Sony DADC Certified As First Global DualDisc Manufacturer

Terre Haute, IN (August 10, 2005)--Sony DADC has announced its official certification as DualDisc manufacturer by the Recoding Industry Association of America (RIAA). The official certification is obligatory for all DualDisc manufacturers and stands for high-quality replication standards.

According to a company statement, Sony DADC is the first RIAA-certified replicator for a global DualDisc replication solution. This includes the facilities in Salzburg, Austria and Terre Haute, IN. The facility in Austria is the only location certified in Europe.

Sony DADC started its DualDisc mass production in the fourth quarter of 2004. In April, Sony DADC Americas announced that it had ramped up its DualDisc production to 100,000 discs per day. Today, the current global capacity is at 5.25 million discs per month, making Sony DADC the world's largest provider for the format.

RIAA operates the DualDisc program to ensure product consistency and compatibility between manufactured discs and consumer playback equipment. An important part of RIAA's certification and licensing program is that the two-sided discs bearing the DualDisc logo are manufactured by replicators that have demonstrated that their discs comply with the DualDisc physical specification.

Sony DADC engineers have been actively involved in the challenging development of this complicated product. "DualDisc is a format that upholds to consistent and high standards in quality so that consumers can enjoy this new value-adding and innovative product," said Johannes Stegfellner, sales director at Sony DADC, Salzburg. "Music labels can be sure that this entertainment-packed format meets today's consumer expectations and therefore is essential in driving music sales."

Sony DADC
www.sonydadc.com