Pioneer Showcases the Future of HDTV and VOD at SCTE Cable-TEC Expo

Set-top Innovations, Games, DVD Recording and Diagnostic Tool to Highlight Showcase

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. and Pioneer Digital Technologies, Inc., leaders in cable television digital set-top boxes and digital navigation and application software, will showcase a premiere selection of demonstrations in booth #1745 of the Pennsylvania Convention Center at this week's Society of Cable and Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) Cable-Tec Expo conference.

The latest in high-definition cable and interactive technology services from Pioneer will be on display, which include:

• Voyager® 3510HD: Pioneer's new price competitive and feature rich HDTV enabled digital set-top box offers cable viewers the ability to decode various high-definition (HD) cable formats and enjoy maximum picture quality from HD cable sources as well as standard definition analog and digital television sources. The 3510HD is the latest digital cable set-top box addition to Pioneer's Voyager series and features a built-in ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) digital decoder with video outputs that can pass native 1080i signals (1,080 lines of resolution), or down-convert those signals based on display capabilities. The 3510HD also boasts full graphics over HD for seamless integration of HD channels. To maximize cinema quality transmission, the demonstration will be shown on one of Pioneer's award-winning 16x9 HDTV compatible plasma screens. The Voyager 3510HD has been shipping to Time Warner Cable systems as of March 2003.
• Passport™ 3.0 Navigation and Application Suite: This highly reliable, industry proven software technology now includes on-demand services. It offers a comprehensive array of powerful digital capabilities. Features include an easy-to-use interactive program guide with detailed program information, channel banner browsing, parental control features, and advanced integrated VOD and SVOD. Passport 3.0 also offers support for downloadable interactive applications such as Web browsing, e-mail, chat, weather, sports, interactive games, stocks, news and more. Passport's dynamic user interface is comprised of animated graphic transitions that emulate a broadcast TV experience and provide intuitive cues for user navigation.
• PassTime™ Games: Sit back, relax and take PassTime Games for a little test drive. Designed to retain customer loyalty and reduce churn, Pioneer will demonstrate the first in a series of forthcoming interactive games developed for the Passport 3.0 platform to enhance entertainment options for subscribers. The single-user games feature easy to navigate controls that allow viewers to play along while watching their desired programming in scaled video. The PassTime Games application is an optional add-on to the Passport Application Suite and the latest revenue-generating addition to the currently deployed platform. Featuring animated graphics for traditional solitaire games as well as games that put a twist on blackjack and poker, the games are the latest example of Pioneer's commitment to the cable industry.
• PassportMail: Discover PassportMail - the email service for every digital cable subscriber! Developed to deliver competitive differentiation and added revenue generating opportunities for MSOs, PassportMail provides operators with an opportunity to improve system offerings with relative ease. Creating value for digital subscribers while reducing churn and spurring growth, Pioneer's newest digital software solution is IMAP4-compliant (Instant Message Access Protocol, version 4) and integrated into MSOs' digital cable service. This user-friendly application enables subscribers to access and write email through their televisions. Designed for the Passport application suite, as an optional add-on service, subscribers can access this service by tuning, surfing or navigating to the email channel designated by their operators. Subscribers can read or write email correspondence with an infrared wireless keyboard, while watching desired programming in scaled video. Email has never been more fun or more convenient!
• Webnostics™: Webnostics is the world's first remote access diagnostic tool for cable TV set-top boxes, allowing cable TV operators to remotely access real-time diagnostic information from an individual subscriber's set-top box through the use of a PC and a locally installed Web browser. This patent pending software allows an operator to diagnose and evaluate the performance of set-top boxes from a local head-end facility, or anywhere within the operator's intranet, instead of having to roll a truck or depend on customers for diagnostic screen information.
• PRV-LX1: The PRV-LX1 offers simple, powerful DVD recording to CATV and broadcast facilities with the ability for real-time video recording without the need for a computer authoring system. It is the industry's first modular DVD-Video recorder. The PRV-LX1 comes standard with a DVD-R/RW drive and a 120GB hard drive. An optional second DVD-R/RW drive also is available. Demonstrations at the Pioneer booth with include the transfer of video and audio content to DVD, customization of DVD menus and chapter points, keyboard and mouse control, and recording from multiple sources direct to DVD or hard drive. The PRV-LX1 employs a Linux-based operating system.

About Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc., Cable and Communications
Pioneer has a 25-year history as a leading hardware provider in the cable television industry. The company has deployed more than 10 million analog and digital cable set-top boxes within the U.S., featuring the Voyager® series of advanced digital cable products. With its steadfast dedication to technological development, Pioneer's Cable and Communications Group continues to be an innovative leader in the cable television industry. It is a part of Business Solutions Division, which provides professional business-to-business products across a wide range of markets including cable television, professional video/audio, educational, medical, legal and banking. Pioneer is one of only three companies enjoying a major share among digital set-top boxes deployed in the country today. Visit Pioneer Cable and Communications at www.pioneerbroadband.com.

About Pioneer Digital Technologies, Inc.
For more than 25 years, Pioneer has been a leading provider in the cable television industry. Today, Pioneer Digital has deployed its Passport™ navigation and application suite throughout several cable systems on a variety of digital cable set-top platforms. With its steadfast dedication to technological development, Pioneer Digital continues to be an innovative leader in the cable television industry. Visit Pioneer at www.pioneerbroadband.com.