DVD playback - Product Announcement

JVC to Use DVD-on-a-Chip in its Upcoming DVD Players

National Semiconductor Corporation has announced that JVC has selected the National Mediamatics next-generation DVD-on-a-Chip solution for its new line of consumer DVD players. JVC plans to use the chip in two of its upcoming DVD players, the XV-D721 and XV-D723. DVD-on-a-Chip integrates host processing, video and audio processing, I/O functions, and video DACs into a single chip. JVC has worked closely with the National Mediamatics group on the development of the next-generation DVD-on-a-Chip.

(National Semiconductor Corporation, 2900 Semiconductor Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95050; 408/721-5000; http://www.national.com. JVC Professional Computer Products Division, 5665 Corporate Avenue, Cypress, CA 90630; 714/ 816-6500; Fax 714/816-6519; http://www. jvc-america.com)

Toshiba Unveils Combination CD-RW/ DVD-ROM Drive

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Disc Products, has announced that its SD-R1002 combination CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive is available via distribution and Toshiba's Web site. The bundle, which follows Ricoh's comparable combo drive to market, includes Adaptec's Easy CD Creator and DirectCD, as well as CyberLink's DVD software decoder. One CD-R disc, one CD-RW disc, IDE and audio cables, and a bonus game sampler are also included. The drive features 4X CD write and rewrite, 24X CD-ROM read, and 4X DVD-ROM read speeds. Toshiba's SD-R1002 drive is available at an estimated retail price of $349.

(Toshiba America, Inc., 1251 Sixth Avenue, 41st Floor, New York, NY 10020; 212/596-0600; http://www.toshiba.com)

RELATED ARTICLE: Microsoft Announces the X-Box Gaming Console

Microsoft Corporation has announced the X-Box, a smart DVD gaming console designed to compete with the likes of Sony's DVD-based PlayStation 2, and due in 2001, The X-Box will feature a 600MHz Intel Pentium processor, a 4X DVD-ROM drive, a 300MHz graphics processor to be co-designed by Microsoft and nVidia, 64MB RAM, a 100Mbps Ethernet adapter, an 8GB hard disk, and an 8MB memory card. The console will feature Microsoft's DirectX API, and supports DVD movie playback. The console also features four game ports, and an optional modem, mouse, and keyboard as add-ons, Pricing for the X-Box has not yet been determined.

(Microsoft Corporation, 10500 Northeast 8th Street, Suite 1300, Bellevue, WA 98004; 800/426-9400, 425/705-1900; Fax 425/705-1831; http://www.microsoft.com)

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