Las Vegas, NV (April 24, 2006) – Maxell Corporation of America's Professional Media Products Division reinforces its position as a leading provider of recordable media with its presentation of "New Optical Media Technologies" at the 2006 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Convention. This special display will include prototypes of Maxell's next-generation optical formats - Blu-ray and HD DVD technologies that will be available this year and Holographic Recording in the near future - which are all poised to make a tremendous impact in the recording media market upon their releases.

Maxell Blu-ray discs have been specially designed to meet currently expanding digital HD TV and video requirements, making it possible to record massive amounts of data. The Blu-ray disc utilizes blue violet laser technologies to achieve storage capacities of 25 GB on a single-layer 12 cm disc and 50 GB on a dual-layer disc of the same size. It's 36 Mbps transfer rate enables it to record more than two hours of high-definition broadcasting content on a single side, making Blu-ray ideal for both professional post-production and consumer use. Maxell's continual advanced developments with this technology will provide for high transfer rates and better rewritability, which will be needed for the video and storage requirements of the future.

The BD-R (Recordable-Single Layer) and BD-RE (Rewritable-Single Layer), both 25 GB, will be available at the beginning of the third quarter of 2006. The BD-R DL (Recordable-Dual Layer) and BD-RE DL (Rewritable-Dual Layer), both 50 GB, will be available later that quarter.

Maxell's HD DVD also utilizes blue violet laser technology to produce a 12 cm recordable disc with a 15 GB capacity. They are ideal for high-definition video recording and massive data archive solutions. The disc is suitable for recording more than two hours of high-definition broadcasting content with a 36 Mbps transfer rate, as well as making it ideal for professional post-production use. HD DVD has the same structure as the current DVD media with two substrates bonded together, allowing for ease of production and usage.

The HD DVD-R (Record Once-Single Layer), 15 GB, will be available at the end of the third quarter of 2006. The HD DVD-RW (Re-Recordable-Single Layer), 15 GB, as well as the HD DVD-R DL (Record Once-Dual Layer) and HD DVD-RW DL (Re-Recordable-Dual Layer), 30 GB, will be available during the third quarter, as well.

Holographic data storage is a joint development by Maxell and InPhase Technologies, Inc. It is a breakthrough in data storage at NAB, showcasing the first commercial holographic HDS-300R drive and media. The drive records 300 GB of capacity on a single disk and has a transfer rate of 160 Mbps. It will enable broadcasters to record 35 hours of broadcast-quality (19 Mbps) video on a single disk in 250 minutes (160 Mbps transfer rate). InPhase will begin shipments of the product to OEM customers at the end of 2006.

InPhase will also exhibit a 10-slot autoloader that holds three Terabytes of data or over 66 hours of HD video (100 Mbps). A Video Archive Solution from ASM, QStar and InPhase will also be displayed that stores over 200 hours of HD (100 Mbps) or 800 hours of SD (25 Mbps) on 32 pieces of media. The Holographic Video Recorder (HVR) developed by OvalRock will also be on exhibit.

"These products are the future of recordable media, where blue violet laser technology will help storage capacity and transfer rates to easily surpass anything currently available," said Tony Petruzziello, director of sales for Maxell's Professional Media Products Division. Furthermore, Petruzziello states with the ever-expanding complexity of post-production and media archiving, new solutions will be needed to handle the astronomical file sizes and complex configurations. These Maxell products demonstrate several different technology approaches that will meet the needs of the future.

About Maxell
Maxell Corporation of America, a Hitachi-Maxell, Ltd. Company, is a leading full-line manufacturer of professional digital and analog audio and video media; computer data storage media; media products for consumer audio, video and camcorder applications; and batteries. Maxell also markets a full line of care and maintenance accessories and headphones.

For more information, please visit the Maxell Web site at www.maxell.com.