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' D-VHS FACT SHEET
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' On January 30th, 2002, JVC, along with the support four major studios - Twentieth Century Fox, Universal, DreamWorks, and Artisan - announced the new D-VHS "D-Theater" software platform for High-Definition (HD) prerecorded content.
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' On January 31st, 2002, DVDFILE and a number of other journalists were invited to a private demo of the new platform, followed by a Q&A with representatives from JVC and all four participating studios. The following is a "fact sheet" of the main features and highlights of the D-VHS format. (For this writer's personal impressions of the format, please see today's Viewpoint.)
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' (Note that all the following information was released by JVC and the consortium of studios at today's conference, and as of this writing, is accurate. But as no software has yet been released, it is possible some of these released details may change.)
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' The JVC HM-DH3000 D-VHS video recorder with D-Theater
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' Hardware availability
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' As of this writing, D-VHS hardware is very limited. The flagship player is the JVC HM-DH3000, available since September 2001. List price is a cool $1,995.95.
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' Currently, this model is the ONLY one available that will play D-Theater-encoded software. (See below for more on D-Theater.) Past D-VHS decks by JVC and other manufacturers are not D-Theater-ready. JVC plans to introduce more models in the future, and support by other manufacturers is "expected."
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' A look at the HM-DH3000
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' Perhaps the most confusing aspect of D-VHS is what tape formats it will support, its storage capacity, connection options, and what HD formats and resolutions it can output.
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' Though there is no telling with future models, the HM-DH3000 is a versatile machine. It can play material recorded in D-VHS, D-VHS with D-Theater encryption, and VHS. It's storage is an impressive 1.2 Gigabytes of data, or roughly 4 hours of HD material encoded at full bit rate (which tops out at 28 Mbps, and surpasses the 19 Mbps ATSC standard for over-the-air HDTV broadcasts) and a whopping 50 hours of material recorded at VHS quality.
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' While you will need a HDTV monitor to receive the full benefit of D-VHS software recorded in HD, the HM-DH3000 offers multiple output options. The platform and the HM-DH3000 are capable of outputting native 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p signals, and on the HM-DH3000, via component or S-Video outputs. So, even if you don't own a HDTV-capable monitor, you can still enjoy D-Theater-encoded D-VHS material if you have a compatible input on your current monitor, albeit downconverted to 480i/p.
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' The HM-DH3000 does not, however, feature digital outputs, including FireWire, but JVC claims they will support digital outs when the copy protection issues are resolved. And the studios currently supporting D-VHS claim they will not cease support of the platform when digital-output-equipped players arrive.
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' Audio options
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' D-VHS with D-Theater (but not, importantly, D-VHS) is fairly versatile in what audio formats it will support, and D-VHS with D-Theater hardware and software has the capacity to offer multiple audio tracks. While Dolby Digital 5.1 is the chosen carrier for D-VHS, content providers can elect to encode D-VHS with D-Theater titles with optional soundtracks, including DTS. Currently, the HM-DH3000 can "throughput" a DTS signal, but does not include a built-in DTS decoder.
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' But, it is very important to remember that support for non-Dolby Digital-encoded soundtracks is also hardware specific, D-VHS hardware from other manufacturers, or other JVC models aside from the HM-DH3000, may not provide DTS support even if a D-Theater-encoded title includes the option.
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' Just what is "D-Theater?"
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' Adding a new wrinkle to the D-VHS format, D-Theater is a robust encryption and decryption technology developed by JVC to protect high-quality prerecorded content. It is a "two-step" process; i.e., D-VHS software encoded as D-Theater can only be played back on a D-VHS deck that is equipped with D-Theater. In other words, no D-VHS decks before the HM-DH3000 will play D-Theater-encoded titles.
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' All of the four participating studios are not necessary supporting the D-VHS format per se; rather, they are ONLY releasing D-VHS titles encoded in D-Theater.
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Усе, братцы, приплыли -- BFG -- 01.02.02@11:56 (Чит.: 254)