exchange information on available key parts among member companies.
• To study the recording and playback compatibility between DVD-RW and future recording formats such as +RW, etc.
• To exchange information concerning copyright protection technologies, trends in the industry, and other related new technologies.

Founding Companies (in alphabetical order)

Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd
Hitachi Maxell, Ltd
Kenwood Corporation
LG Electronics Inc.
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
Onkyo Corporation
Pioneer Corporation
Pioneer Video Corporation
Sanyo Electronic Co., Ltd.
Sharp Corporation
Sony Corporation
TDK Corporation

(Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.)