HD, DVD, and VHS - new 3in1 unit with "6 way dubbing" Articles / National/Panasonic Posted by zmcnulty on Mar 09, 2004 - 08:25 AM |
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Matsushita is hot to trot with their new machine that has enough features to keep one busy for years. But it comes at a cost, as usual - about $1100 USD. Matsushita Electrical Industries Corporation announced the "DMR-E150V" on the 9th, which is a 3-in-1 (HDD/DVD/VHS) unit. The release date of the DMR-E150V is June 21st, and though the price is Open Price, indicators suggest it should cost around 110,000 yen. The device is a "3in1 recorder," which has a DVD-R/RAM drive, 80GB HD, and a S-VHS deck. The write speed of the DVD drive is 3x for DVD-RAM, 4x for DVD-R, and dubbing from HDD to DVD-R is 32x. Also included is the "NEW Diga Engine," which uses a new real-time VBR codec, that makes compression virtually invisible by sensetivity to changes in tone, called "Super Hybrid VBR." It also has the "Integrated DNR" filter process which will analyse each individual pixel at a time for specific characteristics, and finally the "Intelligent Dubbing DNR" which, when automatically detects the external video signal as a tape, will record to high quality. The 4 recording modes are XP, SP, LP, and EP. EP mode also has the "New . Long Playing Mode" which allows for recording approximately 134% of previous EP modes. Another feature is the "Fit Record (FR Mode)" which will automatically set the recording bitrate according to the disc capacity when recording to a DVD disc. The hard drive can hold up to 142 hours of video at the longest. Audio is recorded in 2ch Dolby Digital, and Linear PCM can also be chosen when recording to XP mode. Also, fast forward can go up to 1.3x with the sound on. There is also "One Touch 6 Way Dubbing" which allows for dubbing between HD, DVD, and VHS with one simple button push. When dubbing from VHS to DVD, a program list will automatically be generated using VISS signals. When dubbing from the HD or DVD-RAM discs, a VISS signal will be automatically written to the VHS tape. Other functions include skipping blank areas of the VHS tape during dubbing (to DVD), dual language broadcasts, and aspect ratio information. Also, the device can record to the HD from finalized DVD-Rs realtime. Finally, when using high-speed dubbing between the HD and DVD, recording from the HD to VHS (and VHS playback) are also possible. Two CATV jacks are included on the unit, and simultaneous recording of two different channels (DVD/HD and VHS) is possible. It includes EPG (G-GUIDE) functions, so recording to HD, DVD, or VHS on a schedule is also possible. However, since there is only one MPEG encoder, simultaneous recording to the DVD and HD is not possible. The VHS deck can playback S-VHS, but not record. Lucky for you though, because you can record S-VHS quality video to the HD or DVD. It also supports "600x Quick Return" which can rewind a 120 minute tape in approximately 36 seconds. Matsushita has also said that "tracking and noise problems are reduced, so high-quality video can be saved to DVD." Also supported is Progressive DVD playback, DVD-Audio (2ch), CD-R/RW playback, etc.. It also supports playback of MP3 files stored on CD-R/RW discs. For circuitry, it has a 3D digital Y/C seperation filter, and 3D digital noise reduction circuitry. External inputs also have TBC circuitry. Another feature is the "Easy Program Navi" which will display recorded videos (DVD/HD only) as thumbnails on the operation menu. Input ports are 3x S-Video, 3x Composite, and 3x analog audio. Output ports are 1x D2, 1x S-Video (DVD only), 2x Composite (1 is DVD only), 2x analog audio (1 is DVD only), and 1x optical digital audio. DV ports are not featured. Since the release date is still more than 3 months away, the dimensions, weight, and power consumption of the device have not yet been finalized.  Inspired by: http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20040309/pana3.htm [1] News Release: http://matsushita.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/jn040309-4/jn040309-4.html [2] |
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This article is from TechJapan http://www.techjapan.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.techjapan.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=161 Links in this article [1] http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20040309/pana3.htm [2] http://matsushita.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/jn040309-4/jn040309-4.html |