JVC Reassures Users

Immediately following the announcement of the discontinuation ofBetacam SP acquisition, JVC received numerous inquiries from alarmedend users. In response, JVC Professional Producs Company todayreaffirmed its continued commitment of support to its existing formats,developing innovative ways of broadening applications, and uses forexisting equipment, thus providing maximum return on customers’investment. As the inventor of VHS and S-VHS, and a leading supplier ofProfessional S-VHS products for nearly 15 years, JVC’s commitmentextends to developing innovative ways to extend the lives of originalequipment investments, and assist the transition into digitalproducts.

This announcement comes after abandonment of Betacam SP acquisitionand another manufacturer’s decision to end availability of manyS-VHS products. JVC will continue to offer S-VHS VTRs and camcordersfor the duration of market demand. In addition to maintaining its S-VHScommitment, JVC is planning for the future through the digital formats,including Professional DV, D-9, and soon D-VHS. A hallmark of JVC'sexpansion into future technologies is its steadfast commitment to itsexisting customer base. JVC has developed all of its digital productsto enable analog customers to extend the life of their presentinvestments and migrate according to their needs and finances. As areflection of its S-VHS commitment, JVC has moved to bring its GY-X3Uthree-CCD S-VHS camcorder within range of single-chip S-VHS camcorderproducts from other manufacturers.

The introduction of JVC’s SR-VS20U and BR-D51U are examples ofextending S-VHS’s format life, even in the context of the digitalfuture. The SR-VS20U combines analog S-VHS and Professional DVrecording units in the same cabinet. The BR-D51U D-9 player acceptanalog S-VHS tapes while allowing JVC customers to migrate to theindustry’s highest quality 4:2:2 digital recording standards.Recognizing that S-VHS is the most widely used format among videoprofessionals and that not all customers are yet prepared to migratefrom proven analog equipment, JVC assures end users its continuedsupport of S-VHS.

Surveys confirm that many professionals in the industry willcontinue to use their analog products well into the future.

"At JVC, we believe that customers should have confidence in theproducts they buy. The health and vitality of our industry is dependenton this fundamental confidence. Whenever technically feasible, JVC goesto great lengths to create new models that are compatible with currentproducts, allowing customers to gracefully move into digital whenthey’re ready,” said JVC executive vice president RobertMueller. “To some end users, it may seem manufacturers have takena fancy to ‘disposable’ video formats. JVC is not amongthose manufacturers. JVC believes that a camcorder’s productivevalue in the hands of a videographer far surpasses the originalpurchase cost and will likely have a productive life over many years.JVC realizes that many of our customers are not ready to make thetransition to digital systems so we will stand behind theirinvestments. At JVC, we all go forward together, leaving no onebehind.” he added.

JVC S-VHS Format
In 1987, JVC invented and launched the S-VHS format as a replacementfor the aging 3/4in. U-Format. It became the most widely adoptedindustrial format in history, ultimately supported by every majorprofessional manufacturer.

JVC Professional DV
Consistent with JVC's commitment to developing professional gradeproducts that have mass appeal, the company introduced Professional DVin 1999. The Professional DV line is based on JVC's belief thathigh-quality professional digital video production can be achieved byall segments of the marketplace, and that no professional should settlefor consumer camcorders, nor should they be compelled to pay the costof proprietary DV formats. The GY-DV500 Professional DV camcorder isideal for a broad array of professional video applications, fromdigital cinematography to electronic newsgathering and eventvideography to multi-media production and web streaming applications.JVC's Professional DV line utilizes the miniDV cassette, maximizing thepotential of the DV format to deliver remarkable results.

JVC D-9
From its introduction, JVC's D-9 format has offered theindustry’s highest-quality component digital at pricescompetitive with that of analog. D-9 has been widely accepted andacknowledged as a superior system for acquisition, production, andpost-production. After exhaustive research, Fox Television made D9 its"house format" due to its high quality and robustness, subsequentlysaving more than $40 million on equipment, tape, and maintenance costssince installing D-9. However, JVC designed D-9 not only for majortelevision networks, but for broadcasters migrating from analog, whileat the same time looking for the competitive edge of a 4:2:2 format.JVC continues to expand the D-9 format with new models, such as theBR-D860U editor, and DY-70U camcorder -- introduced at NAB this year --and the BR-D95U, to begin delivery in January. Also in January, JVCwill introduce the SA-DV60U, a plug-in card for its D-9 products thatallows IEEE 1394 connectivity both ways to its professional DV line anda host of other compliant devices including nonlinear editing systemsby a wide range of manufacturers.

JVC D-VHS
Designed as a mass-market high-definition playback and distributionformat, D-VHS potentially brings high-definition digital video to awide variety of professional applications. Based on the chassis andtransport of proven analog S-VHS, this MPEG-2 digital format alsofeatures record and playback compatibility with VHS and S-VHS formats,which underscores the value and productive life of existing analoginvestments.

JVC stands firm in its dedication and devotion to its customers ofpast, present, and future that it will continue its support of existingformats in parallel with technological innovation.