Release Issued by Lite-On IT:

Lite-On IT plans BD (Blu-ray Disc) launch this Autumn

Eindhoven, The Netherlands - Lite-On IT, one of the worlds largest optical disc drive manufacturers, announces production of BD (Blu-ray Disc) compatible drives this summer.

The first Lite-On branded drive incorporating Blu-ray technology will be the LH-2B1S due to be available in August 2006 in the UK market. As with other Lite-On products this drive will also be compatible with DVD+/_R(W) media and CD-R(W) media.

The Blu-ray format provides more than 5x the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and thus can hold up to 50GB of data on a double-layer BD disc or 25GB on a single layer disc. By using the new blue-violet laser users can record, rewrite and playback high definition video (HD) as well as storing exceptionally large amounts of data.

Lite-On IT is capable of producing high quality, optical disc drives in considerable volume from Guangzhou Science Park plant (China) with a current production capacity of over five million drives per month.

About Lite-On IT:
Lite-On IT Corporation is part of the Taiwanese Lite-On Group, which consists of nine consolidated companies. Lite-On Group is a world leading company in digital convergence (3C: Computer, Communications, and Consumer electronics) employing 35,000 people worldwide. Lite-On Group has 45 factories, 29 branch offices, and 4 R&D centers worldwide and generated total revenue of 5.2 Billion USD in 2005.

Lite-On IT was founded in 1995 and has grown since to become the World's 2nd largest optical disc drive manufacturer. In 2002, recognizing the convergence between the computer and consumer worlds, Lite-On expanded its portfolio and formed a Consumer Electronics Division, focusing on the development of Digital Audio-Video Appliances. Check www.liteonit.com for further information.