V Inc. Launches CE Brand With MPEG-4-Ready DVD Player And A Complete Line Of Plasma Displays

9-Jan-03

VÆ Inc. makes its entrance into the consumer electronics marketplace with a complete line of flat-panel EDTV/HDTV plasma displays and an industry-first MPEG-4-ready DVD player. V Inc.'s mission is to bring practical technological innovation to consumer electronics products while maintaining operational simplicity and value. V Inc. EDTV/HDTV plasma displays will range in sizes from 32 to 50 inches and will have a suggested retail prices from $2,999.99 to $5,999.99, respectively. The Bravo D1 home DVD player will be first of its kind with the ability to decode MPEG-4 video via Sigma Design's DVD8500 chipset and have DVI/HDCP digital output. Available in February, the Bravo D1 will have a suggested retail price of $199.99. The Bravo D1 and all V Inc. plasma displays will have direct digital picture (DDP) via DVI (Digital Video Interface), thus maintaining a pure digital video signal path through the content's display.""Our DVD player signifies our product philosophy,"" noted William Wang, V Inc. CEO. ""We've married many of the integrated efficiencies from PCs into a simple-to-operate, inexpensive home DVD player that offers breakthrough performance capabilities. It has pure direct digital output and scaling to HDTV resolution with MPEG-4 decoding while maintaining affordability,"" Wang concluded.Bravo D1 PlayerV Inc.'s Bravo D1 is the first DVD player to offer DVI/HDCP output and MPEG-4 playback. The advantage of DVI output is the use of Direct Digital Picture (DDP). DDP offers a digital picture from DVD to display without any analog conversion. The benefit of DDP is a picture free from video noise and artifacts that are the result of digital-to-analog conversion. DDP technology also allows for the image to be digitally scaled to the native resolution of the display device.The Bravo D1 features also include DVD, DVD-R/RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, MPEG-4, JPEG, MP3, and WMA playback capabilities. The player supports DolbyÆ Digital and DTSÆ pass-through on optical and S/PDIF outputs. The player features NTSC composite, S-video, and component video output for interlaced or progressive scan video signals. The standard-definition video outputs implement MacrovisionÆ copy protection, and the DVI output implements HDCP (High Definition Content Protection) encryption for absolute security where applicable.About MPEG-4 In DVD PlayersMPEG-4 is the latest digital video compression standard, enabling content developers to create sophisticated programs containing audio, video, text, graphics, and interactivity. The object-oriented environment of MPEG-4 provides for complex scene compression at low bit rates with correspondingly small file sizes, making it ideal for either lower-cost or higher-capacity storage. Consumers are poised to embrace MPEG-4 to record an up to two-hour movie on low-cost CD-Rs. This segment may include downloaded content or user-created content, such as the output from Panasonic's new MPEG-4 digital PalmcorderÆ MultiCamô camcorders. Professionals and videophiles, seeking the benefits of high-resolution viewing, are set to embrace the upcoming adoption by the DVD Forum of an MPEG-4-based standard for high-definition DVD playback and recording.Sigma Design's EM8500 Advanced DVD Player ChipsetThe EM8500 is designed around the system-on-chip concept with an internal 150 MIPS RISC CPU, system interfaces, busses, and control ports to implement a complete DVD player. Sigma's EM8500 enables manufacturers to easily incorporate support of MPEG-4, MP3, WMA, and Picture CDÆ content, progressive scan DVD-Video, high-definition scaling, and audio CD playback. The convergence of these applications into a single, cost-effective appliance represents a substantial benefit to the consumer.Video decoding capabilities include MPEG-4, MPEG-2, and MPEG-1 compressed video formats, while audio decoding includes DolbyÆ Digital, DTSÆ, Windows MediaÆ Audio (WMA v.8), and MPEG-1 Layers 1, 2, and 3 (MP3). MPEG-4 video support is based on the advanced simple profile and supports DVD-resolution content. MPEG-2 video support includes full-precision DVD decoding and Macrovision protection. Any form of decoded content can be output in either progressive or interlaced format in analog or direct digital output via DVI with HDCP protection. Beyond the normal decoding of content, the EM8500 offers a sophisticated scaling and scan conversion of standard video to various HDTV resolutions (480p, 1080i, 720p), which recreates many elements of cinema picture quality. Also supported is Kodak's (JPEG) Picture CD format for viewing digital photo content, which provides a substantially enhanced image when utilizing the high-definition output.V Inc., headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, is a leading-edge digital technology company. Founded by William Wang, a leader in the computer display industry, V Inc. is bringing vision to the consumer electronics market through practical innovation. V Inc. products offer customers the most advanced technologies at the most affordable value. Initial products will include plasma, LCD, DLPô, and LCoS EDTV/HDTV displays, and DVD and HDTV output solutions. For more information, visit www.Vinc.us.

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