Digital Projection International and NEC Viewtechnology Ltd. Announce Venture To Develop Cinema Projectors Based On DLP Cinema(TM) Technology

MANCHESTER, England, and KENNESAW, Ga., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Projection International (DPI) and NEC Viewtechnology Ltd. (NEC), Japan, announced a new venture to develop digital cinema projectors based on industry-leading 3-chip DLP Cinema(TM) technology by Texas Instruments (TI). The first Digital Projection Cinema-branded products are expected to be launched in Q4, 2002.

This venture follows NEC's DLP Cinema(TM) licensing agreement with Texas Instruments and brings together two recognized leaders in precision, large- screen digital imaging and systems integration.

"DPI has held a leading position in the development of digital cinema projectors for many years, and we are delighted to announce this relationship at a time when the digital cinema market is poised for significant growth," said Brian Critchley, DPI's managing director.

"As a result of this historic relationship, we are now positioned to deliver comprehensive solutions for cinema operators and postproduction professionals that demand precision display products and world-class customer service," said Takashi Ogawa, president of NEC Viewtechnology Ltd. "In addition, NEC Corporation's extensive systems capabilities allow us to develop more integrated digital cinema system solutions."

In February 2002, DPI and NEC announced a collaboration to develop advanced display solutions for commercial large screen applications. DPI is an Emmy(R) Award-winning manufacturer of high-performance projection systems and currently has projectors based on DLP Cinema(TM) technology operating in commercial cinemas in Japan to support feature film programming.

About NEC Viewtechnology Ltd.
NEC Viewtechnology Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Corporation focusing on visual presentation solutions.

With more than twenty years of experience in projector development, manufacturing, and marketing, NEC Viewtechnology strives for excellence in product quality, eco quality (its relationship to the environment), and support quality.

NEC is offering the broadest range of projectors from small three-pound projectors for presentations to large venue projectors for entertainment venue/staging needs, and is one of the few companies in the world to offer LCD-based projectors, single-chip DLP projectors, and three-chip DLP projectors.

About Digital Projection
Digital Projection is a UK-based company with offices in North America and Europe. Digital Projection Incorporated, with its headquarters based in Atlanta, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Digital Projection, Limited, located in Manchester, England.

Digital Projection International was founded in 1989, originally as a division of The Rank Group. Since its inception, Digital Projection has been instrumental in the development and application of Digital Light Processing(TM) technology by Texas Instruments for projection systems.

In June 1998, Digital Projection was awarded an Emmy(R) for technical achievements in broadcast engineering by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles. POWER Displays by DPI are the first and only projector to win the coveted award.

In December 2001, Digital Projection's management team, lead by Brian Critchley, concluded the management purchase of the company from IMAX Corporation. The management buy-out marked a return to independent ownership for Digital Projection International and its subsidiaries DP Ltd. in the UK and DP Inc. in the USA.

Digital Light Processing(TM) & DLP Cinema(TM) are registered trademarks of Texas Instruments.

Emmy(R) is a registered trademark of The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.