THX to Certify Yamaha Home Theater Components

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., September 8, 2003 ­- THX Ltd., the leading provider of product certification and venue design for the entertainment and consumer electronics industries, today announced a partnership with Yamaha Corporation. For the first time, Yamaha will incorporate THX Certification and performance standards into its home theatre components. The first Yamaha component to achieve THX Ultra2 Certification will be the RX-Z9, a 9.1-channel digital home theatre receiver, which was formally introduced to the public and demonstrated on Sept. 5 at CEDIA 2003.

THX and Yamaha are building on an established working relationship that has its roots in the professional recording studio environment. By incorporating THX Certification programs and performance standards into home theatre components, Yamaha will provide consumers and home theatre enthusiasts the ultimate multi-channel home entertainment experience, which includes more choices for speaker set-up and system configuration.

"With multi-channel entertainment products rising in popularity among consumers, this is an ideal time for us to partner with THX, an expert in multi-channel sound reproduction," said Kunihiro Maejima, managing director of Yamaha Corporation. "The THX Certification programs and performance standards have revolutionized the way audiences experience motion pictures and music. Now consumers can get best of both worlds: the superior sound and engineering expertise of Yamaha and the exceptional performance standards of THX."

The THX Certification programs and performance standards for home theatre components are based on science, psychoacoustics, and the company¹s vast knowledge and understanding of accurate sound reproduction. Considered a mark of excellence in the consumer electronics industry, THX Certification promises consumers that the home theatre components they purchase have been evaluated and tested to meet the company¹s high standards for picture and sound presentation. When properly installed and configured, THX Certified components reproduce multi-channel movie and musical sources accurately and consistently, delivering studio-quality picture and sound to the home environment.

"We¹re thrilled to be working with Yamaha, one of the true pioneers in home theatre and consumer electronics manufacturing," said Ivan Fujihara, general manager of THX. "This partnership reflects our shared commitment to providing consumers superior sound and a breadth of choices in home entertainment products. We¹re confident that this certification is the beginning of a strong working relationship with Yamaha in the consumer market."

About THX Ltd.

THX Ltd. is the founder of quality assurance programs for superior cinema presentation and the leading provider of product certification and venue design for the entertainment and consumer electronics industries. The company was established in 1983 by George Lucas to ensure that the entertainment consumer experienced films as the director intended. Since then, THX has played an integral role in the evolution of audio and video standards, defining optimal performance for the world's premiere hardware manufacturers and recording and presentation venue designers. Today, THX Certification assures the finest sound and picture quality for cinemas, mixing studios, home theatres, DVDs, multimedia products, and luxury automotive vehicles. For more information, visit www.thx.com .