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Technology Stocks : C-Cube -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John Rieman who wrote (25935)	12/1/1997 3:14:00 PM
From: DiViT	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 50808

PC- DVD Encore Dxr2 DVD -ROM upgrade kit 3 stars It's been about six months since the electronics industry introduced DVD video and DVD -ROM technologies, yet most manufacturers are still scrambling to release their first DVD devices. Not so Creative Labs, which has already unveiled its next-generation DVD -ROM kit, the PC- DVD Encore Dxr2. Creative's head start in this area is evident in a release that's better and less expensive than competing products. As with the Hi-Val and Diamond kits reviewed here in September and October, respectively, we tested the Encore Dxr2 on a PC powered by a Cyrix 6x86 PR166 processor and a Number Nine Imagine 128 Series 2 graphics card, using a ViewSonic 17PS monitor set at 1,024-by-768 resolution. It took only about 20 minutes to get the Encore Dxr2 up and running. The kit uses a customized version of Matsushita's second-generation DVD -ROM drive, which, in addition to functioning as a 20X CD-ROM drive, can also read CD-recordable discs, a rarity for a DVD -ROM drive. Creative uses the same AuraVision chip set that Diamond has on its MPEG-2 decoder card, but there are some significant differences. First, Creative's card is less than half the length of Diamond's, so space within the PC case is less of an issue. But if you want to watch DVD video on your TV and hook it to your stereo, Creative's design is less satisfying, because it's missing direct Dolby ProLogic audio support--though when coupled with a solid pair of multimedia speakers, the Encore Dxr2 does deliver full-bodied sound. (The card supports Dolby Digital, a more expensive, less common technology.) As with the Diamond DVD -ROM kit, the Encore Dxr2's MPEG-2 decoder requires a "loop-through" cable, which connects to a standard graphics card. Picture quality is sharper than the Diamond kit's, but fuzzy next to the video image produced by the HiVal/Quadrant combo. Creative's navigational software successfully emulates the buttons on a DVD video player's remote control. You can also click on DVD menu choices on screen, a handy option. With a price at least $100 less than that of its nearest competitor, the PC- DVD Encore Dxr2 is the best value yet in the emerging DVD -ROM drive market. $379 (PC) from Creative Labs, (800) 998-1000, (408) 428-6600, www.creativelabs.com Circle #533

To: John Rieman who wrote (25935)	12/1/1997 3:34:00 PM
From: DiViT	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50808

"..the most significant thing that emerged from the IBC convention.." MPEG-2 comes of age Paul McGoldrick ÿ 11/30/97 Broadcast Engineering Copyright (c) 1997 Intertec Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved. ÿ To me, the most significant thing that emerged from the IBC convention in Amsterdam was entirely expected, but welcome. C - Cube gave the first public demonstration of one of its DVx chips simultaneously decoding two MPEG-2 streams. This is probably one of the last developments needed for MPEG-2-based non-linear editing systems. The result is likely to be major improvements in picture quality, higher compression ratios and improved end-to-end interoperability, compared to JPEG systems. The flexible DVx architecture is based on a 32-bit RISC processor extended for MPEG's compression-specific instructions. Encoding and decoding can be 4:2:2 or 4:2:0, and an adaptive field/frame algorithm allows for either field- or frame-type data. From a professional/broadcasting viewpoint, a single chip that decodes two streams is a major breakthrough. Although the more important chip in the DVx family may be the one with an encoder and decoder on-board and both are real-time (at least within the limits of acceptability of the phrase!). The choice of Motion-JPEG in current non-linear editing systems is almost entirely driven by the availability of single-chip codecs. Having the same functionality in MPEG-2 is an essential part of a switch in standards. Of course, if there was to be a chip with two streams of encoding and decoding on board What will happen with existing streams using M-JPEG and the DV (DVS) standards of DV consumer (4:1:1, 25Mb/s) and DV prosumer (4:2:2, 50Mb/s)? Clearly, technology decisions and market decisions do not necessarily track well. With the higher compression rates - saving valuable storage space _ and better picture quality, MPEG-2 systems should, if the prices are comparable, be the no-contest victors. In practice, the market forces associated with consumer-type standards are too intensive and too complicated to be called by average humans. It was staggering to read that after the debacles associated with the next generation of DVD , there is now a market alignment (i.e., war) set up for the next generation of audio compact discs. One side is the familiar Philips/Sony party and they are against everyone else. The M-JPEG/DV systems will be usable with the MPEG systems as connection between the existing systems, and a transcoder can easily be accomplished on a Firewire (IEEE 1394) system. Unfortunately, this method would always involve decoding the M-JPEG/DV signals and re-encoding in MPEG. Non-editing uses The importance of these and future products are not limited to broadcast. Doors are opening into other areas. Take the case of recordable DVD . With encoders costing upward of $20,000, it is unlikely that the average household would have a recordable DVD . The average ratio of the number of MPEG-2 decoders to encoders sold is probably on the order of 10,000 to one, and that is before real adoption of the standard in the home. It has to be expected that, with the advent of the codec chip and with the inevitable price reductions that result from volume, the first mass-market implementation will be in high-end PCs. It should take only a couple of years for the usual trickle-down through medium- to low-cost PCs to take place. By the turn of the century, every machine will likely be fitted with an MPEG-2 codec. The multiple-to-one ratio of MPEG-2 decoders to encoders is going to be quickly replaced by a one-to-one ratio. Even more than recordable DVD , and the authoring that goes with it (even I might be tempted), is the fact that we have reached the point that consumer digital VCRs and disc-based camcorders are really rather close. The quality of these devices is going to be limited only by the lens/microphone system and any deliberate degradation that might be introduced, allowing for future "improvements." In some cases, the acquisition of signals is going to be dramatically different, too: Texas Instruments and Motorola have made announcements that turn our current CCD detection systems on their heads. How professional the all-CMOS sensor from TI can be, for example, is not yet known, but the integration possibilities are staggering.

To: John Rieman who wrote (25935)	12/1/1997 4:33:00 PM
From: BillyG	Respond to of 50808

Creative is marketing PC-DVD to the organization with the greatest data needs................. Creative Showcases PC-DVD Solutions and Applications for the Federal Government at FEDnet/FEDimaging Conference and Expo WHAT: Creative Labs, Inc., the world's leading provider of multimedia solutions for the PC, will showcase its second generation DVD-ROM solution, PC-DVD(TM) Encore(TM) Drx2(TM), this week at the FEDnet/FEDimaging Expo in Washington, D.C. Creative spokespersons will be on hand to demonstrate this and other new technology from Creative, as well as to answer questions and offer valuable insight regarding some of today's most significant new and emerging technologies. In addition to PC-DVD Encore, Creative will also be demonstrating its extensive line of multimedia solutions for the federal government including Sound Blaster(R) AWE64(TM) Gold, Graphics Blaster(TM) Exxtreme(TM), and Video Blaster(TM) WebCam. These solutions are growing in importance and applicability in the federal market for their use in training, messaging, visual communications and other applications. WHERE: FEDnet/FEDimaging Exposition and Conference December 3-4, 1997 Sigcat Booth #461 Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. EVENTS: Creative Shares Industry Expertise at the DVD Technology Forum Hock Leow, industry luminary and vice president of Creative's Multimedia Division, will share his thoughts and insights on DVD at a lively and informative "DVD Technology Panel" discussion. Tuesday, December 2 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Washington Convention Center Washington, D.C. CONTACT: Tina Wilmott of Creative Labs, Inc., 408-232-1223, or twilmott@soundblaster.com; or Jennifer Baker-Asiddao of Golin/Harris Communications, Inc., 213-623-4200, ext. 712, or jbaker@golinharris.com, for Creative Labs, Inc. SOURCE Creative Labs, Inc. /PRNewswire -- Dec. 1/ (CREAF)