Hack Attack! Divx Survives the Holidays, Faces a New Demon

Emedia Professional, April, 1999 by Lauren Wiley

(Digital Video Express LP, 9950 Mayland Drive, Richmond, VA 23233-1464; http://www.divx.com)

RELATED ARTICLE: DVD Forum Issues Final Version of the DVD-Audio Specification

The DVD Forum's Steering Committee has approved Version 1.0 of the DVD-Audio disc specification, making it the fifth member of the DVD format family after DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, and DVD-R. Based on this adoption, the DVD Forum will publish the DVD-Audio Format Book, which contains the detailed specification of the format. Copies of the book were expected to be available to authorized companies by early spring 1999. Foremost in the specification, both stereo sound and multichannel mixes for playback in home theater or automobile environments can be placed on the same DVD-Audio disc, featuring digital recordings that are said to be technically more faithful to the original studio master recordings. Since the issue of Version 0.9 of the specification in June 1998, the format has been adjusted only to accommodate two new music-industry requests that are incorporated into Version 1.0. First, a Iossless transmission system for music signal processing has been added as an option for content producers. This transmits very high-quality audio signals within a limited transfer rate without any loss of the original musical information to allow more than 74 minutes of multichannel audio playback from a single-sided, single-layer 5-inch disc. Also, flexibility has been increased for content providers who may elect, for example, to use only Dolby Digital (AC-3) sound with video clips or both Dolby Digital and LPCM sound tracks.

RELATED ARTICLE: Pinnacle Micro Unveils Rex Cinema Storage/Playback System for PCs

Pinnacle Micro Inc. has introduced Flex Cinema, a storage device and DVD-Video playback system for PCs running Windows 95/98. The system consists of Pinnacle Micro's Flex DVD-RAM drive and an MPEG-2 video decoder card with software. Users can play standard DVD-Video discs on a PC monitor or a television. Video processing is performed by the MPEG-2 decoder card, which reduces the load on the host processor, and results in smooth full-motion video and theater-quality audio play-back. The video playback software provided with Flex Cinema emulates the controls of a standard DVD player. Users can select the DVD-Video track, subtitle language, viewing aspect ratios, camera angles, and audio volume. Flex Cinema also allows users to store up to 5.2GB of data on a removable double-sided DVD-RAM cartridge and functions as a CD/DVD reader. Formatting software, device driver software, and one 5.2GB DVD-RAM cartridge are included. The manufacturer's suggested retail price for Flex Cinema is $899. (Pinnacle Micro, Inc., 140 Technology, Suite 500, Irvine, CA 92618; 800/553-7070 or 714/789-3000; Fax 714/789-3150; http://www, pinnaclemicro, com.)