Pioneer Supplies DVD-R/RW Drives to Sony Corp. for VAIO Computer Line; Pioneer Forecasts Annual OEM and Aftermarket Sales to Reach 1 Million Units by Fiscal Year End.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2001

Pioneer New Media Technologies Inc., the leader in recordable DVD technology, today announced that Pioneer is now supplying its DVR-103 combination DVD/CD Recordable/Re-recordable drives to Sony Corp. on an OEM basis for the VAIO line of computers.

The drive supports reading and writing on CD-R/RW discs and DVD-R/RW discs, meeting all reading and recording needs with one drive. Pioneer has been supplying the drive to major computer manufacturers including Apple, Compaq and NEC/Packard Bell since the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2001 (January to March 2001).

"We're very pleased to see our drive reaching end-users through multiple OEM channels," said Hani Gabriel, senior vice president of sales and marketing, optical systems division for Pioneer. "We believe our DVD-R/RW drives offer consumers the best possible option for recording data or video to DVD discs. The addition of this drive will greatly enhance any OEM's product offering."

Demand for large-capacity media and drives capable of storing edited data files has been growing rapidly with the proliferation of computers and software that allow users to edit digital image data.

There is also a strong demand for CD-R/RW drives and discs now that they have become more affordable. Since Pioneer's DVD-R/RW drives are capable of reading and writing both DVD and CD media, Pioneer offers a single computer peripheral suitable for digital audio and video editing and recording.

"Pioneer has a proven track record of bringing new technology to market," said Andy Parsons, senior vice president of product development and technical support. "Our DVD-R/RW drive offers three key features -- multiple format support, compatibility with most existing video players and DVD-ROM drives and a price that reflects a 94% reduction from our first generation DVD-R drive released in 1998."

During its current fiscal year, Pioneer will significantly expand the production capacity of DVD-R/RW drives in China, operation of which has just begun in May, in order to attain its worldwide production objective of more than 1 million DVD-R/RW drives. Renamed the DVR-A03 for the aftermarket, the drive is now shipping to distributors for the MSRP of $995.

Pioneer New Media Technologies

As an industry leader in the digital marketplace Pioneer New Media Technologies continues to provide the industry's most innovative technologies for professional and industrial business applications.

World's first technologies introduced by Pioneer include recordable DVD-R drives, multiple-disc CD-ROM changer, mass storage DVD library and first multifunctional optical drive capable of reading and writing to both M-O and WORM, and combination DVD/CD recordable drive.

The optical division's products include DVD-R and DVD-ROM drives, DVD/CD library systems, M-O/WORM optical drives and media, and DVD-R media for a wide range of applications in the education, government, legal, banking, medical, insurance, finance, industrial and general business markets.

The company is also a leading supplier of DVD-ROM drives to the majority of first tier OEM PC manufacturers. For more information, contact Pioneer New Media Technologies at 2265 E. 220th Street, Long Beach, Calif. 90810; phone: [phone] or 800/444-6784; URL: www.pioneerelectronics.com.