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

To: John Rieman who wrote (38970)	2/17/1999 7:42:00 PM
From: DiViT	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50808

Yippee! SMC DVD is Cube based.... Or should I say ouch? DVD REGIONAL-CODING WOES CONTINUE 02/15/99 VIDEO WEEK (c) Copyright 1999 Warren Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Latest affront to studios' efforts to preserve sanctity of DVD regional coding involves Chinese-made deck that can play discs from any region, although operation is noisy and balky. What's baffling to those charged with enforcing DVD license is how to deal with deck that isn't DVD video player at all, but PC-type DVD-ROM drive built into tabletop-player housing. Source of deck is mysterious in itself. As cited in our report last week on transshipped DVDs (AW Feb 8 p1), it's sold by U.K.-based retailer Maplin Electronics, 48-store chain with extensive mail order business in Europe. At about $575 including tax, deck is attractively priced compared with others in those markets. But key inducement is ability to change regional codes through deck's remote control -- or choose code-free operation. Sample obtained by our European correspondent carries hitherto-unknown brand name SMC. Labeling on decks' back panel says "Made in China" and identifies marketer as SMC Multi-Media Products Co., Ltd., with P.O. box address in Tortola, B.V.I. As company has no phone listing there, our attempt to contact it was unsuccessful, and search through local authority that registers foreign companies hadn't been completed at our deadline. Registry in B.V.I. often is address-of-convenience for companies that operate as shells. SMC model 330 deck already had sold out at Maplin's London stores last Mon just on word of mouth, before retailer had begun advertising that informs prospective customers that they can buy discs from "other countries" -- presumably desirable Region 1 U.S. titles -- when traveling outside Region 2 Europe. Retailer doesn't offer Region 1 discs, as U.K.'s 1984 Video Recording Act specifies minimum $33,000 fine and 6-month jail term for sale of software that doesn't carry rating from British Board of Film Classification. In fact, SMC-330 has Region 2 factory-preset to avoid any inference that it's transshipped from other regions, Maplin's sales staff said. But accompanying manual instructs owner to enter 77 on remote control keypad to access menu for changing code to any of 6 regions or to "Region 13" option that will play all discs regardless of coding. Despite appeal of code-free player in market hungry for broader and fresher selection of Region 1 DVDs, British enthusiast magazine What's Video panned SMC-330 in test review for March issue. Curious about unusually noisy drive and other operating quirks, magazine's tester opened player hood and discovered it uses PC internal DVD-ROM drive instead of video player mechanism. Deck, though, didn't have Intel or other PC main processor. While PC drive accounted for noise and balky operation, magazine attributed deck's poor video performance to use of C-Cube Ziva chip for MPEG-2 decoding. C-Cube chip also contributes to deck's low price, magazine said. Most tabletop DVD players and even desktop PCs use dedicated MPEG-2 video board for decoding. Magazine also rapped SMC-330 for misleading audio specs. Although machine is claimed to decode Dolby Digital, magazine said that in fact it outputs just 2-channel mixdown from AC-3 bitstream, good only for stereo reproduction or analog Dolby Surround. Deck's mysterious origin and nonstandard construction will pose conundrum for entity that polices DVD licensing agreement. Besides incorporating Content Scrambling System (CSS) as anticopy measure, license requires manufacture to code player for single region -- and make reasonable effort to build player so that regional code can't be easily changed or defeated. But rules are different for PC-based DVD-ROM, whose regional code can be changed by user for limited period. Source familiar with licensing procedures told us SMC deck would present unusual case in that it's first known instance where DVD-ROM component for PC is being marketed as DVD home video player. Industry established DVD regional code system in order to protect staggered theatrical and video release dates internationally, as home video version of movie sometimes is available in some markets before film hits theaters in others. Meanwhile, trade in modified DVD players continues unabated in Region 2, most often by adding inexpensive chip that either changes factory preset or defeats regional code entirely -- and sometimes analog Macrovision anticopy function with it. But it's likely that DVD decks whose regional code can be reset through remote control with menu originally intended only for service technicians won't be marketed in future. We're told that companies that had manufactured players in such way will revise how service function is implemented in future decks.

To: John Rieman who wrote (38970)	2/19/1999 2:46:00 PM
From: J Fieb	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 50808

JR, I'd swear that AB said mid-'00 for HD encoders, someone even asked again to reconfrim it....but what is the MV400 then?? NAB April 17-22. Set your links....... nab.org Exhibitor Details DiviCom, Inc. 1708 McCarthy Blvd. Milpitas, CA 95035 Booth Number(s): S3353 Web site: www.divi.com Description: At NAB'99, DiviCom will showcase its portfolio of products designed to offer open solutions that will enable broadcasters to offer the finest in digital services. As a premier provider of standards-based MPEG-2 encoding systems DiviCom has the experience to delivery a solution that will meet your needs today and protect your investment for the future. Highlighted in the booth is our new MV400 encoder which represents the next generation of HD encoding by providing high quality MPEG-2 compression for HDTV applications in a unique, one-rack unit package. The MV400 features MotionTrack™ software, and the latest C-Cube encoding engines enabling superb motion prediction and unified rate control. Also featured at NAB will be our MediaView™ line of standard definition encoders with our DiviTrack™ Lookahead statistical multiplexing functionality which captured a "Best of Show" award last year at NAB'98. Broadcast solutions that will be highlighted in the booth are HD and SD encoding solutions in a typical broadcast station, datacasting solutions to enable broadcasters to generate new revenue opportunities, contribution and program distribution solutions to deliver their content and digital turnaround solutions to receive, manipulation and retransmit digital content. Products: ATM Audio Compression Equipment Audio Encoder/Decoder (AC-3) Audio Encoder/Decoder (MPEG) Audio Production Equipment and Accessories Bit Stream Splicers Broadband Comm. Systems Broadcast Video Servers Cable TV Headend Equipment Computer Products and Services Connectors - Rack & Panel Connectors/Assemblies Construction and Design Services Contribution Quality Compressors/ Encoders Contribution Quality Decoders/Decompressors Data Broadcasting Data Broadcasting Services Digital Distribution & Transcoding Equipment Digital Studio link Coder/Decoder Digital Transcoding Equipment Digital Video Dimmers and Light Controllers DTV Products (ATSC) Engineering Services Facility Planning and Design Fiber Optic Transmission Systems HDTV Equipment Installation/Systems Integration, Building, Broadcast and Pr Jacks and Patchcords Keyboard and Panel Mount Switches Metadata Control Systems (System Information) MMDS & ITFS Systems MMDS/Wireless Cable MPEG Compression Systems Multimedia Products and Services Multiplex Systems Multiplexors Patch Panel/Bays Program & System Information Generator/Controller Receivers Station Design Studio Transmitter Links (STL's) Studio Transmitter Links (STL's) (combined NTSC and ATSC) Systems Integration Systems Integration/Application Development Telecommunications Teleconferencing and/or Distance Learning Equipment Video Analyzing Systems Video Compression Equipment Video Compression Equipment/Encoder (for final transmission) Video Patch Panels Video Products and Services Video Servers Wire, Cable and Fiberoptics Return to Exhibitor Search Page Return to the NAB99 Home Page