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KiSS DP-500 Progressive Scan DVD (DivX Certified) Player Network Device

KiSS DP-500 Progressive Scan DVD (DivX Certified) Player Network Device

List Price: $349.99
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Product Info Reviews

Features:
  • Progressive-scan DVD player compatible with DVD-RW, DVD+RW, MP3, and JPEG CDs
  • DivX certified (3.11, 4, and 5); also processes ISO MPEG-4 and XviD video and Ogg Vorbis open-source audio formats
  • Networking ability lets you hook the player up with your PC or broadband Internet modem for streaming media playback
  • PAL/NTSC video outputs; SCART connection with RGB output for use with computer monitors; Internet-upgradeable firmware
  • Dolby Digital/DTS output through coaxial audio jack; Dolby Digital 5.1-channel analog decoding


Description:

The DP-500 from Denmark-based KiSS (Keep it Simple Solutions) is the first DivX-certified networking DVD player, capable of playing back DivX video, MP3 files, and JPEG digital-photo slideshows in a room of your choosing. All you need for full networking ability is a Windows PC, a wired network connection with the player, and a television.

You can connect the DP-500 directly to the Internet via a broadband connection or through a network (LAN) with a PC whose media contents can be read using the supplied KiSS PC-Link software. Powered by the Sigma Designs EM8500 decoder chip, the player reads DVD-Video (PAL and NTSC) as well as DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs.

The DP-500's support for DivX (including all 3, 4, and 5 versions), ISO MPEG-4, and XviD video-compression formats gives you the ability to download full-screen, full-motion videos from the Internet that look and sound close in quality to what you get from your television or DVD player. Audio compatibility extends to the open-source Ogg Vorbis format for music compression (slightly higher quality than MP3 for a same-size file).

When you plug the player in for the first time, a user-friendly interface prompts you to select language, video connection type, screen size, audio connection, and IP address--an easy five-step setup. To enjoy the player's networking abilities, you'll need to install and run the KiSS PC-Link software (PC only, Windows 98 or higher). With PC-Link, all you have to do is select the files you want to view and they'll be routed to your DP-500 and on to your television for viewing in any connected location.

The player's networking ability means it can also deliver Internet radio. Just select this feature from the player's WebRadio menu and you'll have access to a few thousand streaming radio stations you can enjoy right in the comfort of your living room. Once you've registered, WebRadio will let you choose, customize, and add as many radio stations as you wish.

Whether or not your living room is currently home to an HDTV, the DP-500 stands ready to deliver the full potential of your uncompressed, commercial DVDs. Progressive scanning, referred to as 480p for the number of horizontal lines that compose the video image, creates a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional DVD picture, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.

The player uses the French-developed SCART connection for its component-video (progressive) signal, and a supplied cable provides an interface for use with the standard RCA-tipped jacks on associated equipment. This output allows the player to channel video signals in a manner consonant with not only PAL (European) and NTSC (North American) video systems, but with RGB computer monitors as well (RGB adapter cable not included).

Other outputs include standard composite- and S-video connections, a coaxial digital-audio jack (for passing Dolby Digital and DTS surround signals to a compatible audio/video receiver), and even analog RCA outputs for decoded Dolby Digital surround (in case your AV receiver offers multichannel analog inputs but no digital processing).

KiSS will continue to update the player's firmware with improvements based on the latest research and development; the updates will be available from the support section of the kiss-technology.com Web site.

What's in the Box
DVD player, remote control, remote batteries, CD-ROM with KiSS PC-Link software, user's manual, stereo analog audio interconnect/composite-video cable, SCART-to-RCA component-video cable, and an AC power cord.

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