PANASONIC STARTS PILOT PRODUCTION OF 50-GIGABYTE BLU-RAY DISCS

PANASONIC STARTS PILOT PRODUCTION OF 50-GIGABYTE
BLU-RAY DISCS IN TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA

New Dual-Layer Spin Coat Technology Doubles Disc Capacity

Torrance, CA (December 5, 2005) — Panasonic has modified its existing
pilot production line for single-layer Blu-ray Discs, called BD-ROM,
so that it is able to replicate dual-layer BD-ROM discs with 50
gigabytes (GB) of storage capacity. The new pilot replication line is
housed within the Panasonic Disc Manufacturing Corporation of America,
which is located here in Torrance, Calif. Single-layer Blu-ray Discs
have 25 GB of storage capacity for holding video and other data, while
current DVD discs have 8.5 GB of storage at most.

The doubling of BD-ROM disc storage capacity is enabled by spin
coating technologies developed by Panasonic that create two recorded
layers on a single side of a Blu-ray Disc. In the process, readily
available inexpensive UV curable resins are used in the creation of
the space layer, cover layer and hard-coat, resulting in a reduction
in disc replication costs. Video and other data is then embedded in
the layers for playback later using a blue laser-equipped Blu-ray Disc
player, recorder or BD-ROM drive-equipped PC.

The Torrance pilot production line is able to produce dual-layer
BD-ROM discs with the attachment of a dual-layer replication line
module to the existing single-layer line. Single-layer BD-ROM discs
are currently being produced on the pilot line with more than 80%
yield rates. Panasonic expects to provide sample dual-layer BD-ROM
discs to the industry for testing by the end of this month.

“Working closely with the movie studios and our replication partners,
Panasonic was able to foresee the need for greater disc capacity to
give consumers a much richer user experience,” said Eisuke Tsuyuzaki,
director of Strategy & Alliances, Panasonic Hollywood Lab.

Panasonic expects to highlight the new replication process for
dual-layer BD-ROM discs at the Blu-ray Disc Association’s booth
(#9444, Main Hall, Las Vegas Convention Center) during the Consumer
Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 5-8, 2006.

The additional capacity will allow movies and other High Definition
video titles to be stored, along with value-added features, on a
single Blu-ray Disc. The BD-ROM format is expected to succeed DVDs as
the preferred medium for High Definition movies and other packaged
entertainment content for the home as the nation moves from analog TV
to digital and High Definition Television.






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Allan