Mitsubishi Electric and Seiko Epson Announce Joint Development of Windows Color Quality Specifications for Data Projectors.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2001

New Windows(R) Color Quality Specifications to Further Popularize Data

Projectors

Mitsubishi Electric  Corp. (President: Ichiro Taniguchi) (Mitsubishi Electric) and Seiko Epson Corp. (President: Hideaki Yasukawa) (Epson) plan to work with Microsoft Corp. to develop specifications and test methods for color quality in front projection type data/video projectors (data projectors).

The new specifications will be based on international standards for color management technology (IEC 61966-2-1(sRGB)).

The respective roles of the three companies will be:

-- 1. Microsoft will refine the Windows(R) color quality specifications for
data projectors.

-- 2. Mitsubishi Electric and Epson will use their extensive experience in the
development of color management technology to assist Microsoft with the
specifications and will verify the feasibility of the required technology.

Both Mitsubishi Electric and Epson will respectively develop their own data projectors required to handle these specifications. Microsoft plans to present the specifications for data projectors at the Windows Hardware Engineering 2001 Conference (WinHEC 2001) to begin March 26 in Anaheim, Calif. (U.S.).

Purpose of Joint Development

Epson is a leading company in the PC peripheral industry with products such as printers and scanners, and Mitsubishi Electric leads the imaging display device industry with products such as television receivers and CRT and LCD projectors. In color management and other image information technology, both companies have been engaged in wide-ranging R&D activities in the effort to help establish international standards.

Data projectors using Liquid Crystal Panels were previously unable to produce the equivalent color quality of CRT or TFT type monitors. The color management technology developed individually by Mitsubishi Electric and Epson, however, preserves the capability to make it possible for data projectors to reproduce the same natural color tones as monitors. The new technology can also handle new sRGB standards.

Within this context, Mitsubishi Electric and Epson will introduce data projectors that are compatible with Microsoft Windows and sRGB. With this they plan to use the new Windows color quality specifications to further expand the popularity of data projectors.

The joint development of sRGB test methods takes advantage of the strengths of all three companies. The goal is to lead the industry in this field while promoting the healthy development and expansion of related business ventures.

"Microsoft is pleased to be working with Mitsubishi and Epson to establish consistent color specifications for projectors used with the Windows operating system based upon sRGB," said Carl Stork, general manager for Hardware Strategy at Microsoft. "Providing our mutual customers with improved color quality on projectors is important in order to achieve consistently superior customer experiences across all Designed for Windows color peripherals."

Background of Joint Development

In scanners, digital cameras, monitors, printers and all color imaging equipment, the reproduction of color is a critical issue, because each piece of equipment has its own unique color range based on the principles of operation and the properties of the elements it uses. For instance, with medical or educational applications, sometimes color reproducibility is the key element, but the actual colors you found on monitors and data projectors are different. Sometimes the colors on print-outs produced by printers are also different. Thus, subtle differences between the color of the actual product and the colors as they appear on various pieces of equipment can cause problems.

In some cases, a color can take on a quite unnatural appearance. It is impossible to completely eliminate all color differences between individual pieces of equipment. However, the differences can be greatly reduced through the application of color management technology that converts color image data based on color spaces common to all computers and other peripheral equipment.

sRGB is a new international standard established in October 1999. It is a system of color spaces that defines tone, saturation and brightness to make the color expressions from all imaging equipment easily usable by computer operating systems (OS) and the Internet. By applying sRGB in all imaging equipment, all input equipment like scanners and output equipment like monitors, data projectors will be able to achieve the same high-quality color reproduction.

Microsoft currently uses sRGB in its Windows operating system and is encouraging other imaging equipment manufacturers to use the same standards.

About Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

With 80 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products to both corporate clients and general consumers all over the world, Mitsubishi Electric (FTSE:6503q.l) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and construction.

With operations in 36 countries, Mitsubishi Electric recorded consolidated group sales of more than US$35BN in the year ended March 31, 2000. Additional information on Mitsubishi Electric is available at www.mitsubishielectric.com.

About Seiko Epson

Founded in 1942, Seiko Epson developed the world's first printing mechanism for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and is today a global leader offering a wide range of color digital imaging products (including printers, scanners, digital cameras and LCD projectors), electronic devices (such as LCDs, CMOS LSIs, quartz devices) and precision products (such as watches and optical products). The EPSON Group consists of 102 affiliates in 39 countries and recorded consolidated annual sales of 1,184BN yen for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2000.