Panasonic Starts New Blu-Ray Disc Product Certification Service

Osaka, Japan - Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic) announced that its Format Verification Laboratory has started offering verification service for Blu-ray Disc blank rewritable media and Blu-ray Disc rewritable recorders today. Anticipating a wave of entries of Blu-ray Disc-based products in the coming months, Panasonic has established a laboratory in Osaka to facilitate companies adopting the format and entering the market.

The Blu-ray Disc Founders, which will be re-incorporated into the Blu-ray Disc Association later this year, developed a format to enable rewriting, recording and playback of high-definition TV (HDTV) and other digital content by using a blue laser. The Founders published the basic specifications, Specification Ver.1.0, on May 20, 2002. The laboratory verifies conformity with the specification, covering single layer discs (23.3 gigabytes or 25.0 gigabytes), dual layer discs (50.0 gigabytes) and the recorders which record and playback these discs.

For manufacturers, the verification service will ensure consistency with the format, expediting commercialization of Blu-ray Disc-based products. The Blu-ray Disc logo will serve as the proof of compliance to give assurance to consumers. By establishing the laboratory, Panasonic, one of the nine original members of the industry consortium, hopes to contribute to further developing and popularizing the new standard in the industry and the market.

The Format Verification Laboratory address is: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., 1-15 Matsuo-cho, Kadoma City, Osaka 571-8504, Japan. Mr. Asaichi Akagi who heads the operation can be reached at 81-6-6905-4195 via telephone or akagi.asaichi@jp.panasonic.com via e-mail.

About Panasonic
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., best known for its Panasonic brand name, is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated sales of US$71.92 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004. Matsushita's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, New York (NYSE:MC), Euronext, Amsterdam and Frankfurt stock exchanges. For more information on the company and its Panasonic brand, visit the Matsushita website at http://www.panasonic.co.jp/global/top.html .