HP Offers New Entertainment Products in Time for Holiday Season

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HP (NYSE:HPQ)(Nasdaq:HPQ) today introduced a new line of computing products aimed at making it easy for people to enjoy high-definition entertainment.

In time for the holiday season, HP introduced three high-definition products based on the HD-DVD digital media format, making HP one of the first companies to announce products that deliver a high-definition experience.

The products include a 17-inch widescreen diagonal HD-DVD notebook PC with a piano-black HP Imprint finish and patterned design; an HD-DVD Media Center TV PC with 7.1 surround sound; and an HD-DVD external drive for PCs – all of which can deliver the superior picture quality associated with high-definition movies.

HP also introduced two home storage products that are ideal for storing high-definition movies and rich digital content such as music and photos. The HP Media Vault, the first in a new product category for the company, is an expandable storage product that allows consumers to easily back up and share movies, music and photos across home networks. The HP Pocket Media Drive is an ultra-portable, 2.5-inch USB hard drive in 80 gigabyte (GB) and 120 GB⁽¹⁾ capacities.

Additionally, the company announced a stylish, versatile handheld, the HP iPAQ Travel Companion, which couples GPS (global positioning system) navigation with entertainment and communication features, such as an MP3 player, to keep consumers entertained and connected when on the go.

“The digital lifestyle is here, and HP is making it easy for customers to experience high-definition entertainment that is compelling and fulfilling,” said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. “HP, with its heritage in digital technology, is at the forefront of simplifying the experience. Today, we’re extending that leadership to the high-def lifestyle.”

The news was announced at the Manhattan Center in New York as a showcase of the high-definition lifestyle.

“Demand for high-definition products is booming and HP is targeting this growth segment with its product lineup and latest introductions,” said Danielle Levitas, vice president, Consumer and Broadband Markets group, IDC. “High-definition TVs and media centers, coupled with compelling HD content, bring a great experience to consumers.”

HP takes the high-def road

HP’s 2006 holiday lineup of high-definition products includes:

• HP Pavilion dv9000t Series Entertainment Notebook PC – which makes it easy to handle demanding applications with its combination of innovative digital entertainment features and blazingly fast multi-tasking performance via Intel® Core™ 2 Duo mobile technology.⁽²⁾ Cinema-quality viewing is delivered with a 17-inch diagonal high-definition BrightView widescreen display with optional HP Ultra BrightView dual-lamp technology. An integrated HDMI port enables true HD content playback on a high-definition TV or monitor.⁽³⁾
• HP Pavilion Media Center TV m7600n Series PC – which takes movie watching to a new level with its HD-DVD high-definition DVD player, Intel Viiv™ technology and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, wireless home networking,⁽⁴⁾ and 7.1 surround sound. Users can enjoy high-definition movie playback⁽³⁾ with six times better resolution than standard DVD. In addition, the built-in TV tuner NPSC and personal video recorder allow users to simply watch, pause, rewind and record live television. The new HP Pavilion Media Center TV PC paired with HP’s new w22 flat panel HD-ready monitor completes the HD movie experience.
• HP High Definition DVD-ROM Drive – which provides the superior picture quality of high-def movies⁽⁵⁾ in a portable device for use with widescreen notebooks. The external drive offers advanced interactivity; for example, users can access the Internet⁽⁶⁾ and chat while watching a movie, or play games that are seamlessly integrated into a movie. Backwards compatible, the drive not only supports new HD DVDs, but also regular CDs and DVDs.
• HP Media Vault mv2010/mv2020 – which allows consumers to easily protect and share digital content across multiple PCs. With its user-friendly HP-designed interface, even the least technical family members can enjoy the same movie, photos, music or video by streaming the file from the Media Vault to different computers or networked TVs throughout the home. With a capacity that expands up to a staggering 1.2 terabytes, the Media Vault can store up to 500,000 photos, 16,000 hours of music or 340 hours of video.⁽⁷⁾
• HP Pocket Media Drive – which makes sharing easy. The sleek, ultra-portable, 2.5-inch USB hard drive provides the storage needed to take digital photos, recorded TV programs and professional presentations on the go. The drive easily works with any USB-enabled PC or notebook and also fits into select HP Pavilion PCs with the exclusive HP Pocket Media Drive bay for a clutter-free desktop. The drives are now available with 80 GB or 120 GB.

Navigate your way to entertainment

The slim and sleek HP iPAQ rx5000 series Travel Companion offers GPS navigation, digital entertainment and mobile connectivity.⁽⁸⁾ For easy, turn-by-turn navigation, the device comes installed with TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 software and maps. Additional software to simplify travels includes weather, traffic, world clocks and points of interest.

In addition, the HP iPAQ rx5000 series Travel Companion allows people to travel with their music, view photos and videos, surf the web⁽⁸⁾ and play games. Microsoft® Outlook Mobile keeps users’ calendars, contacts and tasks up to date so they can conveniently stay connected to important people and information via Wi-Fi hotspots, Bluetooth™ wireless technology or USB.

Tech support just got personal

HP also is improving personal tech support with a new support capability called HP Instant Care. HP agents use the Internet to remotely solve a wide range of PC and printer issues while the customer sits back and watches. It also helps prevent problems by checking the health of the product and identifying additional issues to help avoid future calls. Based on technology created by HP’s enterprise group, this help-desk technology affords consumers a secure environment, which they can opt out of at anytime. In the future, HP Instant Care is planned to encompass digital entertainment systems, TVs, cameras and more.

Rounding out the holiday lineup

HP also introduced its fall consumer PC lines, including HP Media Center, HP Slimline PC, HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario desktop PCs, 19- and 22-inch diagonal widescreen LCD monitors, HP Notebook QuickDock, and new accessories. With its ultra-wide angle, the HP 2-Megapixel Webcam takes great still pictures and high-quality video, and includes a versatile clip for easily attaching to all LCD monitors.

Additionally, HP will soon ship two new digital entertainment centers that combine the best of PC and advanced audio/video features to offer consumers a superb home entertainment experience. These advanced systems feature high-definition TV tuners, advanced audio features and digital video recorders designed for the living room. These products build on HP’s launch last month of the wireless, 37-inch diagonal HP MediaSmart High-Definition LCD TV – the industry’s first TV to connect home networks to home entertainment systems.

More information on HP’s new digital entertainment products is available at www.hp.com/go/yourlifeistheshow.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended July 31, 2006, HP revenue totaled $90.0 billion. More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.

⁽¹⁾ For hard drives, 1 GB = 1 billion bytes. Actual formatted capacity is less.

⁽²⁾ Dual core is a new technology designed to improve the performance of certain software products. Not all customers or software applications will necessarily benefit from use of this technology. Intel EM64T requires a computer system with a processor, chipset, BIOS, operating system, device drivers and applications enabled for Intel EM64T. Processor will not operate (including 32-bit operation) without an Intel EM64T-enabled BIOS. Performance will vary depending on hardware and software configurations. See www.intel.com/info/em64t for more information, including details on which processors support Intel EM64T or consult with a system vendor for more information.

⁽³⁾ As HD DVD is a new format containing new technologies, certain disc, digital connection, compatibility and/or performance issues may arise, and do not constitute defects in the product. Flawless playback on all systems is not guaranteed. In order for some HD DVD titles to play, they may require an HDMI digital connection and a display may require HDCP support. Blu-ray Discs cannot be played on this notebook PC.

⁽⁴⁾ Wireless home network sold separately.

⁽⁵⁾ As HD DVD is a new format containing new technologies, certain disc, digital connection, compatibility and/or performance issues may arise, and do not constitute defects in the product. Flawless playback on all systems even if the above requirements are met is not guaranteed. For additional information, please visit http://www.hp.com/support/HDSupport. Some future HD DVD movie titles may require your display to support HDCP enabled DVI-D or HDMI connection only, and may not be viewed on an analog display. For more information, please see enclosed documentation or additional information at www.hp.com/support/HDSupport. Blu-ray Disc movies cannot be played with this drive.

⁽⁶⁾ Internet access required and sold separately.

⁽⁷⁾ Maximum capacity of 1.2 terabytes requires the purchase of additional storage capacity, sold separately. Photo capacity based on average compressed .jpg size of 2 MB/image @ 4 MP. Music capacity based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding. Video capacity based on standard NTSC recording format. Actual recording times may vary. Actual quantities will vary depending on file types, file formats and other factors.

⁽⁸⁾ A standard WLAN infrastructure, other Bluetooth-enabled devices, separately purchased equipment and a service contract with a wireless airtime provider may be required for applicable wireless communication. Wireless Internet use requires a separately purchased service contract. Check with service provider for availability and coverage. Not all web content available.

Intel, Core and Viiv are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Microsoft is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Bluetooth is a trademark owned by its proprietor and used by Hewlett-Packard Company under license.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the achievement of expected results and other risks that are described from time to time in HP’s Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to the risks described in HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2006, and other reports filed after HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended Oct. 31, 2005. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

© 2006 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.