Sony Continues Reference Standard DVD Legacy With Introduction of New ES-Series

Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sony Electronics today introduced its newest ES-series DVD player to satisfy the growing demand for sophisticated audio and video reproduction and performance.

The new DVP-NS999ES player offers a variety of advanced technical features available from the leader in innovative home entertainment. Technical advancements include Precision Cinema Progressive output and multi-channel SACD playback, as well as Pixel-by-Pixel Active I/P Conversion for sharp and detailed video projection, and Audio-Video Alignment to produce precise on-screen picture and sound synchronization.

"As the market becomes increasingly cluttered with new models and features, home theater lovers look for products that stand apart from the crowd," said Joseph Stinziano, director of marketing for Sony Electronics' Home Entertainment Products Division. "Our new reference standard ES DVD player is an ideal player for people seeking outstanding technology and a simple, elegant design to complement their sophisticated home theater systems."

Precision Cinema Progressive
The DVP-NS999ES features Sony's proprietary Precision Cinema Progressive system, which incorporates Pixel-by-Pixel I/P Conversion technology to augment and balance DVD-video elements and ensure excellent picture quality. The conversion method removes distortion usually found in original formats to optimize every area of the video scene. The Pixel-by-Pixel Active I/P Conversion process -- with still, slow, and motion modes -- sharpens both slow and fast moving video objects to maintain the integrity of the video's source material.

The new DVD player's 14bit/108MHz Video D/A Converter provides accurate color rendition and gray scale from the deepest black to the brightest highlights.

Additional elements of the Precision Cinema Progressive system include the Super Sub Alias Filter, which achieves better signal-to-noise ratio and superb frequency response resulting in crisp, clean images and the V-Edge Compensation, which virtually eliminates jagged edges on diagonal lines. Also, the system's Noise Shaped Video (NSV(1)) feature uses the sigma delta modulation technique to reduce video noise for added picture quality. By incorporating these sophisticated technologies, the DVP-NS999ES produces exceptional quality video playback.

Optimized Audio Performance
Offering multi-channel SACD playback, the DVP-NS999ES captures the sonic ambience and power as originally intended by its producers. Multi-channel SACD provides a multi-dimensional sound experience by bringing to life the different nuances and layers of audio output.

The music reproduction of the new reference standard player combines the sonic characteristics of a fully dimensional soundstage with the impressive clarity of SACD's Direct Stream Digital (DSD) technology. Tweaking the sound is easy with the unit's Bass Management and speaker distance adjustment via an on-screen Graphic User Interface.

In addition, the player's Audio-Video (A-V) Alignment feature eliminates any time delay between picture and sound, which can occur occasionally when a DVD picture is displayed on either an HDTV, Plasma Display Panel (PDP) or a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD).

Advanced FX Mechanism
The construction of a DVD player can often be vulnerable to vibrations in the disc or optical pick-up. This can lead to unwanted noise radiating throughout the chassis, causing distortions in the audio circuitry. Sony's Frame and Beam construction provides rigidity and an anti-resonant design by utilizing high strength vertical and horizontal beams to reduce excessive signal interference.

Further ensuring optimized performance and design, the model's spindle, motor and optical pick-up base are bolted to a sub-chassis to avoid possibility of distortion and feedback. In addition, the DVP-NS999ES player uses a unique loading method that allows enthusiasts to see through the tray window where the disc not only moves laterally into the player, but where it also descends onto the spindle. As a result, the disc is read in a silent, extremely stable, non-resonant environment.

The base unit is mounted on the subchassis called the mechanical deck. This is a self-contained box formed of Sony's Buck Molding Compound, which resists vibration and resonance.

The Precision Drive 2 with Dynamic Tilt Compensation is Sony's second generation optical pick-up, which provides fast access and steady tracking by applying a high responsive serve tilt to the pick-up in order to compensate for some imperfections found in some discs.

The DVP-NS999ES player will be available in October for about $1,200.