THOMSON To Begin U.S. Production Of ""MANTA Series"" Flat Television Displays

RCA Digital High-Resolution Monitor To Feature Improved Flat Tube Display And Interactive TV Guide

29-Aug-00

THOMSON multimedia (NYSE: TMS) announced plans to begin U.S. production of a new line of flat color TV tubes that will utilize innovative Tension Mask technology to deliver distortion-free images to all corners of the viewing area. The new flat color TV picture tubes, dubbed the ""MANTA Series,"" will be produced in Thomson's high-volume Displays and Components facility in Marion, Indiana, beginning later this year.Thomson, the manufacturer and marketer of RCA home entertainment products, will also offer a digital high-resolution monitor with the new MANTA flat tube display in its 2001 product line.""Just as Thomson invested heavily to make our PERFORMAX line of widescreen HDTV displays possible, we're now moving ahead with flat Tension Mask technology to create the MANTA Series in our manufacturing facilities in Europe and the U.S.,"" said Tom Carson, Vice President of Americas Tube Operations. With more than 16 million color TV picture tubes produced in 1999, Thomson sells more than one in five tubes made in the world today. The company is focused on the growing high-end business of large screen and specialty display products.""Thomson already supplies most of the world's TV manufacturers with key components. And, with our customers asking for flat tube products, we've developed new Tension Mask technology that allows MANTA Series tubes to be completely flat both inside and outside. That means uniform picture quality over the whole screen, avoiding any visible distortion from internal screen curvature. We'll also be offering MANTA Series products with dark glass, to maximize picture contrast,"" Carson said.The first RCA television product to take advantage of the new MANTA Series tube will be the MM36TF10, a 36-inch Digital High-Resolution television planned for introduction in the U.S. in early 2001.""Now that Digital Hi-Res monitors are available from Thomson in both standard direct-view and projection models, we're working to extend the concept to a new line of true flat screen products. Consumers will find the same set of innovative features now present on our Digital Hi-Res series, including an interactive TV guide and a multitude of input and output connections,"" said Vic Theobalds, Vice President, TV Product Management for Thomson.The new MM36TF10 Digital High-Resolution monitor will include a built-in interactive TV guide, a 3-line digital comb filter that virtually eliminates edge crawls and rainbow effects; video noise reduction that provides a cleaner, more consistent overall picture; auto color balance that maintains overall picture quality during the life of the tube, auto color control that maintains natural flesh tones and color fidelity from channel-to-channel and scene-to-scene, dark-tint high-contrast picture tube that delivers outstanding picture contrast even in bright room conditions, and a High-Resolution Dynamic Focus Electron Gun specifically designed to optimize picture performance from the Thomson-manufactured MANTA Series picture tube.For optimum performance, the Digital Hi-Res monitor can be coupled with the DTC100 or PSHD105 HDTV receiver. The result is HDTV-quality picture performance. Enhancements built into into the monitor include a tuner with 181-channel tuning capability that dramatically reduces ghosting caused from off-air pick-up when watching cable channels, dynamic BlackStretch circuitry that enhances contrast and detail, high performance scan velocity modulation that improves sharpness and detail, especially in high-contrast areas, and a high performance video amplifier that optimizes performance from high-resolution signal sources such as the RCA DIRECTVÆ satellite receiver, DVD players and S-Video signals.An additional entertainment advantage of Thomson's Digital Hi-Res monitors is the capability to accommodate a wide assortment of products with its multiple connections. Front-panel jacks include a USB port with the new Synchroscanô HD Component and S-VGA video inputs for video games, camcorders, digital still cameras or regular and progressive scan DVD-Video players. Back-panel connections easily accept computers or entertainment products such as RCA DIRECTV systems, VCRs, DVD players, HDTV receivers, speaker or stereo systems or cable boxes. About THOMSON multimediaWith sales of 6.7 billion Euros (U.S. $6.5 billion) in 1999 and 55,000 employees in more than 30 countries, THOMSON multimedia is the worldís fourth largest producer of consumer electronics. The group has four principal activities: Displays and Components, Consumer Products, New Media Services, and Patents and Licensing. THOMSON multimedia engineers, manufactures, and markets display components and consumer products such as televisions, VCRs, audio systems, digital decoders, DVD-Video players and professional video equipment under the popular RCA and THOMSON brand names. THOMSON multimedia is listed in the Paris (Sicovam: 18453) and New York (NYSE: TMS) stock exchanges. THOMSON multimedia is the parent company of the U.S.-based Thomson Consumer Electronics, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.thomson-multimedia.com

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