VERBATIM TO BEGIN DELIVERIES OF 4.7GB DVD-R FOR GENERAL USE MEDIA.

Verbatim Corporation has announced the company will begin shipping DataLifePlus 4.7GB DVD-Recordable (DVD-R) General Use media in volume this month. To ensure exceptional reliability and durability, the new media incorporates revolutionary recording layer technologies that were developed by Verbatim and its parent company, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation . Verbatim further enhances the value of its 4.7GB DVD-R discs with a lifetime warranty.

The media supports the DVD-R for general use drives from Pioneer and the new DVD/CD drives offered with Apple and Compaq computers. Verbatim's new 4.7GB DVD-R discs will also be compatible with other DVD-R general drives which will be announced shortly. Key applications range from photo, audio and video storage to expanded data storage.

Fully compliant with the DVD-R General specifications established by the DVD Forum, a single-sided 4.7GB disc provides the same capacity as seven CDs. Up to 2 hours of high-quality video can be stored on a single side. But what makes the Verbatim DVD-R media so desirable is its compatibility -- it can be played back on the leading DVD-ROM drives and DVD-Video players.

The media's write-once format and 100-year data life make it ideal for organizations that store and archive critical information such as financial data, legal files, government records and medical images that must not be altered or overwritten. With its high capacity and broad compatibility, Verbatim DVD-R for general use media is also ideal for consumers that want to share their videos with family members as well as businesses that want an easy, cost-effective solution for limited distribution of training and marketing videos or multimedia presentations.

"The new DVD-R and DVD-R/CD drives are priced much lower than the early DVD-R for Authoring drives, and with our new DVD-R for general use media, businesses and consumers finally have an affordable solution for recording DVDs that can be shared with the millions of users that already have DVD-ROM drives and DVD players," said Tim Clatterbuck, Verbatim Director of Optical Storage Marketing.

Produced to the highest standards, DataLifePlus DVD-R media features Verbatim's patented Metal Azo recording dye technology. Metal Azo is an exceptionally strong material that provides the highest level of recording stability and archival life. DataLifePlus DVD-R General media has a data life in excess of 100 years. Metal Azo technology also maintains the best recording compatibility with the lower laser wavelengths and higher laser powers needed to write DVD media at high speeds.

Users can record to the disc using the incremental or disc-at-once methods. With support for incremental writing, Verbatim DVD-R media allows users to add files directly to a DVD-R disc one recording at a time, instead of requiring that all files be accumulated on a hard disk prior to writing as with the disc-at-once method.

Verbatim DVD-R media are available in both branded and blank printable surface configurations. Tested to ensure compatibility with the latest inkjet and thermal disc printers, the blank surface media can be customized to provide professional-looking discs for limited production runs. For volume prototyping and other applications that use a large number of discs, Verbatim also provides DVD-R media on 20-disc spindles.

Verbatim markets its DVD-R media to OEMs, resellers and end users. Backed by a 100% lifetime warranty, Verbatim brand 4.7GB DVD-R discs for general use will be available from authorized resellers with an MSRP of $18.00. Verbatim also offers 4.7GB DVD-R discs for professional authoring and 3.95GB DVD-R media, which is compatible with both 3.95GB and 4.7GB DVD-R for Authoring drives. ?