True HDTV -- D-9 HD format

With demand for HDTV production equipment ready to explode, JVC has developed a 100 Mbps extension to D-9.

D-9 HD is uniquely able to record the volume of data necessary to achieve a true High Definition picture. By using a newly developed compression engine as well as all new IC's, D-9 HD can produce a 100 Mbps HDTV signal on a single cassette - in either the 720P or the 1080i format.

Like standard D-9, D-9 HD uses parallel recording using twice the number of heads as D-9. D-9 HD has four independently editable audio channels. Eight (uncompressed) audio channels are possible with the optional metering and connector frame. This is a crucial feature required for Dolby AC-3 surround sound mastering, as well as for multi-language dubbing and complicated production and post-production assignments.

D-9 HD provides JVC's core customer base of installed D-9 users with a fully integrated path to High Definition. Importantly, the D-9 HD format uses the same tape as D-9 and previously recorded 50 Mbps D-9 tape can be played back on D-9 HD VTRs. This capability allows all users to preserve their current libraries, and helps television stations ease into HDTV broadcasting.

Ultimately, JVC's D-9 and D-9 HD formats provide the widest range of users with a superior migration path to Digital TV and HDTV broadcasting by providing a fully integrated SDTV and HDTV solution at an incredibly affordable price.