Hanover, March 18, 2004 – The DVD+RW Alliance showcases its new innovations and full spectrum of products at this year’s CeBIT, including the world’s first 8-speed and 16-speed DVD+R/+RW PC drives and the world’s first double layer DVD+R drives. In addition, new media and software packages are introduced as well as a wide range of DVD+R/+RW recorders, providing consumers with the maximum ease-of-use in DVD recording.

The unmatched speed development of DVD+R/+RW has been achieved in a very short time span, less than three years. Eight-speed recordable DVD+R/+RW drives are widely available unlike other formats, and 16-speed DVD+R/+RW drives will be available this summer. At 16x DVD+R recording a data transfer rate is achieved of 22 Mbytes/sec, which would be equivalent to 144X CD-ROM speed. These 16x DVD drives achieves the physical limit in terms of disc rotation speed (approx. 10,000 rpm), the same as the limit for CD-ROM. They will offer the consumers the ability to burn a 4.7 GB DVD+R disc in less than 6 minutes.

In October the DVD+RW Alliance unveiled double layer DVD+R technology and the first DVD+R double layer PC drives will be available this spring. Double layer DVD+R products offer consumers increased storage capacity of up to 8.5 G Byte on a single sided, double layered DVD+R disc. Double layer DVD+R discs can store up to four hours of DVD quality video, or about 13 CD-ROMs worth of data, without the need to flip over the disc.

“The DVD+RW Alliance has proven its innovation power by developing the format in a very short time span”, says Leo van Leeuwen, CEO of Philips Optical Storage and Chairman of the DVD+RW Alliance. “We achieved a world record in developing the maximum write speed, and succeeded to nearly doubling the capacity on a single disc, while these discs remain compatible with existing DVD players”.

The market for DVD recorders and after-market PC drives are to more than double in the coming year, and now that DVD recording has become a mainstream technology, consumers will begin focusing more on the features and functionality of the DVD recording equipment they buy. The DVD+RW Alliance developed the format to match the consumer needs of compatibility and, in addition, excels in features, functionality and simplicity. Consumers do not have to worry about which disc to use, the DVD+R and DVD+RW discs will remain compatible with DVD Video players and DVD-ROM drives, even after editing the disc.

Please visit us at CeBIT Germany at Hall 20 B16. In a joint DVD+RW Alliance booth products and innovations will be displayed and demonstrated from: Ahead Software (Nero), BenQ, CyberLink, Engelmann Media, Gear Software, Hewlett Packard, Maxell, Imation, Memorex, MiCO Electric, Mitsubishi Chemical, Moserbaer, MPO Hi Space, NTI, Philips Electronics, Philips Semiconductors, Prodisc Technology, Ricoh, Ritek, Sony, TDK, Thomson, Verbatim, Yamaha and 321 Studios.

About DVD+R/+RW The DVD+R/+RW format is capable of recording up to 8.5 gigabytes of digital video, images or data. This equates to the storage capacity of thirteen CD-R/RW discs and the potential to store thousands of digital photographs or approximately four hours of digital video in DVD quality. The primary benefits of DVD+R/+RW include its functionality, simplicity and two-way compatibility, meaning that DVD+R and DVD+RW media can be played in most DVD video players and DVD-ROM drives in use today.

About The DVD+RW Alliance The DVD+RW Alliance is a voluntary group of industry-leading personal computing manufacturers, optical storage and electronics manufacturers including Dell (Nasdaq: DELL), HP (NYSE: HPQ), MCC/Verbatim, Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG), Ricoh Company Ltd. (ADR: RICOY), Sony Corporation, Thomson (NYSE: TMS) and Yamaha Corporation. The companies promote the universally compatible, rewritable DVD+R/+RW format that enables true convergence between personal computing and consumer electronics products. DVD+R and DVD+RW discs written on DVD+R/+RW recorder can be read and played in most DVD video players and DVD-ROM drives. More than 70 additional companies have formally pledged support for DVD+R/+RW technology. Further details about the DVD+RW Alliance and supporting companies can be found at http://www.dvdrw.com/.

For more information, please contact:

Ira Baumeister at Text 100 Germany
T: +49 89 998 370-86
ira.baumeister@text100.de