Applied Science Fiction Announces Revolutionary Digital Dry Film Process Technology.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

COLOGNE, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2000

Applied Science Fiction, Inc. (ASF(TM)), the leader in digital image enhancement and correction technology, introduced at Photokina today their unique Digital Dry Film Process (DFP) technology.

Using a dry, environmentally friendly process, DFP allows for the real-time digitization of exposed but undeveloped 35mm and Advanced Photo System (APS) black-and-white or color film directly into an RGB digital format. This provides for consistent image quality that can be used for photographic prints or multimedia and broadband/Internet distribution -- without the need for plumbing.

Responding to the increasing demand for digitization of photographic images, this "film in, bits out" technology takes advantage of the high quality images produced by traditional photographic film, allowing traditional and one-time-use cameras to function as digital cameras. Once images have been developed using DFP technology, they can be saved in any standard image file format (e.g., TIFF, JPEG, BMP). DFP output can be directed to different media, such as printers, electronic archives and other storage and distribution channels including storage disks (CD, DVD, floppy, Zip(TM)), Flash Memory, and palmtop devices.

"Our Digital Dry Film Process is a 21st Century technology," said Dan Sullivan, ASF's president and CEO. "The idea behind DFP technology is to provide a means for millions of consumers to participate in the digital imaging market with the comfort provided by traditional film. We believe that DFP will actually contribute to growth in the film market. DFP technology provides consumers the level of quality and reliability they've come to expect from film in a unique process that offers digital benefits never before possible."

DFP Process

In the Digital Dry Film Process, micro-amounts of a proprietary developing agent are applied to a roll of exposed but undeveloped film as it is fed through the image-capture engine. The environmentally friendly DFP process requires no water, generates no hazardous effluents, and makes complete silver recovery possible. Next, the DFP system makes a digital record of each image. Once the image data is captured, color data and exposure settings are established on a pixel-by-pixel basis for each element of the images. Complete roll-image development is accomplished within approximately seven minutes of the film being fed to the image-capture engine. The data for the final digitized images can then be routed to multiple destinations, including the Internet, a file server, printers, and disk media, where the digital images can be stored or printed.

Because the Digital Dry Film Process develops the film directly to a digital format, film negatives are not generated as a result of the process, although it is possible to produce traditional negatives by outputting the digital record to a film recorder. Consumers can choose to receive their images as prints, on CDs, in e-mails and through Web sites.

ASF's Digital Dry Film Process technology will be made available in photo kiosks and minilabs worldwide through Original Equipment Manufacturers. Initial implementations are targeted for the fourth quarter of 2001.

About Applied Science Fiction:

Applied Science Fiction develops proprietary technologies for the imaging industry that link traditional photography with the digital age. ASF licenses its branded technologies to OEMs that provide products for the professional and consumer imaging markets.

In addition to the Digital Dry Film Process, the ASF product line includes Digital ICE(TM) (Image Correction & Enhancement), which automatically removes surface defects such as dust and scratches from a scanned image. ASF also offers Digital ROC(TM) (Reconstruction Of Color), which restores the color quality of an image, regardless of the condition of the original and Digital GEM(TM) (Grain Equalization Management), which reduces film graininess to greatly enhance the visual impact of resulting scanned images.

More information can be found on ASF's Web site at www.asf.com.

Digital ICE, Digital ROC, Digital GEM, ASF and Applied Science Fiction are trademarks of Applied Science Fiction, Inc. All other trade names, trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.