JVC AUDIO GUIDE SYSTEM IS MUSIC TO VISITORS' EARS AT MILES DAVIS EXHIBITION
Audio Guide with MP3 Compression Produces High-Quality Stereo Sound For Major Exhibition at the Missouri History Museum through February

WAYNE, NJ (Jan 2, 2002) -- JVC PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY is playing its role in keeping the music of Miles Davis alive with its new digital infrared Audio Guide player at Miles: A Miles Davis Retrospective, a new exhibition at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis, which runs through February 2002.

The exhibition takes advantage of JVC's new digital Audio Guide player by allowing visitors to pace their own non-linear walking tour while listening to the music of Miles Davis. Weighing less than the average cellular phone, the digital Audio Guide player is fastened to a lanyard and hung around the neck as visitors tour the exhibit without a lecturing tour guide or PA system.

Through JVC's Audio Guide system, taken from The Miles Davis Radio Project, produced by Steve Rowland of Culture Works, visitors can hear the sound of Davis' emotional trumpet playing, learn the story of how Davis recorded and performed his music, and trace his rise as one of the most influential creative artists of our time. Visitors will enjoy the many features of the Audio Guide player including: easy operation with large LCD and buttons, a skip key to advance or reverse, pause capability during playback, and a long-lasting Lithium battery for a full day of touring.

The JVC Audio Guide System uses MP3 compression and 44.1 kHz sampling on flash memory card for reliable storage. The features produce high quality sound of over 100 music selections and narrative history interviews. The Audio Guide tour also allows visitors to design their own tours and progress at their own pace by keying in corresponding codes. Listeners can hear Davis speak about his own life, and have rare access to the comments of musical greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Gerry Mulligan, Gil Evans, Carlos Santana, and Tony Williams.

"The Audio Guide adds incredible depth to the Miles Davis exhibition," said Steve Martin, assistant vice president of JVC. "Visitors can see Davis' signature instruments and other artifacts while listening to his timeless music and stories about his life. Experiencing the exhibit in image, text and sound fully brings one of the greatest jazz legends to life."

Miles: A Miles Davis Retrospective, showcases and features music, interviews, artifacts, and photographs to analyze the career of the man who made The Birth of the Cool, Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, and other great recordings. The exhibition examines the St. Louis and East St. Louis musical cultures of Davis' youth, the path-breaking course of his professional career, his artistic achievements, and the cultural impact of his art and legacy.

JVC's Audio Guide, also available at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, allows users to hear voice-recorded information (including technical information, historical facts and anecdotal stories) in up to nine languages and to progress through the exhibits at their own pace, learning about destinations and exhibits in any order.

Miles: A Miles Davis Retrospective will be on display at the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park at Lindell and DeBaliviere in St. Louis, Missouri, daily from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Tuesdays until 8 p.m. Admission includes the audio tour and is $5 for adults; $4 for seniors and students.

For more information on Miles: A Miles Davis Retrospective, visit the Missouri Historical Society's Web site at www.mohistory.org or call 314.746.4599.

About JVC
JVC PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY, headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, distributes a complete line of presentation, broadcast and CCTV professional equipment. For 17 years, JVC has been a proud sponsor of the JVC Jazz Festival, entertaining over three-and-a-half million people and presenting over 43,000 musicians. For additional information about the Audio Guide System, contact Steve Martin of JVC, at 1-800-JVC-5825, or Deirdre Breakenridge of PFS Marketwyse at 973-812-8883. For an audio sampling of the audio guide, visit JVC's media resource page at http://www.jvc.com/pro/miles_davis/home.htm.

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