Hitachi Expands Product Portfolio in India Forays into DVD Camcorders

New Delhi, Delhi, India , 2006-05-16

Hitachi Home Electronics Asia (S) Pte Ltd (HHES), a subsidiary of Hitachi, world’s leading electronics company, today announced the beginning of its second phase of growth in India by foraying into a new segment – DVD Camcorders. With India being a focus market for Hitachi, the company is all set to broadbase its product portfolio and add digital camcorders to its existing product range in India which includes Plasma TVs, LCD TVs and LCD projectors.

As the first company in the world to bring a DVD camcorder to market, Hitachi is all set to bring to India the world’s first multi-format DVD camcorders. The sixth generation product is expected to hit the Indian market in two months and will be the perfect answer to the demands of both tech-savvy users and enthusiasts seeking cutting-edge, premium features as well as the beginners and price conscious wanting convenience and ease of usage. The groundbreaking highlight of this range is the world’s fastest start-up function of only 1 second.

HHES, which currently has over 100 dealers and seven exclusive Hitachi galleries in India will be further augmenting its distribution network in India, and will be establishing a specialised distribution channel for this revolutionary product range.

Elaborating Hitachi’s expansion plans for India, Tarun Jain, Country Head, HHES said, “India is among the fastest growing markets for Hitachi. As the awareness about technology increases and Indian consumers graduate from digital cameras to digital camcorders, we see a vast market for our premium products. After the success of our high-end plasma and LCD TV range where we enjoy a majority market share, we want to introduce the Indian consumers to other cutting-edge Hitachi products.”

Hitachi plans to enter the DVD camcorder market in India with its sixth generation DVD camcorder range with highly specialized features like multi-format compatibility, high start-up speed and quick viewing access to recorded video. With this new range Hitachi will offers the most sophisticated and feature rich line of DVD camcorders to the Indian consumer. The new range that redefines user experience will be available in five models.

“We have decided to add digital camcorders to our existing product range and are in the process of establishing a distinct and high-quality distribution set-up for this product. The plan is to capture 30% of the DVD camcorder market in India by 2008,” Mr Jain said.

The new product line provides media format versatility to support the most popular and widely available DVD formats, including DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM and DVD+RW discs as well as SD cards for digital stills. This industry-leading format compatibility allows users to choose the DVD format that best suits their individual needs. Other user-friendly features include a One Touch finalization button for quick and easy access to this essential last step, and a sleep/restart battery saver function that puts the camcorder in hibernation to save battery power between recordings and enables users to begin recording within one second of activation ensuring that customers don’t miss the chance of capturing any of their magical moments.

Another blockbuster feature which make the new range unique is the Video-to-Photo Frame Grab Tool, which allows users to pull a photo still from video and route to it to the memory card. This prevents taking video without switching the "still mode" on and off and enables users to easily create the photo image of any desired scene after recording onto DVD. Additionally, all models offer enhanced Super Digital Zoom and a large 2.7-inch 16x9 widescreen LCD.

Commenting on the new range, Mr Jain said, "As the pioneer of DVD camcorders, Hitachi reinforces its status as the industry leader with this new range by enhancing user experience through superior picture quality and added convenience.”

Hitachi DVD Camcorders are unmatched in performance, design and technology. Exclusive technologies set the new range of new Hitachi camcorders apart with breakthrough image capture that brings life-like DVD quality detail to home movies. Only the power of Hitachi DVD Camcorder technology can deliver the perfect home movie experience.

HHES is committed to a future in the Indian market is demonstrated by the fact that the company is not just expanding its product portfolio but is bringing to the Indian market its premium products at the same time as they are being launched globally. The company is also paying special attention to after-sales service to make the user experience complete.

About Hitachi

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 347,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2004 (ended March 31, 2005) consolidated sales totaled 9,027.0 billion yen ($84.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services.

Hitachi Asia is one of four regional headquarters for Hitachi's worldwide operations, the other three being North America, Europe and China. Established in 1989, Hitachi Asia operates in ten offices across seven Asian countries, excluding East Asia.

Hitachi Home Electronics Asia (S) Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd, Japan and Hitachi Asia Ltd., markets consumer & multimedia products in Singapore and other Asian countries and Africa. It was established to manage the sales of Hitachi’s consumer and information media product business in Asia and Oceania. The product range includes Plasma TVs, LCD TVs, DVD Players and Camcorders, Home Theatre Systems and LCD Projectors.

Contact

Vibha Gupta, Hitachi, +91 (011) 4249 2100
[email protected]