Theta Introduces Carmen II DVD-CD Transport

11-Oct-02

Theta Digital has introduces the Carmen II DVD/CD Transport at CEDIA EXPO 2002.The Carmen II is a completely new edition of Theta's original Carmen DVD/CD Transport. It was conceived as the ideal marriage of an audiophile CD transport with a videophile DVD transport. Theta redesigned and enhanced virtually every internal component of the original Carmen, equipping the Carmen II with a new DVD board and drive, new audio and video circuits, a new power supply, and a new front panel display.The Carmen II can handle digital audio at 44.1, 48, and 96 kHz with resolutions of 16, 20, and 24 bits. In addition, it incorporates an advanced drive mechanism with twin laser diodes--650nm for DVD and 780nm for all CD formats. The advanced drive mechanism includes special low-jitter digital servo circuits to control the motor speed, laser tracking, and focus. It also automatically selects the proper laser for the type of disc being played. Additional circuits use sophisticated parametric statistical analysis to correct errors introduced by fingerprints, dust, and warping.The Carmen II has a new, shielded, 65-watt main DC power supply. The power supply is highly filtered at both the input and output stages, to keep unwanted noise from degrading the power used by the signal processing circuits. Both CD and DVD sections are addressed separately, with interaction between the circuits kept to a minimum. Separate, extremely low-jitter clocks are used for both the CD and DVD playback to dramatically reduce digital noise. The audio and video circuits are also isolated from each other, and multiple regulated sub-power supplies are dedicated to each section, as well as to individual areas within the sections. Each power supply and circuit incorporates integral RF suppression filters to further reduce interaction between the stages of each independent circuit, and between the audio and video sections.On the video side, Theta's new Digital Direct Ultra-Sync II Progressive Scan System deinterlaces the video signal in the digital domain before it is converted to analog. Theta-designed discrete video filters and high-speed video amplifiers--with 108 MHz, 12-bit video digital/analog controllers--are now coupled with Faroudja's DCDiô deinterlacing technology. Also featured are Theta's proprietary ultra-low jitter video re-clocking circuits and video correction software. The Carmen II's digital audio outputs include RCA, BNC and AES/EBU, and compatible with DolbyÆ Digital, PCM, DTSÆ, MP3, CD-R, and CD-RW (CD audio and Video CD), as well as MPEG and CD-ROM (for which some format restrictions apply).Video outputs include composite, two S-video, three component/RGB on BNC, and a 15-pin D-sub connector (VGA) for the Ultra-Sync II 480p Progressive Scan output. These accommodate component video with sync on green (H/V sync can be added to sync on green), and RGB with either sync on green or H/V sync.Other outputs include a single-direction RS-232 control port, and a rear IR input connector for added remote control capabilities. Front panel controls on Carmen II cover motion (using Faroudja DCDi processing), film, animation, RGB/component, and H/V sync.A 4:2:2 Serial Digital Interface (SDI) for video, to keep the signal in the digital domain, is available as an option. A Digital Video Interface (DVI) will be available at future date. The Carmen II's chassis has been designed for a smaller footprint of 19 x 31.5 x 13 inches, and is available in both silver and black in standard and rack-mount configurations. The approximate weight is 23 pounds.For more information, visit www.thetadigital.com.

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