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PROHD FROM JVC
NAB 2005

The consumer electronics industry is poised for one of the largest increases in TV sales in history, with an expected 20 million digital television sets to be sold in 2005, and a meteoric rise in sales of HDTV-capable flat panel displays. 1 Content providers are clamoring for quality HD programming. Broadcasters, cable and satellite companies nationwide are expanding their HD offerings. It's no wonder that Apple's chairman, Steve Jobs, proclaimed 2005 as “the year of high-definition video.”

However, HD programming has been in short supply because professional production tools have been prohibitively expensive for most content creators. The current products are able to deliver a return on investment only at the very high end of the production chain. At NAB 2004, JVC announced its Affordable HD vision and previewed several new prototype products, along with demonstrations of real-world applications using its JY-HD10U professional HDV™ camcorder.

At NAB 2005, JVC fulfills its Affordable HD promise by introducing, demonstrating and delivering a range of cost-effective production tools that open the doors to practical HD for broadcasters, production companies, educational and religious organizations as well as independent film and video producers. Affordable HD is truly here at JVC.

The centerpiece of JVC's affordable HD approach is called ProHD. The ProHD product line-up adopts the HDV™ format to make high quality HD image recording on DV tape. By including professional capabilities such as 4 channel audio, time code, true 24p HD, and dual media direct recording to hard disc, ProHD products become tools that can be easily used to produce film-like quality HD programming in a variety of applications.

To achieve its affordable HD solution, JVC utilizes widely available, non-proprietary technologies such as MPEG-2 compression, DV recording media and conventional hard disk drives. By using core technologies developed for mass-market products, JVC's development costs and lead times are greatly reduced, allowing them to rapidly bring high value products to market. But, JVC has employed this technology in truly professional implementation, with products, features and performance defined through extensive end-user interviews following its 2004 Affordable HD debut.

Realizing that many users will want to phase in HD production, JVC designed ProHD to provide spectacular standard definition performance as well as true high definition. Hybrid recording in either Professional DV or HD is available on cameras, recorders and disc drives. JVC's ProHD products use their superior resolution and processing to deliver top performance in either native 16:9 or 4:3 modes, producing standard definition recordings superior to competing SD-only products. ProHD decks are capable of playing back DVCAM™ tapes, enabling use in a wide variety of existing user environments.

JVC's newest ProHD models demonstrated at NAB 2005 and delivered soon after include the truly original GY-HD100U 3-CCD HD Camera Recorder and the BR-HD50UHD Video Cassette Recorder. These ProHD models offer:

ProHD is a dynamic concept that adapts to changing needs and technologies of the future. The ProHD concept currently includes tape, hard drive and solid state media and in future products, ProHD will have the capability of 1080 recording in non-tape media. The current ProHD concept does not enable 1080 recording on tape. In a world where tape media may become a thing of the past, but where data compatibility and storage are key components in every system, ProHD makes sense. Don't think of Pro HD as a 'format' but rather a system approach that allows customers to advance without changing systems.



Affordable HD encoding and decoding – products that deliver HD to millions of television viewers – part of ProHD's 'Big Picture.'

Until now, delivering live HD programming from remote news vans and aircraft required expensive dedicated equipment. With the advent of the affordable DM-JV600U coupled with the NUCOMM analog coder, broadcasters have a practical way to upgrade existing analog microwave ENG systems. They can now deliver stunning HDTV content using their existing conventional infrastructure. This solution has enabled customers like the Goodyear Blimp to cost-effectively deliver live HD telecasts. The first-ever high definition telecast of a sporting event from a blimp was successfully transmitted during the August 9, 2004 telecast of ABC’s pre-season Monday Night Football Hall of Fame Game. ABC News used JVC’s HD MPEG-2 encoder and decoder solution with the January 20th broadcast of the Presidential Inauguration in HD.

JVC’s DM-JV600U HDTV encoder has also been approved by FOX Television as an on air HDTV encoder. FOX, like other broadcast organizations, has found JVC's solution perfect for smaller market stations seeking an alternative to traditionally expensive models. JVC's DM-JV600U can save up to $20K in the overall cost associated with broadcasting local HD content including upconverted SD content like local news. Even stations that have already purchased encoders find the JVC unit to be a cost effective backup.

At NAB 2005, JVC is demonstrating several implementations of its encoding and decoding products, including a completely functional news van with a live microwave link.

JVC’s vision of offering practical, affordable HD products has become a reality at NAB 2005 with the launch and delivery of its affordable ProHD product line. Furthering the momentum of HD, JVC will continue its mission in delivering high quality, affordable products while retaining the ability to adapt and meet the changing technological requirements of the future. Where there is a need -- JVC has the answer.

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1Source: Consumer Electronics Association

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