PROTRON USA’S REVOLUTIONARY DIGITAL MEDIA DEVICE FOR THE HOME COMBINES PERSONAL VIDEO RECORDER (PVR) WITH STREAMING MEDIA (IPTV) FUNCTIONS

Las Vegas, (CES) – Protron USA is introducing a new Digital Media Player for the home that will revolutionize the way consumers access, store and playback digital media files, it was announced today by Protron USA CEO Steve Brothers. The DV-220 combines the functions of a hard-disk-based Personal Video Recorder (PVR), with built-in wireless network connectivity and the ability to access content streams from various sources (IPTV) to give users complete control of how, when and where they playback their favorite media files and digital entertainment streams. The DV-220 offers consumers in the United States and Canada a single device with which they can record "live" TV; access a proprietary digital entertainment network via the Internet to locate media files for purchase, download to the device’s internal hard disk, or streaming; and connect, via wireless or wired network, to their home PCs to access and playback audio, video and image files. DV-220 owners will have the ability to rent or purchase over 1000 theatrical movies through this proprietary digital entertainment network and the device’s web interface.

Despite all of its advanced features, the DV-220 integrates easily into any home entertainment set-up. The device features Component, Composite and S-Video output, as so users can connect it to their existing home theater system or compatible television. It also includes RF Input/Output to accommodate recording "over-the-air" broadcast or cable programming to its hard drive and RCA stereo audio outputs to connect the DV-220 directly to any conventional stereo system. Users access the proprietary Aeon Network’s digital library of movies, music and radio content via an intuitive, on-screen interface, and the device’s familiar remote control.

"People have so many choices now when it comes to digital entertainment. They’ve told us that they just want to be able to enjoy those files in the comfort of their living room, regardless of whether they’ve recorded their favorite TV programs, captured family memories on their digital video camera, or purchased audio and movie files online," said Brothers. "With the DV-220, it doesn’t matter if the media is accessed from our online digital library, recorded to the DV-220’s hard drive, or is stored on their computer’s hard drive, we’ve given users the control to choose exactly when they’ll enjoy any of those files using this single device that looks like it belongs in their entertainment center."

The DV-220 will be demonstrated throughout the day at the Protron booth (Sands Expo Center 70628) at CES. The device will be available to consumers in the second quarter
of this year, with a suggested retail price of $349. Additionally, Protron will introduce a 32"LCD TV with all of the features of the DV-220 built-in, as part of the full line of portable and home DVD players, DVD recorders and other HD-ready LCD-TVs the company will display at its booth.

The DV-220 features an 80GB internal hard disk drive for recording and storing digital media files, an integrated 10/100, 802.11b/g wireless router and a built-in firewall for added security when connected to the Internet. The device includes a free Electronic Program Guide (EPG) so users can locate and program up to two weeks of their favorite TV programs, without paying the expensive monthly subscription fees other PVR devices require. The EPG provides an interactive directory for locating the latest up-to-date, scheduled TV programs amongst the thousands available every day. The EPG also gives more detailed descriptions of programming content, the ability to search for programming by type (e.g. sporting events or movies), different recording options and a Personal Planner to manage your scheduled recordings. Using the EPG filters, users can even customize which programs are displayed in the EPG. The DV-220 can record up to 200 hours of video on the included hard disk. Video is encoded in the Windows Media format (WMV 9).

Users can also use the built-in router to connect to the proprietary Aeon Network of digital entertainment. Here users can access an enormous digital library of video and audio content, including movies, music and radio programming. At launch, the service will include streaming media access to millions of songs, thousands of theatrical films, hundreds of streaming radio stations from around the world, and specially-programmed content channels (e.g. all cartoon programming). Much of the content will be available for free to DV-220 owners, while some (e.g. streaming movies) will be available at prices starting at only $2.99 per movie.

Using the built-in router and standard home networking technology, the DV-220 can also play music, movies and pictures stored on the user’s PC. After installing the included "MyPC" software on their PC, digital photos on the user’s PC can become a slideshow on their TV, digital music stored on the PC can be played through the TV or home theater speaker system, and full-length movies stored on the PC can be played back on the TV - all with one click of the device’s remote. The DV-220 supports playback of MP3, WAV and WMA audio, WMV9 video and JPEG images.

With the included remote control, users can navigate the intuitive on-screen menus to access all of the device’s functions, and multiple content sources; including the proprietary Aeon Network of ‘on demand’ movies, music and radio; TV recordings and
other media content stored on the device’s hard drive; media content stored on the user’s PC’s hard drive or DVD-ROM drive. The device’s menus also provide access to advanced features for the DVR, such as recording preferences, setting the recording timer, network settings and an option to password protect adult content.

"Existing VCRs and PVRs have given people a taste of ‘time shifting’ their entertainment to fit their schedules. The DV-220 gives them the ability to view or listen to content from the Aeon Network ‘on demand’ giving them nearly-complete control of their entertainment schedule," added Brothers.

About Protron USA
Protron USA is a privately held seller of consumer electronics, offering a broad line of home theatre systems, LCD monitors, High Definition TVs, portable DVD players and other digital home entertainment products. Despite being a young company, Protron’s diverse catalog of products has been embraced by major retailers and electronics stores around the country, including Sears, Mervyn’s, Best Buy and H.H. Gregg, among numerous others. Protron is based in Ontario, CA. More information is available online at http://www.protronusa.com.

About Aeon Digital
Aeon Digital (AD) is a privately held company specializing in the delivery of Internet-based entertainment to the living room.

AD has developed its line of set-top boxes, a family of Internet-connected digital video recorders that can stream and download secure music and movies using any home's high speed Internet connection. In addition to recording broadcast television and playback of Internet-based media, the DV-220 also plays PC-hosted media in the living room, making the DV-220 a complete home entertainment center.

To provide Internet-based audio and video services, the Company has created and deployed the Aeon Digital Network, a highly scalable, standards-based server system that can deliver secure audio and video in both streaming and on-demand formats. Most remarkably, the Aeon Digital Network is hosted on the Internet backbone, and therefore, Aeon Digital is not limited to offering its services to customers of a specific service provider. Instead, anyone with a high-speed Internet connection can install and use the DV-220, subject only to regional content licensing restrictions.

AD has offices in Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, in the United States; Montreal, Canada; and Shanghai, China. More information is available online at http://www.aeon-digital.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Beverly Visty-Doman
(213) 706-9321 (at CES)
beverly@lawlorretail.com