Toshiba has played a central role in developing DVD and defining the DVD- format standard now accepted throughout the world. Key DVD technologies developed by the company include short-wavelength semiconductor laser diodes, high-density back-to-back bonded optical discs, and real-time video encoding systems. These capabilities have assured early product availability.

DVD, a next generation multimedia disc technology, offers a number of powerful features:
1) A massive 4.7 gigabytes of data on 12cm-diameter optical disc -- the equivalent of 3,200 floppy disks, 7 CD-ROMs, or a full- length feature movie on a single standard disc. (note 1)
2) A single file format integrating images, audio and computer data on a single medium. (note 2)
3) Compatibility with today's CDs and tomorrow's rewritable DVD. (note 3)
4) Superior picture and sound quality through MPEG2 digital image compression and Dolby Digital (AC-3) 5.1 channel surround sound.

The fusion of these characteristics provides capabilities and a versatility far surpassing that of video tapes, laser discs, CD-ROM or video CDs, and will make multimedia a daily reality by providing the impetus for considerable progress and expansion in content creation for industry, education, culture and entertainment. DVD's wide range of application goes far beyond movies and live concert videos; DVD publishing of software featuring abundant beautiful images, of hyper-real game software, of educational and business titles, will extend as far as the imagination.

A surge in interest in DVD is now expected, and worldwide demand for DVD- related hardware, including ROM and RAM drives and video players, is expected to reach 120 million units in 2000. Add software and applications, and DVD is expected to yield a multi-trillion-yen market.

Toshiba's new product launch is the company's first step to building a wide line- up of products and systems. The company plans to follow up with large-screen TVs incorporating a DVD video player, and high-end desktop PCs featuring DVD-ROM drives. The company will also be active in promoting DVD-based systems business such as data streamers for information on demand systems.

Another area where Toshiba is determined to achieve market leadership is in development and marketing of DVD components. Earlier this month, the company announced development of a prototype blue semiconductor laser, a key step forward toward the realization of future high-definition DVD. The company also started sampling of the industry's first comprehensive chipset for a DVD player. This brings together a laser diode, servo/video processor, MPEG-2 video decoder and a 16-bit microprocessor.

Toshiba and its group companies are united in working to develop the potential of the DVD market to the full. Toshiba and Toshiba EMI are cooperating to provide full support for content creators, from authoring and premastering to the mass production of discs.

As a leader in DVD, Toshiba is committed to promoting development of a full range of products, and to the realization of the technologies required for ultra-high-density, second and third generation DVD.

Note:

1) Each DVD disc is formed by back-to-back bonding of two 0.6mm optical disc, a design developed by Toshiba. A single-sided, single-layer disc can store up to 133 minutes of superior quality moving picture compressed to the MPEG2 image compression standard. Superior audio quality is assured by Dolby Digital (AC-3) 5.1 channel surround sound. The capacity of a single-sided, double-layer disc is 8.5 gigabytes; a double-sided, single-layer disc holds 9.4 gigabytes, and a double-sided, double-layer disc 17 gigabytes.

2)DVD adopts the single physical format (sector format, ECC, modulation method) and file management structure (UDF Bridge (UDF and ISO 9660)).

3) The optical pick-up head with two lens for different focus will allow it to read both DVD and CD, despite their different signal layer positions.

DVD discs specifications