Pioneer's New Blu-ray 'Combo' Drive Meets Strong Demand for HD Movie Playback and Provides DVD and CD Read/Write Compatibility

Pioneer today confirms the availability of its new 'BDC-202'
Blu-ray Disc Combo Drive. With BD-ROM compatibility, the drive enables
professionals and consumers to watch pristine quality high-definition
(HD) movies on PCs. It also includes read support for single and
dual-layer Blu-ray disc formats together with high-speed read/write
compatibility with a range of DVD and CD media. With Pioneer
reliability and a competitive price point, the BDC-202 meets the
growing demand for a versatile HD entertainment experience
complemented by practical general-purpose back-up capabilities.

Awareness of the stunning quality of HD content is growing among
end-users; knowledge that's gathering steam as the increasing numbers
of high-profile movie titles are published and promoted in the Blu-ray
format. At the same time, unit costs of powerful graphics processors,
high-specification sound cards and attractive flat-screen displays are
falling and, in combination with Blu-ray drives, provide the option of
offering an exceptional PC-based movie experience.

'Blu-ray is in pole position to capture demand for HD movies: it's
supported by seven out of the eight major Hollywood studios. We've
ensured that BDC-202 is price competitive to existing next generation
drives so systems builders can enable consumers to access this
extensive catalogue of Blu-ray titles in stunning quality,' says Chris
Tampsett, Director, Pioneer Europe Multimedia Division. 'And with DVD
and CD read/write compatibility, the drive provides a compelling mix
of high-quality entertainment and practicality. We anticipate that it
will lead the emergence of the Blu-ray format for both professional
and personal use on computers.'

Among the next generation storage formats, the movie experience is
advanced furthest by Blu-ray. As well as the exceptional clarity of HD
images, it enables up to 50GB of high-definition video and audio
content to be stored on a single disc including the most innovative
interactive features seen to date alongside extensive bonus materials.
The drive also supports high-speed DVD read/write (including DVD-R/RW,
+R/RW and DVD-RAM) and CD read/write to manage general-purpose
data-intensive file transfer and archiving; from creating image
libraries and MP3 catalogues, to home movies and system back-ups.

The internal BDC-202 combination Blu-ray disc computer drive
offers the following read/write speeds:

-0-
*T
Media Read Write
----------------------------------------------------------------------
BD-ROM 5X -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
BD-R/-RE 5X -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
BD-R DL/-RE DL 2X -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DVD-ROM 12X -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DVD-RAM 5X 5X
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DVD-R/+R 12X 12X
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DVD-RW/+RW 8X 6X
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DVD-RDL/+RDL 8X 4X
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CD-ROM 32X -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
*T

Availability

The BDC-202 will be sold to OEMs and systems builders. It will be
available from the second quarter of 2007.

About Pioneer

Pioneer Corporation is a leading global manufacturer of consumer
and business use electronics products such as audio, video and car
electronics. Its shares are traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.