8 January 2007
WOODBURY, NY — Harman Kardon announced today the introduction of its DVD 48 universal DVD player, an advanced-technology source component that features built-in video upscaling to 1080p, as well as multichannel DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD (SACD) playback, for extraordinary picture and sound quality.
Also, the company is debuting its DVD 38 DVD-Audio/Video player with 1080i upscaling, the ideal choice for consumers who desire a high-performance DVD player but do not require 1080p or SACD capability. Ultraslim and elegant in design, both players include a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) output and offer a wealth of versatile performance and convenience features, along with simple, intuitive operation.
Exceptional Performance, Connectivity and Flexibility
The Harman Kardon DVD 48 and DVD 38 are engineered to deliver superlative video performance. The DVD 48 incorporates built-in DCDi by Faroudja processing and scaling to 1080p via its HDMI output, providing upconverted and enhanced high-definition output from DVDs, in addition to JPEG still images and Kodak Picture CD images when connected to a compatible TV or display device. The DVD 38 features upscaling to 1080i, and both players utilize pixel-by-pixel and motion-adaptive pixel-based deinterlacing to upconvert images to progressive-scan video playback, eliminating jagged edges and other motion artifacts that often occur using other types of circuits. The result is remarkably sharp, clear and realistic picture quality.
The DVD 48 and DVD 38 produce unsurpassed sound, as well. Both employ audiophile-grade 192kHz/24-bit audio D/A converter and premium internal components in the audio signal path, and provide complete audio control and bass management for high-resolution multichannel SACD (DVD 48) and DVD-Audio playback (DVD 48 and DVD 38).
Both players incorporate highly versatile features and flexibility. The DVD 48 and DVD 38 can play DVD-Video, Windows Media Audio (WMA), MP3, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW and many other disc types, and offer an exceptional opportunity to enjoy movies, music and images, thanks to their exclusive navigational interface, developed by Harman Kardon. Both are designed for total connection flexibility and ease of operation in any home entertainment system. They comprise a host of performance and convenience functions, including a useful NTSC/PAL disc-auto-detection feature, which detects whether a disc is encoded in either the NTSC or PAL video format (standard in the U.S. and many other countries), and converts the video output of PAL discs for compatible playback with NTSC video display devices.
The players are striking in appearance — ultraslim, with a gloss-black upper panel, a silver lower panel, a blue dot-matrix display and a minimum of visible controls.
The Harman Kardon DVD 48 universal DVD player and DVD 38 DVD-Audio/Video player will be available in March 2007 at a suggested retail price of $399 and $349, respectively.
A list of the DVD 48 and DVD 38 players’ main features follows.
• HDMI output with DCDi by Faroudja video processing and scaling to 1080p (DVD 48) or upscaling to 1080i (DVD 38)
• Super Audio CD playback (DVD 48) and DVD-Audio playback (DVD 48, DVD 38) with complete bass management and audio control, including speaker size, time delay and output level
• Ability to play DVD-Video, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, VCD, WMA, MP3 and Kodak Picture CD and JPEG image discs
• NTSC/PAL disc-auto-detection feature with PAL-to-NTSC conversion for compatible playback with NTSC video display devices
• Full-featured, backlit remote control and sophisticated on-screen navigation
• Firmware and software upgradeable via CD to accommodate future upgrades
• Wide range of programming, viewing and convenience functions
The Harman Consumer Group (HCG) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a wide range of high-fidelity loudspeakers, audio and video components, and multimedia systems for use in homes and automobiles, and with computers. The group’s brands include JBL, Infinity, Harman Kardon, Mark Levinson, Revel, Audioaccess and Lexicon.
HCG is a division of Harman International Industries, Incorporated. Harman International (www.harman.com) is a leading manufacturer of high-quality, high-fidelity audio products and electronic systems for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. The company’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HAR.”
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For additional information, contact:
Frank Doris
FM Group Public Relations
631-385-1304 ext. 402
frank.doris@fm-group.net
Harman Kardon is a registered trademark of Harman International Industries, Incorporated.
SACD is a trademark of Sony Electronics Inc.
HDMI is a trademark of HDMI Licensing LLC.
DCDi by Faroudja is a registered trademark of Genesis Microchip Inc.
Kodak is a registered trademark of Eastman Kodak Company.
Windows Media is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. Windows Media Audio (WMA) is a proprietary file format developed by Microsoft.
