HITACHI DELIVERS HIGH-CAPACITY STORAGE FOR DIGITAL VIDEO AND SURVEILLANCE APPLICATIONS

New 500GB CinemaStar Drives Extend Hitachi's Ecological Leadership with Halogen-free Design and Low Power Consumption

HONG KONG - February 5, 2009 - Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) today announced the CinemaStar™ C5K500, a 2.5-inch hard drive with up to 500GB of audio video storage capacity designed for digital video applications that require compact design and low power usage. This fourth-generation small form factor CinemaStar drive delivers a balance of capacity, cool operation and ruggedness to provide manufacturers with more eco-friendly options for slim digital video recorders (DVRs), set-top boxes and surveillance systems. The CinemaStar drive is designed for use in continuous "24x7" applications and has a read/write power specification that is 22 percent lower than previous models.

The CinemaStar C5K500 is the latest Hitachi 5,400 RPM consumer electronics hard drive with support for mainstream capacities ranging from 160- to 500GB. The new drives include Hitachi SmoothStream™ technology to enhance streaming functionality in digital video applications. The CinemaStar C5K500 also includes technology to provide time-limited error recovery, enhanced thermal monitoring capabilities and silent-seek acoustics for ultra-quiet operation.

"The explosion of digital music and photos, combined with widespread access to high-definition television content, is driving DVR capacity requirements to new levels," said Brendan Collins, vice president, Product Marketing, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "Home theater systems are becoming increasingly compact, as users seek out space-saving and power-efficient component designs. The new CinemaStar drive will allow DVR manufacturers to deliver compact DVRs with all the capacity and features of larger form factor products."

EcoTrac Classification

The CinemaStar C5K500, which carries the EcoTrac classification, demonstrates Hitachi's ecological leadership with its halogen-free production and focus on low power consumption. The drives feature a read/write power specification of 1.4W, which is 22 percent lower than previous models. The low-power profile of these new drives also enables the use of more cost-effective system power supplies, which lowers energy costs for consumers.

Availability

The CinemaStar C5K500 is expected to ship to customers worldwide early in the second quarter of 2009.

About Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) develops advanced hard disk drives and enterprise-class solid state drives used to store and preserve the world's most valued data. Founded by the pioneers of hard drives, Hitachi GST provides high-value storage for a broad range of market segments, including enterprise, desktop, mobile computing and consumer electronics. Hitachi GST was established in 2003 and is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachigst.com.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 390,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2007 (ended March 31, 2008) consolidated revenues totaled 11,226 billion yen ($112.3 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, logistics, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.