PIONEER ADDS VHS-TO-DVD DUBBING DECK, DTV-CABLE-READY PLASMA
A combo VCR and DVD recorder for dubbing VHS home movies to DTV will join 2 new DVD-RW decks in Pioneer’s recorder line, the company said Wed. in a product rollout that also included 2 digital cable-ready plasma TVs and 2 DVD-based automobile entertainment systems.
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The VHS/DVD dubbing deck combines a VHS Hi-Fi VCR and DVD-RW recorder for one-button transfer of family home movies or time- shifted programming to DVD, Pioneer said. The model, DVR-RT500 ($499), has a tuner/timer for recording to either media, has a digital still-photo viewer, and offers playback for MP3 or Windows Media Audio compressed CDs.
The dubbing deck joins 2 new standalone DVD-RW recorders. One, the model DVR-520H ($799) also has an 80 GB hard disc recorder. It and the DVR-320S ($499) have a front panel IEEE- 1394 connector for transferring MiniDV digital camcorder footage to blank DVDs. The DVD recorder sections offer a Chase Play function that lets users pause a program while watching and recording it, and pick up viewing where they left off as the recording continues in progress, Pioneer said. The step-up deck allows users to make Hollywood-like menus for their DVD recordings with the choice of 9 navigation menus to personalize the disc.
Pioneer’s 2 new plasma TVs are digital cable ready, with built-in QAM tuners, eliminating the need for a separate cable box. To activate the cable reception, users obtain a cable card from their service providers. The widescreen models are the 43” PDP-4345HD and 50” PDP-5045HD, have resolution of XGA 1,024 x 768 pixels and WXGA 1,280 x 768 respectively, Pioneer said. Each also has 2 HDMI connectors with HDCP copy protection for digital video sources. For analog sources, Pioneer’s Pure Drive technology immediately converts the signal to digital for optimal imaging, the company said. Prices weren’t disclosed.
For automobile entertainment, Pioneer offered 2 DVD-based systems each with 6.5” widescreen LCD monitor for rear-passenger viewing. Audio source choices are CD, including those compressed with MP3 or Windows Media Audio; XM digital satellite radio; AM/FM. Neither of the systems, priced at $1,100 and $1,600, offers DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD playback.