Leading Manufacturers and Entertainment Companies Propose High Density Optical Disc Specifications

Tokyo -- January 24, 1995 -- Hitachi, Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., MCA Inc., Pioneer Electronic Corporation, Thompson Consumer Electronics, S.A., Time Warner, Inc. and Toshiba Corporation have reached agreement on and proposed the SD (Super Density Disc) format for next generation digital video discs (DVD). This innovative new standard introduces an advanced play-only optical disc that stores high quality digital moving images and sound on 120 mm (5 inches) disc, the same size as conventional audio CDs.

The companies supporting SD will propose the format to the motion picture industry and hardware manufactures. The format has already received endorsements from Matsushita Electric Corporation , Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. ., Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd., Toshiba EMI Ltd. and Pioneer LDC, Inc.

Consumer-use optical discs have become highly popular since their 1982 commercialization as CDs. Today, they are also increasingly used with computers, in CD-ROM. However, a small optical disc that can store high quality digital moving images is yet to be commercialized. The new SD format high density optical disc now opens the way to storage of the high quality images required for the digital age and multimedia.

The features of the SD format Are as follows:

l) Discs developed to the SD format are formed by back-to back bonding of two 0.6 mm discs. They offer highly accurate readability, and can hold up to 5 gigabytes of high density data on just a single side -- more than 7.S times the 650 megabyte capacity of a standard CD. The total double-sided capacity is 10 gigabytes.

2) The combination of digital image compression technology to the MPEG-2 standard, the standard for compressing moving pictures, and encoding at a high speed variable transfer rate (average 4.69 megabit per second) allows each side of the new disc to carry up to 142 minutes of high quality images and sound, enough for most full-length feature movies.

3) The format supports Dolby(tm)** AC-3 (5.1 ch), allowing home systems to offer the same dynamic sound as state-of-the art cinemas.

4) The SP format discs offer a maximum of 8 audio channels, allowing film soundtracks to be stored in multiple languages, and 32 subtitle channels. Different language and subtitle combinations can be selected by users.

5) The format can be used in computer-related applications as a very large capacity ROM that offers much higher quality video input than current systems, and can also be used as very long play, high fidelity audio discs.

6) The format offers compatibility with current optical discs, including music CDs and laser discs. SP players can be easily designed to maintain backward compatibility with current CDs and LDs.

7) The double sided disc, bonding together two 0.6 mm-thick disc, offers great advantages in the realization of a future large capacity disc to be road by a blue laser diode. With the blue laser, the disc will be able to support coming generations of high definition television.

The companies involved in today's announcement are confident that the SD format DVD offers the image and sound quality and storage capacity required by film producers and technical staffs working in the motion picture industry. Demonstrations of the format to Hollywood studios met a very positive response.

The companies involved in today's announcement will work for final standardization of the proposed DVD format until the end of this coming March, targeting the early introduction of commercial products. They will finalize preparation of key equipment for disc production -- including encoders, laser mastering systems, and disc replication systems -- to promote the availability of a wide range of movie titles when the player is launched on the market.

In coordination(on with computer companies, the companies supporting SD will propose the format as an international standard for data storage that offers a larger capacity end greater versatility than current CD-ROMs.

The specifications of the SD format have been realized through utilization of the following technologies:

1. A new pick-up technology utilizing a short wavelength red laser
2. Thin disc technology, Allowing larger capacity and higher density
3. High efficiency modulation
4. Enhanced error correction coding

Specifications

Disc Diameter:120mm (5 inches) .

Disc Thickness:1.2mm (Back-to back bonding of two O.6 mm thick, double sided)

Memory Capacity: 5 gigabytes/single sided,10 gigabytes double sided

Track Pitch: 0.725 micrometers

Wave Length of Length Diode: 650 nanometer/635 nanometer

Numerical Aperture (NA): 0.6

Error correction RS-PC (Reed Solomon Product Code)

Running Time (movies) 142 min. a side, 284 min. on both sides (at an average data rate of 4.69 megabits/second for image and sound, including Dolby(tm) AC-3 (5.1 ch) 3 audio channels and 4 sub-title channels)

Running Time (secondary use of broadcast programs); 74 min. a side 140 min. on both sides (at an average data rate of 9 megabits/second for image and sound)

*Provisional code name
**Dolby is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp.

For further information, please contact:

Hitachi, Ltd..,
Public Relations:
Tel: 03-325B-1111
Fax: 03-3258-5480

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.,
Tokyo Publicity Department:
Tel: 03-3573-1237
Fax: 03-3437-2776

Pioneer Electronic Corporation,
Public Relation Division:
Tel: 03-3495-5474
Fax: 03-3495-4301

Toshiba Corporation,
Public Communications Office:
Tel: 03 3457-2105
Fax: 03-3456-4776

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Companies proposing the format:
Hitachi, Ltd.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
MCA Inc.
Pioneer Electronic Corporation
Thompson Consumer Electronics, S.A.
Time Warner, Inc.
Toshiba Corporation

Companies endorsing the format
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.
Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd.
Toshiba-EMI Ltd.
Pioneer LDC, Inc.