Toshiba Introduces First NUONÆ-Enhanced DVD-Video Player At Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)

12-May-00

In a move that significantly expands the home entertainment capabilities of DVD-Video, Toshiba announced the introduction of its SD2300 DVD-Video player, the company's first DVD player to include NUONÆ-enhanced functionality. The heart of the NUON system is an advanced media processor design that permits a wealth of new feature sets and performance capabilities never before available in a DVD-Video player. The Toshiba SD2300 makes its debut at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Los Angeles, California, May 11-13, 2000. Developed by VM Labs Inc. of Mountain View, California, NUON enables the SD2300 to function as a complete interactive home entertainment system. NUON enhances the user interface with dazzling 3D bitmapped graphics that provide a stunning three-dimensional look and feel to the SD2300's on-screen menus, with 16 million colors, multiple overlay capability and picture-in-graphics displays. With NUON technology, the SD2300 also delivers slow motion and special effects never before available and a unique 16-power pixel zoom feature. The NUON platform also enables new interactive audio capabilities. For playback of Compact Discs, the SD2300 features a Virtual Light Machineô mode that displays stunning visuals and graphics that pulse and beat in step with the music.The SD2300 will also offer complete compatibility with NUON-enhanced DVD movie titles. Consumers will soon have access to expanded movie viewing features including interactive menus and extra content not before available from a set-top player. Movie studios can provide value added content, HTML files, movie-based games and more, utilizing developer tools from NUON that significantly enhance the entertainment experience.The SD2300 also provides playback of NUON-encoded game software, enabling users to enjoy state-of-the-art video games. In addition, NUON paves the way for a new generation of interactive educational, edutainment and reference multimedia DVD software.The Toshiba SD2300 makes full use of NUON technology throughout. A newly designed advanced remote control features a unique eight-way compass cursor design that provides simple navigation of on-screen menus as well as NUON-encoded interactive video games. For expandability, the SD2300 includes NUON ports on the front panel, allowing easy connection of NUON peripherals such as a game console, or other device.Craig Eggers, Director of Product Planning for DVD, pointed out, ""By combining NUON technology with Toshiba's unsurpassed video and audio performance, the Toshiba SD2300 offers consumers the ultimate family entertainment experience. NUON extends the capabilities of DVD as never before, and marks the beginning of an exciting new era in interactive digital entertainment. The SD2300 represents the first of a line of innovative Toshiba DVD players designed to enhance and expand the possibilities of home entertainment."" Unsurpassed Performance And ConvenienceComplementing the enhanced NUON functionality, the Toshiba SD2300 includes a wealth of performance features and offers unmatched user convenience. A 10-bit, 27MHz video DAC delivers stunning images free from artifacts and noise. Compatibility with 24-bit/96kHz insures that compact discs and DVDs will sound their very best. The SD2300 also includes ColorStreamô component video outputs. The ColorStream component video connection is the ideal interface between a digital video source and a connected display device. The resulting picture is characterized by superior image purity, remarkably lifelike colors and crisp color resolution. The SD2300 also provides S-Video and composite video outputs for connection to any display device, and all video outputs operate in parallel, enabling the SD2300 to be connected to more than one TV for multi-room viewing enjoyment.Further enhancing image quality, the Toshiba SD2300 features Video Black Level Expansion circuitry. With this function, the viewer can choose to set the reference black threshold cutoff to Normal (7.5 IRE) or Enhanced (0 IRE). Choosing the Enhanced position from the on-screen display expands the overall contrast range in the picture, resulting in richer, deeper blacks, along with finer tonal gradation and gray scale reproduction. Reflecting Toshiba's commitment to exemplary audio performance, the SD2300 includes HDCD precision filtering and decoding, a process that provides true 20-bit audio resolution from the growing number of HDCD-enhanced discs. The patented HDCD precision filtering process also enhances the playback sound of conventional CDs. With HDCD decoding, the SD2300 is literally transformed from a DVD-Video player that also plays CDs into a DVD player that doubles as a superb audiophile-quality CD player, capable of providing the full sonic benefits of the more than 4,000 HDCD-encoded CD titles now available.Ease-of-use and viewer convenience has always been a top priority in Toshiba DVD players. For example, the SD2300 includes a unique First Setup menu that presents a series of simple on-screen questions to consumers and then automatically customizes the DVD player to best serve their home theatre needs. The First Setup menu quickly configures the DVD player for 90 percent of all home theatre applications in a simple and straightforward manner, without even having to read the owner's manual.The SD2300's Quick Menu navigation feature further enhances ease-of-use. When the ""Quick"" key on the remote is pressed, an icon-based on-screen menu appears, displaying only those commands specific to the particular playback mode in which the player is engaged. This makes interaction with the player faster and easier, eliminating the need to scroll through unnecessary menu choices.The SD2300's advanced remote control features an eight-way compass cursor and Virtual Remote key. When the Virtual Remote key is pressed, an easy-to-read on-screen remote control display appears over the video display. This function allows users to access key DVD playback functions on-screen, directing their commands entirely from the compass cursor of the handheld remote - providing ideal access to primary player operations in darkened home theatre environments. This feature is also a proven resource for visually impaired individuals who can benefit from a large screen display of basic operating commands. In addition, a remote confirmation feature provides an audio confirmation ""beep"" whenever a remote command has been received.Other Toshiba features include the company's Strobe Picture Viewer feature, which allows users to arrange and view action images in successive order by selecting the number of picture ""samples"" desired and varying the time between each successive image. The SD2300's Angle Viewer function enables users to view a series of available camera angles presented as still pictures across the bottom of the screen.The Toshiba SD2300 DVD-Video Player carries a suggested retail price of $399.00 and is planned to ship during the third quarter of 2000. Toshiba America Consumer Products, Inc. is an independent operating company, owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, a world leader in high technology products with subsidiaries worldwide.