First ELS Surround-Branded System Debuts in 2004 Acura TL

September 2003 -- Drawing upon a rich tradition of leadership in audio technology, Panasonic has collaborated with multiple Grammy Award winning producer/engineer Elliot Scheiner and luxury vehicle manufacturer Acura to bring to market the first "ELS Surround," DVD-Audio sound system, which was designed specifically for the automotive market.

The new system, branded "ELS Surround," after Scheiner's industry recognized moniker "ELS," will be available as standard equipment in Acura's completely redesigned 2004 TL model. The "ELS Surround" designation serves to distinguish this system as the ultimate automotive listening experience and signals a unique collaboration between Acura, Panasonic, and Elliot Scheiner, a man who has won five Grammy Awards, the most recent for album of the year - Steely Dan's Two Against Nature. Scheiner is widely recognized as a leader in surround sound recording/mixing and has worked with a veritable "Who's Who" in the music industry, including The Eagles, Steely Dan, REM, Faith Hill, Queen, Sting, Van Morrison, and Grover Washington Jr.

"The sound quality of the ELS Surround audio system in the new Acura TL is simply remarkable," said Dan Bonawitz, Vice President Corporate Planning and Logistics, at Acura. "Working with Elliot Scheiner and drawing upon his extensive experience in the music industry has resulted in an audio system that will strike a chord with anyone who enjoys music. We are truly excited to be the first vehicle manufacturer to offer DVD-Audio and ELS Surround as standard equipment."

Discussing the system, Scheiner said, "With the ELS Surround audio system we can finally capture and reproduce music the way we hear it in the studio. And when it comes to DVD-Audio and surround sound, a factory-installed sound system is one of the best ways to experience multi-channel music since you are dealing with a defined listening space in which the system can be tuned to the vehicle's specific acoustic environment. Also, when you think back, many of our musical formats achieved widespread acceptance through the automobile -- eight track tapes, cassettes and CDs -- and now DVD-Audio. I am thrilled to be associated with Acura and Panasonic, and the launch of the first ELS Surround audio system. I believe the ELS Surround audio system will be considered a benchmark in achieving the highest sound quality available in an automobile."

DVD-Audio, in the opinion of today's top musicians, producers, and engineers, is the format that finally captures and reproduces music as it was meant to be heard. Featuring high-resolution surround sound, and multi-media capabilities, DVD-Audio is the future of recorded music.

With the ELS Surround sound system, there are now six independent, discrete channels of audio source material. This is a dramatic advancement over previous automotive audio systems where only two channels (left and right) were available. For the first time it is possible to enjoy separate dedicated channels of music from the center, left front, right front, left rear, right rear and subwoofer. These six-channels, working together, create an audio experience that has to be heard to be believed.

The ELS Surround audio system features the world's first in-dash radio with a built-in six-disc DVD-Audio/CD changer that plays DVD-Audio discs, DTS CD's as well as standard CD's. This unique unit plays the six discrete channels of DVD-Audio in high-resolution 24 bit, 96 kHz and can also play DVD-Audio 2-channel recordings at 24 bit, 192 kHz. The ELS Surround audio system's eight-speaker package was developed specifically to reproduce the extended frequency range and dynamics of DVD-Audio, and includes dedicated speakers to reproduce the center and subwoofer channels.

"Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America is extremely proud to be associated with Elliot Scheiner," said Vince Sarrecchia, President of Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America. "His credentials and body of work speak for themselves. The Acura ELS Surround sound system featuring DVD-Audio will be the new standard for audio excellence."

For more information on Panasonic and Matsushita Electric, visit www.panasonic.com.