New Sony NS999ES Multichannel SACD/DVD Video Player

Sony Electronics has introduced their new DVP-NS999ES Multichannel SACD/DVD Video player. This long-rumored player is said to be the replacement for the popular Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD Video/SACD player. A key difference with Sony’s new edition to their “ES” series players is that the S9000ES player offered Stereo SACD playback while the new player features Multichannel SACD playback as well as Bass Management and Speaker Distance Adjustments.

Video Features
The new Sony DVP-NS999ES player offers several video features that will be of interest to DVD Video fans. They include Sony’s proprietary Precision Cinema Progressive system, which incorporates Pixel-by-Pixel I/P Conversion technology to augment and balance DVD-video elements and improve picture quality. The conversion method is said to remove distortion that can be found in DVD discs to optimize the video scene playback. 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 player’s 14 bit/108MHz Video D/A Converter is said to provide 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 is said to achieve better signal-to-noise ratio and superb frequency response resulting in crisp, clean images and the V-Edge compensation, which is said to “virtually eliminate jagged edges on diagonal lines”. Also, the system’s Noise Shaped Video™ (NSV1) feature uses the sigma
delta modulation technique to reduce video noise for added picture quality. By incorporating these technologies, the DVP-NS999ES is said to produce exceptional quality video playback.

In addition, Sony claims that the player’s Audio-Video (A-V) Alignment feature will eliminate 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).

“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.”

Audio Features
As noted above, the key difference between the S9000ES player and the new NS999ES is tha addition of Multichannel SACD playback. Also of interest is the availability of both Bass Management and speaker distance adjustment features via an on-screen Graphic User Interface.

According to Sony, “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.”

Availability
The new Sony DVP-NS999ES Multichannel SACD/DVD Video player will be available in October for about $1,200.