New Digital Video Essentials video out

The newer updated version of Digital Vide Essentials calibration disc is available on both DVD and VHS.

With DVD player penetration surpassing even the highest expectations, the time has come for a digital video program that appropriately addresses such a large audience. Following the success of theoriginal, best-selling “Video Essentials” calibration disc—having sold over 300,000 units—comes “Digital Video Essentials,” from DVD International and Joe Kane Productions. The long-awaited DVD willbe available on September 2nd, in both NTSC and PAL versions, at a suggested retail price of $24.99. The companies will also distribute a high definition D-VHS tape, in both 720p and 1080i formats,for HDTV D-Theater owners.

“Today’s DVD technology is not just for videophiles anymore,” said David Goodman, President, DVD International. “Whether a consumer owns a high-end, high tech home theater system, or a 27-inch colortelevision, hooking up a DVD player is more than just matching wires from yellow to yellow and red to red. Picture and sound quality are important for all viewers, and now there’s a new tool to meetall calibration needs.”

“Our initial goal for DVE was to create a program that would help consumers with the transition from standard definition TV to high definition,” said Joe Kane, President, Joe Kane Productions. “Itgrew to be a lot more as we illustrated points that are common to both systems. It’s really about creating the right canvas for works of art that come to you in the form of audio and videoentertainment. Featured as part of our examples of this art is the visual work of renowned cinematographer Allen Daviau (“ET,” “Empire of the Sun,” “The Color Purple”).”

“Digital Video Essentials” provides test signals necessary to set up today’s televisions, including plasma and other state-of-the-art screens and home theater systems.

Produced in the 1080 line progressive, 24-frame high definition format, DVE offers:

• High-quality conversion to 480p/24 for NTSC and 576p/25 for PAL
• “True Progressive Mastering” used in MPEG encoding
• 1.78 widescreen
• Basic, intermediate and advanced levels of video calibration
• Red, green and blue color filters
• Dolby Digital Pro-Logic, Dolby Digital Surround EX and DTS ES multichannel audio test signals
• More than 50 new video test patterns
• 1.78 widescreen anamorphic and 1.33 test materials