September 6, 2000

Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC), Hitachi Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.,Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and Toshiba Video Products Japan Co., Ltd. have agreed to cooperate on consumer education activities for HS Mode D-VHS equipment, and on interconnectivity for D-VHS decks and BS digital Hi-Vision tuners in Japan. The agreement comes in conjunction with the start up of digital broadcasting in Japan on the BS satellite.

As the first phase of this new cooperative relationship, the companies have agreed to employ the name "Digital Hi-Vision Video" in their product catalogs and advertising. This uniform naming highlights the superb quality and large recording capacity of HS Mode video decks, a technology that takes advantage of the full capabilities of the D-VHS standard.

The first showing of the new products will come on October 3 (Tuesday) at the "CEATEC Japan 2000" international exhibition (at Makuhari Messe). The five companies will also collaborate on newspaper advertising when BS digital broadcasting begins.

Under the agreement, the five partners will engage in technical cooperation to work on the issues regarding interconnectivity via digital interface for D-VHS video decks, BS digital Hi-Vision tuners and other equipment, to improve the user friendliness of this equipment, and to spread and establish the next generation of recording media so as to encourage further advances in D-VHS technology.


D-VHS was developed as a means of filling the future need for quality recording of digital broadcasting content while maintaining full compatibility with VHS video format, the de facto standard in video around the world. While there are many alternative digital recording systems available, *D-VHS is the only technology capable of recording the high definition and large-volume content of BS digital broadcasting as-is, and it also enjoys the predominant advantages of traditional VHS in terms of media capacity and costs. D-VHS represents the next generation in VHS recording. BS digital broadcasting will begin in Japan on December 1, 2000. Terrestrial broadcasters are also planning to go digital, as is cable television. The start up of full-fledged digital broadcasting will bring new impetus to the development and spread of HS Mode D-VHS equipment with its ability to record sharp pictures over extended periods of time.

Attachment:

Outline of D-VHS consumer education activities
1.	Development and marketing of equipment in time for the start up of BS digital broadcasting in Japan
2.	Uniform name and logo mark finalized (Japan only) Named: Digital Hi-Vision Video Logo Mark: * This logo mark will be used in the product catalogs and advertising of all companies.
3.	Consumer education-oriented PR activities and joint advertising
	*	Exhibition at "CEATEC Japan 2000" (October 3-7, 2000, Makuhari Messe) Coordinated exhibition image with use of uniform logo mark
	*	Joint advertising at start up of BS digital broadcasting from November 21 to December 1, 2000 (dates approximate)
4.	Cooperation and joint implementation of equipment verification testing to assure interconnectivity Technical information exchange, research and development cooperation on compliance of D-VHS decks, BS digital Hi-Vision tuners and other equipment to the IEEE1394 digital interface, improved user friendliness.

Digital Hi-Vision Video Promotion Council** (Arbitrary order)

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