DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS

FujiFilm To Display Holographic Storage Technology at NAB

Holographic Storage Offers Several Terabytes of Removable, Backward Compatible DVD-size Disc Storage For Film & Electronic Media Applications

Valhalla, New York, April 13, 2005  Next week at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in Las Vegas, Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. will display its next generation information storage disc technology that promises over 200 times greater capacity (or up to 3.9 TB) and 40 times the transfer speed of today's DVD media. Called Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD), the technology utilizes existing manufacturing processes and a unique application of servo information to markedly increase the storage capacity beyond that of today's optical discs.

This technology is the result of innovation from Optware Corporation, now supported by the recently formed Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) Alliance, an industry consortium of global technology companies announced in January.

"This is a real opportunity for the industry and potential end-users as Collinear Holography is integrating accepted optical storage techniques with new recording technologies," said Jim Hegadorn, Director, Technical and Media Services, Recording Media Division, Fujifilm USA. "By creating a way to build servo information into the disc, we are going to see great leaps in capacity and transfer rates  in a removable, interchangeable format  which is very appealing to future broadcast, cinema and archiving needs in a world of high definition."

Fujifilm is providing significant contributions to HVD media, including optical disc manufacturing experience and advanced material technology such as photo polymers and the dichroic mirror layer, which provides precise control of the light beam. Through the Alliance, Fujifilm is helping to develop this future optical media that takes advantage of an innovative method called Collinear™ Holography. By managing a double beam along a single path to imprint a disc, this technology provides critical advantages for storing large amounts of data, including:

• smaller system design that is compatible with today's DVD media;
• systems will record and read data while disc is in motion, similar to today's optical recording technology, resulting in much faster transfer speeds than previously obtainable in holographic technology; and
• a system based on open standards that ensures future enhancements and product longevity. Ecma International, the global industry standards organization dedicated to the standardization of information and communication systems, is currently processing four (4) Standards Projects based on Collinear™ Technology put forth by the HVD Alliance.

Proven Technology On The Right Path In July 2004, Optware Corp. successfully demonstrated the world's first recording and play back of digital movies on a holographic recording disc with a reflective layer using it's patented Collinear™ Technologies.

In October, six firms invested in this new technology, initiating what would become the HVD Alliance with the purpose of driving HVD with technological, marketing and educational support. These companies included globally recognized technology leaders like CMC Magnetics Corporation, Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Nippon Paint Co., Ltd., Pulstec Industrial Co., Ltd. and Toagosei Co., Ltd.

In June 2004 Optware proposed their technology to Ecma International, a not-for-profit industry association founded in 1961 by technology developers, vendors and users working together to develop and drive sets of standards for emerging technologies in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Consumer Electronics (CE). By December 2004, Ecma  which has developed 90% of all modern international standards for optical and magnetic storage media  announced the creation of Technical Committee 44 (TC44) to develop a standardization strategy for Holographic Information Storage (HIS) systems based initially on the Collinear™ Technology of Optware.

About Holographic Versatile Disc Alliance The HVD Alliance provides a venue for technical discussions and the exchange of information among disc, material, device and tester manufacturers in order to accelerate the development of HVD and develop the commercial and consumer marketplace for this next generation storage technology. The HVD Alliance today boasts several new members since formally announcing its formation. Current members include:

• CMC Magnetics Corporation,
• Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
• Konica Minolta Optical, Inc.
• Mitsubishi Kagaku Media Co., Ltd.
• EMTEC (MPO International)
• Nippon Paint Co., Ltd.
• Optware Corporation
• Pulstec Industrial Co., Ltd.
• Ovalrock
• Software Architects, Inc.
• Toagosei Co., Ltd.

You can read more about Collinear Holographic Technology at http://www.optware.co.jp/english/index_tech.htm.

For more information about Fujifilm's expertise in optical media, go to www.fujifilm.com or call 800-800-FUJI.

About Fujifilm
Fuji Photo Film U.S.A., Inc. is a subsidiary of Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. and delivers technology solutions to meet the imaging and information needs of retailers, consumers, professionals and business customers. As a global leader in digital imaging, Fujifilm pioneered the development of digital medical systems, and today is the leader in digital minilab systems. The company was ranked in the top ten for U.S. patents granted during the last decade, employs approximately 73,000 people worldwide and in the year ending March 31, 2004, had global revenues of more than $24 billion.

In the United States, Fujifilm is a leader in delivering high quality, easy-to-use imaging and information solutions in the following categories: Digital Imaging Systems, Film and Imaging Systems, Recording/Storage Media, Motion Picture Film, Graphic Arts and Printing Systems and Medical Imaging and Diagnostics Systems. Fujifilm is an environmentally friendly, humane enterprise and an exemplary corporate citizen.

For more information on Fujifilm products, consumers can call 800-800-FUJI or access the Fujifilm USA Web site at www.fujifilm.com.

About Optware
Optware Corp. was established in 1999 as a development venture to find ways of incorporating holographic recording technology, seen as the heart of the high-capacity optical discs of the future, in commercially viable products. The Company's arsenal of valuable patents includes collinear(TM) holography, a technique that enables great simplification of optical systems. You can find more information at http://www.optware.co.jp/english/top.htm