Kenwood 2000 Annual Report Download - page 14

Review of Operations
Information
Technology
KENWOOD Corporation Annual Report 2000
12
Various products offered by Kenwood, such as car
audio equipment, car navigation systems, home
audio equipment, cellular phones, and
communications equipment, must function as multi-
media appliances in the society of the near future
where electronic networks will play an important role.
Hence, Kenwood perceives the ongoing IT revolution
as an opportunity and intends to be the first to offer a
range of "network capable" products - audio
equipment with MP3 decoders and cellular phones
for the new standards, to name a few. The
development of key devices, derived from our own
unique technologies, constitutes a large part of our
attempt to commercialize this advanced equipment.
The world's first optical microphone, the high quality
CODEC that enables the emergence of music
distribution services, IRD (Integrated Receiver
Decoder) and circuit modules for digital broadcasting
... Kenwood continues to lead the industry with its
innovations for the digital network era.
Overview
In the area of digital broadcasting, the company has been
developing products for each standard proposed in Japan,
the US, and Europe. In September 1999, it started
shipments of IRD exclusively developed for CANAL+, the
largest broadcaster in Europe, destined for the Polish
market. Approaches to other markets are already in
progress. In Japan, OEM sample shipments are being
made for NIM, a front-end module indispensable for de-
modulation of signals in BS digital broadcasts, scheduled
to start in December 2000.
The list of prospective devices also includes the optical
microphone announced in October 1999. This is a
microphone based on the entirely new principle of
capturing sounds, i.e. air vibrations, in the form of
fluctuations in light waves. Kenwood became the first
manufacturer to offer such a product as a result of joint
development with Phone-Or Ltd. in Israel. Unlike
conventional ones, this microphone adds a completely new
dimension with its superlative sensitivity, pinpoint
directionality, and many other features. Possible