News Releases

11/17/2003

Hitachi Announces New Fully-Loaded SVGA Projector

-- CP-S420 Series Projector Offers Ease-of-Use and Extreme Brightness for Wide-Range of Applications --

BRISBANE, Calif., www.hitachi.us, November 17, 2003 – Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan (NYSE: HIT), today announced the availability of the CP-S420 series, Hitachi’s newest projector in its award-winning SVGA projector line. The CP-S420 series is fully loaded, easy-to-use and versatile enough to accommodate a range of environments including classrooms, churches and meeting/conference rooms. Delivering an incredible 2700 ANSI lumens, the CP-S420 series is ideal for venues where the projector must compete with large amounts of ambient light. The CP-S420 series also delivers a contrast ratio of 400:1 for crisp, colorful image quality.

“The CP-S420 series is equipped to meet the most challenging room environments and enables users to present an array of applications, from PowerPoint presentations to rich media and video,” said Pete Denes, director of sales for Hitachi America, Ltd., Digital Media Division. “We are pleased to present a truly easy-to-use and versatile product to the market with the CP-S420 series.”

Convenient Features and Picture Enhancement Option

The CP-S420 series features native SVGA (800 x 600) resolution for added image clarity and to render large-scale images visible in the most challenging ambient light conditions. The CP-S420 series also possesses sophisticated features such as vertical and horizontal digital keystone correction to provide users with the flexibility to work around obstructions in their presentation environment without physically moving the entire projector. The CP-S420 series also includes Digital Gamma correction to alter the onscreen levels of darkness and light to make detail more visible in dim settings.

Additional Features

The CP-S420 series includes a full array of connectivity options such as component, composite, S-Video, two RGB inputs and one RGB output for added flexibility. The CP-S420 series also features Picture-in-Picture, a user-programmable start-up screen and Whisper Mode to reduce operating noise to 36 dB.

Pricing and Availability

Priced at $7,495.00, the CP-S420 series is currently available through Hitachi’s network of nationwide resellers. For more information, or to locate a dealer near you, please visit http://www.hitachi.us/digitalmedia, or call 1-800-225-1741.

About Hitachi

Hitachi America, Ltd., Digital Media Division, supplies high-performance multimedia products to OEMs, value-added resellers, system integrators and distributors. The division’s products include LCD/LCOS projectors and color laser beam printers.

Hitachi America, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., markets and manufactures a broad range of electronics, computer systems and products, and consumer electronics, and provides industrial equipment and services throughout North America. For more information, visit http://www.hitachi.us.

Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 340,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2002 (ended March 31, 2003) consolidated sales totaled 8,191.7 billion yen ($68.3 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. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.hitachi.com.

Contacts:

Gerard F. Corbett
Hitachi America, Ltd.
650.244.7900
gerard.corbett@hal.hitachi.com

Roger Villareal
Weber Shandwick
San Francisco
415.248.3425
mrvillareal@webershandwick.com