Mitsubishi Announces Low-Cost 17'' CRT Monitor With Patented Natural Flat Technology; Affordable Monitor for Upgrade to both 17'' and Natural Flat Screen.

Business Editors and High-Tech Writers

CYPRESS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2000

Mitsubishi Electronics America Inc., creator of the industry's broadest line of award-winning monitor and projection products, has announced it's lowest-cost, flat-faced 17" (16" DVI) desktop monitor, the Diamond Plus 73.

The new DIAMONDTRON(TM) NF color monitor features a patented state-of-the-art, flat-faced CRT and joins Mitsubishi's expanding Natural Flat line-up.

Natural Flat technology produces remarkably natural-looking flat images mirroring traditional pen and paper imagery and has been singled out with industry awards for technological advancements in CRT monitor manufacturing. Available now at a low estimated street price of $289, the slim-designed Diamond Plus 73 is the new value and technology choice for business and home.

"15" monitors are quickly being displaced by 17" models as the monitor of choice for the home and workplace," said Hydee Ong, product manager for Mitsubishi. "We believe that this transition should also be to the new flat-screen CRTs, so we added the 17" Diamond Plus 73 to our product line to give the transitioning customers a choice of the latest in technological developments as well as an affordable price point."

Mitsubishi Patented Technologies

DIAMONDTRON NF (Natural Flat) CRT -- Mitsubishi has applied a calculated polynomial curve to the internal screen surface and aperture grille that, in essence, pre-distorts the image, compensating optically for the concave effect. This, coupled with a redesigned S-NX DBF electron gun for reduced spot size and screen focus uniformity, and improved deflection yoke technology for better beam landing, even out to the corners, provides for the flattest, sharpest and brightest monitor available in the industry.

The new flat-screen monitor significantly reduces the effects of ambient lighting, cutting external reflection and glare, the number one complaint in the workplace regarding monitors. The unit also employs a self-convergence system that eliminates compromised corner focus resulting in exceptional screen performance.

DiamondLite Glass -- To achieve the natural flat screen effect, Mitsubishi has added its proprietary glass system to the Diamond Plus 73. Although the new flat-faced monitor technology uses more glass than a standard cylindrical CRT, the weight of the unit does not increase. Using this unique glass tempering process, Mitsubishi has increased the strength yet reduced the weight over conventional glass by 10 percent. DiamondLite Glass also permits a thinner faceplate that reduces parallax distortion to negligible levels.

Sputtered Tungsten Cathode -- Mitsubishi has also enhanced the life and brightness of the Diamond Plus 73 CRT itself. Most manufacturers use a variation of impregnated, oxide construction for their electron guns to prolong life and brightness. These processes help to eliminate dulling and oxide build-up which inhibits electron flow and dims the image over time.

Mitsubishi's patented technology adds an additional dimension by incorporating a sputtered tungsten coating between the dispersed scandium oxide layer and cathode base for a much longer CRT life and nearly twice the current density of conventional impregnated-oxide designs.

Specifications

The new Diamond Plus 73 has a 0.25 mm aperture grille pitch, 30-70 kHz horizontal scanning range, and 108 MHz video clock frequency and a maximum non-interlaced addressable resolution of 1280x1024 creating sharp, clear imagery perfect for home and office. New, on-screen display (OSD) controls allow easy manipulation of more than 20 separate settings, including brightness, contrast, positioning and geometry.

The Diamond Plus 73 meets TCO 99 and MPR-II emissions, EPA Energy Star, and DPMS power management standards and is DDC compliant for Plug & Play and is compatible with IBM, Apple Macintosh, Power Macintosh, and Windows 98. Its wide auto-scanning compatibility range makes it possible to upgrade video cards or software without purchasing a new monitor.

About Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Electronics America Inc. markets the industry's most extensive line of award-winning 15- to 50-inch (13.8- to 50.0-inch diagonal viewable image) color displays, large screen monitors and LCD projection devices. A pioneer in the display and presentation industries, Mitsubishi's product line includes: Diamond Scan(R), Diamond Plus(R), Diamond Pro(R), and LCD desktop monitors; PrecisePoint(TM) touchscreen monitors; SpectraView(TM) color calibrated display systems; MegaView(TM) presentation monitors; Leonardo(TM) plasma displays; and LCD projector systems.

Products are available through a selective network of authorized distributors, resellers, dealers and retail outlets throughout the United States and South America.

Mitsubishi is located at 5665 Plaza Drive, Cypress, Calif. 90630. Customers can call 800/843-2515 or visit www.mitsubishi-display.com for more information.

For electronic images and release materials, visit our press Web site at http://www.mitsubishi-display.com/public_relations.html.