Print, Display, Edit and Archive With Two New Sony Photo Printers; Printers Take Digital Imaging Out of the Office and Into the Living Room

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 6, 2001--Sony Electronics today introduced two digital photo printers that allow consumers to view, edit, archive and print images with greater ease and flexibility than ever before. The new DPP-SV77 digital photo printer with an LCD display will be available in July for about . The DPP-SV88 digital photo printer with CD-R/RW archiving functionality will be available in October for about .

With its built-in 3.2" color LCD monitor, users can view, edit and enlarge images right on the DPP-SV77 printer's fold-up screen, without connecting to a PC or television monitor. Because the color LCD is touch-sensitive, most operations can be performed directly on-screen with the supplied stylus. In addition to image selection and editing, the stylus is used for free-hand drawing with different line weights and colors, as well as a text editing and novelty stamp function tool to help create fun captions and drawings on the final finished photo.

The new DPP-SV88 digital photo printer offers a function essential for many digital photographers -- digital image filing and management. Its self-contained CD-R/RW drive allows users to transfer images from flash media to CD-R or CD-RW discs with the touch of a single button. Powerful file management allows images to be arranged in folders for easy access and recall of the numerous images they capture. This function is important for digital camera owners because the average digital photographer takes an average of 700 pictures each year, compared to the 150 pictures taken by the typical film photographer.

Stored photos are easily displayed by connecting the DPP-SV88 printer to any television monitor containing a video-in port. Since all controls are located on the front of the device, the compact unit is easily incorporated into most home entertainment systems. The inclusion of a convenient, wireless remote control makes it possible to modify and enjoy pictures from the comfort of an easy chair.

More than just an image storage and viewing unit, the DPP-SV88 unit is a high-quality digital photo printer. It offers the same editing and printing functions as Sony's popular DPP-SV55 digital photo printer, including resize, crop, color balance and effect application to deliver a customized lab-quality 4" x 6" borderless print in less than two minutes.

The new DPP-SV88 model allows viewing, editing and printing images from various forms of media, including Memory Stick media, as well as CD-R or CD-RW discs shot with Sony's CD Mavica cameras. The included video-in port also allows the capture of still frames directly from an analog or digital videotape source by simply connecting a compatible camcorder to the unit.

"These products marry the best of the benefits of digital technology with the family slideshows of yesteryear," said Mark Viken, senior vice president of Sony Electronics' Information Technology Product Division. "Consumers can edit, view and share pictures in their living room, then print out the favorites in minutes."

The new DPP-SV88 and DPP-SV77 printers are built for speed and convenience. Each unit features high-resolution photo printing, borderless 4" x 6" photo prints and dye sublimation technology to create up to 16.7 million colors. Each photo prints in 90 seconds and is laminated with Super Coat 2 to protect it from fading, humidity and liquid splatters that would ruin other pictures.

All Sony photo printers take advantage of the Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) function, which automatically prints photos that have been marked for print in-camera by supporting cameras. Another option is the printer's "Print All" button that sends all saved images to print.

As with all Sony digital photo printers, these two models can print photos independent of a computer, but also from a PC or Mac via a USB connection. Each printer has one dedicated slot for Memory Stick media and a slot for Type II PC cards, including SmartMedia and CompactFlash, among others.