HighMAT compatible DVD players coming next month.

[Eug]

HighMAT

High-Performance Media Access Technology (HighMAT), co-developed by Panasonic and Microsoft, designed to significantly improve interoperability for digital media content between PCs and popular electronic devices such as CD players, car stereos and DVD players. HighMAT is a digital-media standard that provides a dramatically improved method of storing, arranging and playing back personal digital photo, music and video collections on recordable discs such as CD-RW media. Click here for more information.

You just need Windows Movie Maker and Windows Media Player 9.

Panasonic DVD-S55 DVD player

Progressive scan, DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, Video CD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, HighMAT, built-in AC-3 and DTS decoders, MP3, WMA, JPEG, variable zoom, MPEG noise reduction, for $130. :Q

 

[Auric]

HighMAT sounds like hype as those are pretty much standard features these days and especially on Panasonic's. Actually, while this one is low-to mid-range it is relatively expensive due to the integrated audio decoders (licensing) which are pretty much useless anyway as most people use receivers and do not just hook them up to a television for audio. I recently purchased an RP62 myself (didn't need DVD-A)and they are good players and the sole manufacturer you can rely on not to have the chroma upsampling defect.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: Auric
HighMAT sounds like hype as those are pretty much standard features these days and especially on Panasonic's. Actually, while this one is low-to mid-range it is relatively expensive due to the integrated audio decoders (licensing) which are pretty much useless anyway as most people use receivers and do not just hook them up to a television for audio. I recently purchased an RP62 myself (didn't need DVD-A)and they are good players and the sole manufacturer you can rely on not to have the chroma upsampling defect.

Having never tried HighMAT myself, I dunno if it's hype or not, but I can tell you that many players do not like certain discs with multimedia content. A disc that might work in one machine may not work in another. If this can be standardized, that would definitely be a good thing.

The integrated 6-channel outputs are a requirement if you want DVD-Audio. It's just that if you have DVD-Audio, you're often gonna get built-in AC-3 decoding anyway, since the outputs are already there. The 6-channel outputs are not for hooking up to a TV, since the vast majority of TVs do not have 6-channel inputs. The inputs are on the actual receiver. (I have one, and DVD-Audio from my RP91 sounds great.)

$130 (retail, not street) is not expensive for a low end progressive scan DVD player at all IMO, even if you ignore the fact that it has a bazillion features.

Hell, my RP91 retails for $700.

 

[Auric]

It will be intelesting to see if it is anything more than a bullet item.

Yeah, I was referring to in the case of not using the DVD-A feature the extra cost of the integrated decoder is wasted. I suppose there are people that do buy them to hook up via stereo to TV or receiver just like a VCR but even those using an amp/decoder still do not necessarily have use for DVD-A (I'm not a big software buyer). That's why I was content with my bargain-bin discontinued closeout RP62 for $80. Apparently these older models have better decoders and deinterlacers (esp. the 82) than some of the newer models. A lot of co's seem to be cheaping down their product lines these days (sigh).

So why is the 91 so expensive? Does it make you a sandwich on command?

-
Ah, I see you mean MSRP. eBay price is about $310 -not quite as sought after as the 82 which actually sells for double MSRP. Ah, enthusiasts... gotta love 'em.

 

[StormRider]

There are two things on my wish list.

I wish Panasonic's DVD player could play back DVD-RAM disks in their cartridges. Why do they make them so you have to take it out of the cartridge before you can play them? Their PC DVD-RAM drive (LF-311) has a drive mechanism that can handle both regular DVD disks and DVD-RAM cartridges. Why can't their DVD-players do the same thing?

Also, I wish they used a 12-bit Video DAC instead of a 10-bit Video DAC. I probably wouldn't notice the difference but knowing that Sony's NS-715 progressive scan player uses 12-bit DACs makes me wish Panasonic also uses them.

 

[StormRider]

Actually, this HighMAT sounds really good. I have several hardware Mpeg1/2 encoders and some of them produce files that are incompatible with the VCD/SVCD/DVD standard. For example, my Creative Digital VCR produces non-standard Mpeg2 files that play back fine on the PC but are hard to use to produce standard SVCD/DVD that can play back on a set top DVD player.

This HighMAT sounds like it could be the answer to all my problems. It seems like it fixes the incompatibility issues of playing back files from the PC to the set top DVD player. I'm definitely interested in this.

 

[Eug]

Yeah, I was referring to in the case of not using the DVD-A feature the extra cost of the integrated decoder is wasted. I suppose there are people that do buy them to hook up via stereo to TV or receiver just like a VCR but even those using an amp/decoder still do not necessarily have use for DVD-A (I'm not a big software buyer). That's why I was content with my bargain-bin discontinued closeout RP62 for $80. Apparently these older models have better decoders and deinterlacers (esp. the 82) than some of the newer models. A lot of co's seem to be cheaping down their product lines these days (sigh).

So why is the 91 so expensive? Does it make you a sandwich on command?

-
Ah, I see you mean MSRP. eBay price is about $310 -not quite as sought after as the 82 which actually sells for double MSRP. Ah, enthusiasts... gotta love 'em.

The 82 has the Faroudja de-interlacer and hence it's popular. My 91 combs more than the 82, since mine uses a Panasonic-tweaked Genesis chipset. Better than generic Genesis, but worse than Faroudja.

More importantly for me however, is that the Genesis chipset allows the DVD player to change aspect ratios, etc., something that Faroudja does not. I need this, because my TV always locks into widescreen when playing progressive material, regardless if the material is widescreen or not. The RP91 can compensate for this, but the RP82 does not. The RP91 has more image adjustments, and it also has a disc memory, which memorizes the settings for something like 200 DVDs.

The RP91 is supposed to be a little better constructed too, but I dunno if that's true.

I wish Panasonic's DVD player could play back DVD-RAM disks in their cartridges. Why do they make them so you have to take it out of the cartridge before you can play them? Their PC DVD-RAM drive (LF-311) has a drive mechanism that can handle both regular DVD disks and DVD-RAM cartridges. Why can't their DVD-players do the same thing?

Also, I wish they used a 12-bit Video DAC instead of a 10-bit Video DAC. I probably wouldn't notice the difference but knowing that Sony's NS-715 progressive scan player uses 12-bit DACs makes me wish Panasonic also uses them.

The RP91 is 12-bit. I dunno if that really makes a difference, but for what it's worth the image quality is significantly better than the Panasonic DMR-E30 DVD recorder (which I also have), which is 10-bit. I don't think it's that though - it's probably all the other filtering stuff that the RP91 has.

BTW, the DMR-E30 takes cartridges, and the tray is much less awkward than the LF-D311 or LF-D521. I'd like to see this feature in new DVD players too. Fortunately, you don't need a cartridge to record onto DVD-RAM.

Actually, this HighMAT sounds really good. I have several hardware Mpeg1/2 encoders and some of them produce files that are incompatible with the VCD/SVCD/DVD standard. For example, my Creative Digital VCR produces non-standard Mpeg2 files that play back fine on the PC but are hard to use to produce standard SVCD/DVD that can play back on a set top DVD player.

This HighMAT sounds like it could be the answer to all my problems. It seems like it fixes the incompatibility issues of playing back files from the PC to the set top DVD player. I'm definitely interested in this.

Yep. Having playlist support is a bonus too.

 

[Pariah]

From the FAQ:

"2. What kind of devices will support HighMAT?

We expect to see a wide variety of home CD/DVD players, portable CD players, car stereos and other devices supporting this exciting and convenient new format.

Panasonic will support HighMAT in future versions of the company?s CD and DVD players. They demonstrated products at the January 2003 CES event that will ship later in the year. Fujifilm announced support for HighMAT in future products and a number of other companies from various parts of the industry are evaluating support of HighMAT.

We will make it possible for a diverse range of CE manufacturers and software companies to take advantage of this technology and offer its many benefits to their customers."


What kind of sad marketing BS is this? Who cares? This doesn't make discs any more compatible. You are required to buy equipment that supports it, and Panasonic is the only company supporting it. Who is going to replace all their gear for this? Will movies look any better? No. Will audio sound any better? No. Nothing here folks move along. When someone releases a standalone HD DVD player let us know.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: Pariah
What kind of sad marketing BS is this? Who cares? This doesn't make discs any more compatible. You are required to buy equipment that supports it, and Panasonic is the only company supporting it. Who is going to replace all their gear for this? Will movies look any better? No. Will audio sound any better? No. Nothing here folks move along. When someone releases a standalone HD DVD player let us know.

Well, at least the movies will work. Perhaps HighMAT is more important on the software side than the hardware side, since if you create compliant discs in the first place, then more machines will read it. But if you player is known to take advantage of the features, then even better. The problem right now is that none of the software out there makes any attempt to have stuff work on DVD players (aside from the usual VCD, DVD, CD, etc). It's really just trial and error trying to get this stuff to work.

Replace your hardware? No. Make it a consideration when buying new hardware? Possibly. Will movies or audio sound any better? Perhaps, because having it work is better than nothing.

As for HD DVD, it already exists. Sony released a Blu-Ray recorder yesterday. Only $3800. Bar-goon!

 

[Pariah]

No, not Blu-Ray. Read the link.

 

[Duvie]

Where are the players that will play Divx 3.11, 4, and 5.02 divx codecs????

 

[Dulanic]

Originally posted by: Duvie
Where are the players that will play Divx 3.11, 4, and 5.02 divx codecs????

There is a company releasing one soon, I dont think it supports 3.11 but it does 4 and 5. I forget who is releasing it.

 

[Eug]

Originally posted by: Pariah
No, not Blu-Ray. Read the link.

Oh. Your link wasn't working before. I just got some ad last time. This time it works and is linking to a T2 re-release.

That is not an HD DVD. It is an SD DVD, with a supposed HD Windows Media file that won't work on DVD players.

It's interesting, but only moderately so, since it is not aimed at the mainstream home DVD player market. Blu-Ray, in contrast, hopes to be the replacement for DVD.

 

[Auric]

Pariah, I was thinking along the same lines. It seems more of an after-the fact "fix" for incompatability problems which should not have existed in the first place. But ja, I suppose we cannot poo-poo it because there is no going back to do it right in the first place.

The MPEG-4 compatability problem is similar. Hopefully when hardware decoders come out the various software encoders will be able to be perfectly compatible without sacrificing improvements in quality.

FYI the bargain-bin 62 also has the Faroudja deinterlacer. The only thing I miss from my previous stand-alone player is the lack of zoom which was handy for reading letters and signs and whatnot in movies.