Lacie Press Release

January 10, 2005

  * Up to 80GB multimedia hard drive for movies, photos or music
  * Plug directly into a TV for instant viewing, no computer needed
  * Store and view up to 14 MPEG-2 or 80 MPEG-4 videos on 80GB drive

Today LaCie premieres the LaCie silverscreen, a portable USB hard drive with the ability to plug directly into multi-standard television sets for instant playback of stored movies, music or photos. LaCie silverscreen is ideal for travelers wanting to enjoy digital entertainment or professionals wanting to show clients corporate videos on larger TV screens without the need for a computer. The ultra slim and quiet drive comes in 40GB or 80GB capacities.

“As people’s desire to carry and view media anywhere increases, LaCie makes it possible with this innovative storage solution,” says Olivier Mirloup, LaCie Senior Product Manager. “With LaCie silverscreen people can bring their movies, personal photos and favorite songs to their friends and family for instant playback on any TV without the need for a computer. This new portable hard drive is designed specifically for people who want to enjoy digital entertainment at home or on the road.”

The LaCie silverscreen is pre-configured to recognize and instantly play back a wide range of movie file formats, including the MPEG-2 ISO format and the popular compressed DivX® format. After uploading multimedia from any PC or Mac through the USB interface, LaCie silverscreen enables a real home theater experience with surround sound thanks to the optical digital output that supports compressed Dolby® Digital 5.1 and DTS pass through. A handy remote control is included for easy menu surfing and playback.

This highly portable 10.6oz/300g drive stores up to 14 MPEG-2 movies, 80 MPEG-4/DivX® movies, 20,000 MP3s, or one million photos. LaCie silverscreen also includes a Video On-Demand (VOD) feature that allows people to conveniently rent or buy DivX® VOD movies directly from the DivX® website.

Features
  * Supported Video Formats: MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (ISO, AVI, VOB), MPEG-4 (AVI, DivX®, XviD)
  * Supported Audio Formats: WAV, MP3, AAC, WMA, AC3
  * Supported Photo Formats: JPEG (up to 8 megapixels)
  * Video Outputs: NTSC/PAL composite and S-video, analog YPbPr video scalable up to 1920x1080i or 1280x720p, VGA scalable up to 11024x768, RGB via SCART (Europe only)
  * Audio Outputs: Dual stereo analog audio, coaxial and optical SPDIF digital audio
  * Interfaces: SPDIF, Audio/Video Out, Hi-Speed Mini USB 2.0
  * Included Accessories: Hi-Speed Mini USB 2.0 cable, power adapter, AV cable, SPDIF coaxial cable, infrared remote control, L/R Audio RCA adapter, SCART to Composite RCA (Europe only)

Availability
The 40GB LaCie silverscreen is immediately available at the suggested retail price of $249, SKU 300939U. The 80GB LaCie silverscreen will be available in February at the suggested retail price of $329, SKU 300940U. For more information, visit
http://www.lacie.com/products/range.htm?id=10036

About LaCie
LaCie creates external storage solutions and color monitors that help professionals and everyday people easily manage their digital lives. Powerful technology combined with unique designs by the internationally acclaimed Philippe Starck, Neil Poulton and Porsche Design GmbH make LaCie the world leader in storage innovation. Established in France in 1989, LaCie is now headquartered in North America, Europe and Asia and listed on the Paris Nouveau Marché (code 5431). For more information, visit www.lacie.com.