Planar Introduces First Medically Certified 4-Megapixel Color Diagnostic Imaging Display; New 2-, 3- and 5- Megapixel Grayscale, 2- and 3- Megapixel Color Round out New Dome(R) EX Line

Designed for use in areas such as radiology, cardiology, nuclearmedicine (NM), positron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET/CT), dermatology and the OR, Planar's Dome E4c features awidescreen, 16:9 format that simplifies comparison studies byeliminating the image split associated with dual-head monitors,providing more screen space for multiple images. The Dome E4c, alongwith the other color displays in the Dome EX line (Dome E2c and E3c),enhances visualization of various color modalities, 2-D color imaging,image fusion, and 3-D imaging.

"Planar's innovative EX line of color displays satisfies a truemarket need," said David Kurzynski, senior vice president ofengineering at Emageon, a provider of advanced visualization softwarefor diagnostic imaging. "Through our combined efforts this year,Emageon and Planar have delivered high performance advancedvisualization using the OpenGL graphics standard. The Dome EX linenaturally extends these benefits to color medical displays."

The Dome E4c can display more than 90 percent of a computedradiography (CR) image without the need to scale it down and also canshow 15 full-size 512 x 512 color and grayscale images at the sametime, dramatically increasing productivity when viewing large datasetsand studies with multiple series.

New Color and Grayscale Displays Complete Dome EX Line

Planar is also introducing the new Dome EX line with color andgrayscale displays in 2- and 3-megapixel resolutions, as well as a new5-megapixel grayscale display. The Dome EX line offers fasterperformance for smoother image rotation and higher brightness andcontrast ratios for better, more vivid representation of grayscale andcolor images. The new color displays are ideal for use in adistributed PACS environment for areas ranging from radiology andcardiology, to dermatology and applications in the OR. The newgrayscale displays in the Dome EX line (Dome E2, E3 and E5) have beendesigned for the most demanding diagnostic applications including CT,magnetic resonance (MR), ultrasound, CR, digital radiography (DR), NM,digitized film and mammography.

Planar's Dome EX line of DICOM-calibrated diagnostic imagingdisplays features Planar's advanced Dome DA4 hardware architecture,enabling the use of select, commercially available graphicscontrollers for open standards support. Open standards, such as OpenGLand DirectX, provide the capability to perform texture mapping,volumetric rendering and other powerful visualization functions oftenused in interactive 2-D and 3-D medical viewing applications.

"Surgeons and diagnostic physicians have been looking forward tothe expanded scope and larger viewing areas promised by thewide-format 16:9 aspect ratio monitor prototypes," said KatherineShariq, industry manager of healthcare and life sciences informationtechnologies at Frost & Sullivan. "Planar's introduction of awide-format monitor will be a welcome addition to the market and willcomplement Planar's already broad product line."

Planar's Dome EX line is compatible with Dome CXtra(TM) and DomeDashboard(TM) software. Dome CXtra software monitors and controlsDICOM calibration of Dome displays using data from the PlanarRightLight(TM) integrated photometer. Dome Dashboard is a consoleapplication which enables PACS administrators and IT managers tocentrally manage, control and report on their entire line of Domemedical imaging displays.

Planar's new Dome EX line features the following attributes andbenefits:

Dome E4c

-- Widescreen, 16:9 format with 4-megapixel resolution; DICOM calibration for grayscale images

-- 1786 unique shades of gray

-- 330 cd/m2 typical brightness

-- 600:1 contrast ratio

Dome E3c

-- 3-megapixel resolution; DICOM calibration for grayscale images

-- 1786 unique shades of gray

-- 400 cd/m2 typical brightness

-- 400:1 contrast ratio

Dome E2c

-- 2-megapixel resolution; DICOM calibration for grayscale images

-- 1786 unique shades of gray

-- 500 cd/m2 typical brightness

-- 600:1 contrast ratio

Dome E5

-- 5-megapixel resolution; DICOM-calibrated grayscale images

-- 3061 unique shades of gray

-- 600:1 contrast ratio

-- 850 cd/m2 operating brightness

Dome E3

-- 3-megapixel resolution; DICOM-calibrated grayscale images

-- 3061 unique shades of gray

-- 700:1 contrast ratio

-- 800 cd/m2 operating brightness

Dome E2

-- 2-megapixel resolution; DICOM-calibrated grayscale images

-- 3061 unique shades of gray

-- 600:1 contrast ratio

-- 900 cd/m2 operating brightness

The Dome E3 is currently available through online and directresellers and through Planar's PACS software partners. The Dome E2will be available in the beginning of December with the remainingproducts to follow in early 2006. The Dome EX line will be showcasedpublicly for the first time at the RSNA 2005 show in Chicago, Nov. 27- 29, at Planar's booth #8308. Please visit the booth or contactCamille Wheatley, at 213-438-8753 or cwheatley@golinharris.com, if youare interested in speaking with a Planar representative at the show.

About Planar

Planar Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLNR) is a leading provider offlat-panel display hardware and software solutions for demandingmedical, retailing, industrial and commercial applications. Hospitals,shopping centers, banks and businesses of all sizes use Planar displaytechnology to help connect people, information and ideas. Founded in1983, Planar is headquartered in Oregon, USA, with offices,manufacturing partners and customers worldwide. For more information,visit www.planar.com.