High-Def: Zensonic Z500 player

[SeeMoreDigital]

Hi all,

There's been much discussion over on the AVS forum by a company called Zensonic, who are proposing to incorporate NeroDigital playback in their new High-Def/Res player - which is based around the Sigma EM8620 chip-set (http://www.sigmadesigns.com/products/em8620Lseries.htm)!

chuna, a spokesperson for the company has said: - Yes we have asked Nero to send us the info to get it certified. The Z500 should support Nero Digital. Its also going to depend on how expensive the certificaiton is. As you can understand the expenses involved in roaylties, certifications etc are horrendous. And there is only so much we can do for a product at that price range.

Testing files is no problem. The unit is now scheduled to go into testing at the end of March and Mass production is now slated for June as we have decided to take the unit on a 2 month test cycle before shipment to avoid the pitfalls of major bugs and better to give satisfaction for users than get angry cusotmers trying to rush the unit out the door in its infancy.

...It should support DVD +R DL and as for release we wont be selling anything from a web shop but only through distribution. If this happens, it will become the first High-Def/Res player to do so!

For the design conscious among you, here's what the player looks like: -

http://img176.exs.cx/img176/1576/player6jx.png

And here's a draft of the proposed specification: -

http://img181.exs.cx/img181/1237/spec1uv.png

And for more information updates, please visit the official Zensonic web site over at http://www.z500series.com


Cheers

EDIT: NeroDigital support to be added as a firmware update

[bond]

nice info, but a lot of companies have announced that much already and nothing happened, i leave it up to Johnv to update the list of the certified players as he, as a nero employee, propably has much more concrete info (if he wants to share it is another question)

funny is that he talk about having to pay something for the certification maybe, i wonder that companies would be really so dumb to pay anything. imho nero should pay something to get support for their files on hardware :D

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by bond
funny is that he talk about having to pay something for the certification maybe, i wonder that companies would be really so dumb to pay anything. imho nero should pay something to get support for their files on hardware :D Agreed :D

Strange also, that the only currently available NeroDigital certified player (by Siemssen), is not being very well promoted.

If you visit Siemssen's web site (either German (http://www.siemssen.de/working/layout_4/start.htm) of English (http://www.siemssen.de/working/layout_4/english/start.htm)), you can't find out anything about the player at all :eek:

Now... don't everybody rush over to the AVS forum at once... but Zensonic are considering distributing "test players" to people from all over the world ;)

For more information about this player "on our forum" look here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&postid=600124#post600124) :D

[chuna]

The Z500 will be Nero Digital certified when it ships in June. We have just signed all the licensing agreements etc with Nero. An announcement will follow soon.

The Sigma 8620L already supports Nero Digital. Implementation wont be hard.

[musicnyman]

hey chuna,

what's the availability for this player in the U.S.? same time, june? or later? thanks,

[chuna]

musicnyman,

We are still seeking distribution in the U.S. If we can ink it then release will be pretty much June/July time frame. Will keep everyone posted through the z500series.com web site.

[Custom_VCD]

So this play AVC/h.264 Nero Digital? If So, im buying this slut

[musicnyman]

yes, they are working with nero on getting it certified. that's the last i heard.

big benefits for me are:

- nero digital support
- mp4 support
- matroska!!!!!!!! yeah, finally, someone starting to support this!
- new HD sigma chip to support divx/xvid/WMV HD content..

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by Custom_VCD
So this play AVC/h.264 Nero Digital? If So, im buying this slut Sorry... Sigma's EM8620 does not support Mpeg4/AVC, so this player wont either.


Cheers

[musicnyman]

but it'll play normal nero digital?

what's the different between what you guys are talking about and normal nero digital files?

[Custom_VCD]

Why would anyone want to buy a player that won't support h.264 is beyond me. I'm curious as to why would people even consider buying something that won' tbe the standard for hdtv, I got a phillips dvp642 and see no reason to buy something unless it supports avc/h.264

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by musicnyman
but it'll play normal nero digital?

what's the different between what you guys are talking about and normal nero digital files? NeroDigital began with offering just Mpeg4/SP & ASP, but from Dec 2004 they started offering Mpeg4/AVC too.

Originally posted by Custom_VCD
Why would anyone want to buy a player that won't support h.264 is beyond me. I'm curious as to why would people even consider buying something that won' tbe the standard for hdtv, I got a phillips dvp642 and see no reason to buy something unless it supports avc/h.264 Because it still offers many std-def and high-def features that are useful and usable!

Let's not forget that when Mpeg4/AVC makes it into HDTV there will most probably be entirely new levels of encryption, so I doubt we'll be able to capture such streams and save them to disc. And there are there are the two competing HD disc formats (BluRay and HD-DVD). Both of which will require us to buy new players anyway!


Cheers

[MacAddict]

Originally posted by Custom_VCD
Why would anyone want to buy a player that won't support h.264 is beyond me. I'm curious as to why would people even consider buying something that won' tbe the standard for hdtv, I got a phillips dvp642 and see no reason to buy something unless it supports avc/h.264 Actually I've been following these new players to be released with lots of interest. I have the 642 as well and don't plan to buy another until I see AVC/H.264 support and I'm hoping it comes sooner than later. MPEG4 ASP support doesn't do anything for me, I'll stick with XviD until AVC is more mainstream I suppose.

[musicnyman]

chuna, do you know if you guys are sending your player to be divx certified?

there are no network players out there that support AVC?

[chuna]

Thats our plan to send it to be DivX certified.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by musicnyman
there are no network players out there that support AVC? Not yet musicnyman.... As no chip-set manufacturer has officially released an Mpeg4/AVC chip-set for use in stand-alone players.

No doubt, when the time comes, there will be different versions of Mpeg4/AVC chip-set to look out for too... as some might be std-def capable only :eek:


Cheers

[Doom9]

the new sigma chipset announced at CES should handle HD ASP and AVC. But considering Sigma's track record with the chipset used on the player this thread is all about, I'd be prepared to wait another year for such players to become available.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by Doom9
the new sigma chipset announced at CES should handle HD ASP and AVC. But considering Sigma's track record with the chipset used on the player this thread is all about, I'd be prepared to wait another year for such players to become available. Arrr yes... Sigma's SMP8630 chip-set

Here's what Keith JACK of Sigma's said about it over on the AVS forum: - Good news is that the SMP8630 is pin-compatible with the EM8620L.

Bad news (for hacking) is that flash and DRAM memory can now be encrypted and digitally signed. Chip can even be programmed to erase all the keys if the lid of box is opened or the clock battery is detected to have been disconnected. A separate CPU handles all security and DRM functions and is firewalled off from the rest of the chip.

The SMP8634 further enables dual HD decode of MPEG-2, MPEG-4 ASP, VC-1 and H.264. Thus, a H.264 and a VC-1 stream can be decoded simultaneously. Dual audio DSPs enable each of the two streams to use a different audio codec. And here's Sigma's press release: -

http://www.sigmadesigns.com/news/press_releases/050105a.htm


Cheers

[agressiv]

Will it support multiple nero digital formats, such as Cinema? i.e., will it support 5.1 Nero Digital sound?

agressiv

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by agressiv
Will it support multiple nero digital formats, such as Cinema? i.e., will it support 5.1 Nero Digital sound? Should this player incorporate NeroDigital Certification (for the .MP4 container), then yes, that is indeed the hope :)

Obviously, unlike DivX Certification (before the launch of the DivX Media Format), NeroDigital Certification is a more complex affair to implement.

But thankfully as we now know from the Siemssen player... it can be done!


Cheers

[chuna]

The good news is that Nero Digital is already implemented into the 8620L chipset and yes the unit will be Nero Digital certified when it ships.

[SeeMoreDigital]

That's absolutely great news. Many thanks for including this implementation chuna :D


Cheers

[jp80]

Chuna I know the Z500 is specified to support output for HDTV, but I need to know if the Z500 hardware is powerful enough to play HDTV quality video files having 720p or 1080i in native resolution (that's 1024x720 progressive and 1920x1080 interlaced)? If so then what is the max output resolution of the Z500?

And if not, then as you're a representative of Zensonic, could you please tell me what are the pros of Z500 upon a modded xbox, from which I know for a cheaper total cost, is able to play any kind of media with the XBMC software, aka "Xbox Media Center"?

Here is a page with some of XBMC specs: http://ask.pvrblog.com/2004/10/quality_of_hdtv.html?

Plus the official complete faq with the list of all supported formats:
http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/info_faq.htm

And at last the conclusion of a deep review on the Xbox coupled with XBMC:
http://www4.tomshardware.com/consumer/20040511/xbox-multimedia-12.html#hdtv_capability_included

[SeeMoreDigital]

Hi jp80,

At the heart of every good stand-alone player is a chip-set and this one is based around Sigma's EM8620 chip-set (http://www.sigmadesigns.com/products/em8620Lseries.htm)!

I can however confirm it will be able to play both the resolutions you've stated in Mpeg2.

For the latest information, or to ask more questions, why not look give in Zensonic's very own Z500 Forum (http://www.z500series.com/forum/index.php?showforum=3) a look in?


Cheers

[jp80]

Ok about the Mpeg2, but I still need someone to clarify if this player can play DIVX/XVID files with those HDTV native resolutions, as they require a lot more cpu resources to decompress the video files which are smaller in size than DVD Mpeg2, and if it can do the the less, it doesn't mean it can do the most...
And I will surely make my info request at Z500 forum, thanks for the link.

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by jp80
Ok about the Mpeg2, but I still need someone to clarify if this player can play DIVX/XVID files with those HDTV native resolutions, as they require a lot more cpu resources to decompress the video files which are smaller in size than DVD Mpeg2, and if it can do the the less, it doesn't mean it can do the most...The chip-set manufacturer states that Mpeg4 can be encoded and played back at resolutions up-to 1280x720.

However, some people over on the AVS forum with I-O DATA players (using the exact same chip-set) have confirmed that Mpeg4 can be encoded and played back at resolutions up-to 1920x1080/1088.


Cheers

[cdrinfo]

here is our test report after visiting Zensonic's CeBIT http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Specific.aspx?ArticleId=12925&PageId=60 (booth). The player looked very nice, hopefully we can test the player soon:)

[chuna]

Hi cdrinfo,

I dont think that link works..

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by chuna
Hi cdrinfo,

I dont think that link works.. Try the following chuna: -

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Specific.aspx?ArticleId=12925&PageId=60


Cheers

[ac-chan123]

Here are my Questions:
-will it be posseble to complete disable the Wireless Network
-which network protocols will be supported(ftp, http, mms, ...)
-for which os will be client/server software there
-which filesystems will be supported(fat32, ntfs, ext2,ext3, ...)
-which character encoding are supported for subtitle, filesystem(names) and ID3
-which ssa feature are supported(ass?)
-which ID3 versions are supportet
-why is the max bitrate 15 mb for MPEG2 and is that also for DVD-Video
-is nero digital AVC supported(720p/1080i @ 24,25,29.9,30,50, 59.9,60 fps)
-which resolution and framerate are supported for matroska,DivX and XviD(SIF/CIF/D1/4CIF)
-get i the HD signals from analog and digtal interfaces/connections
-will be the SD content output as SD and/or HD
-support for which gif version(animated)
-what is the max. HDD size

[SeeMoreDigital]

Hi ac-chan123,

If you take a trip over to Zensonic's own forum (http://www.z500series.com/forum/index.php?) you may find answers to many of your questions... Some of which have already been discussed/answered in this very thread!


Cheers

[SeeMoreDigital]

http://img212.exs.cx/img212/181/z500specmar057bn.gif


Cheers

[ac-chan123]

Originally posted by SeeMoreDigital
Hi ac-chan123,

If you take a trip over to Zensonic's own forum (http://www.z500series.com/forum/index.php?) you may find answers to many of your questions... Some of which have already been discussed/answered in this very thread!


Cheers
I has checked this threat and the Forum on the z500 site. And i did it again. The only answers i found where that one Mac an PC(i think say min Winows, but wich Version)?
And that they support UPnp. But that dosn´t mean that this is the only Network protocol they support.

For the other Question i found no answer. But i have a question more. -Which Xvid Features will be supported?

[SeeMoreDigital]

Originally posted by ac-chan123
But i have a question more. -Which Xvid Features will be supported? Much "may" depend on Sigma's core chip-set Mpeg4 software and not so much on Zensonic's own software...

But what specific XviD features are you thinking about?


Cheers

[chuna]

Hi SeeMore,

On the specs there, WPA may be a doubtful feature, for now we will ensure WEP encryption as WPA is driver specific and if not available, can only support WEP.

[multicone]

@ chuna :

any news about matroska support ? I am hanging around in the IRC channel of these guys occasionally, and they recently discussed what library of theirs might be best suitable for your purposes.
Did you start already with coding matroska implementation ?

[chuna]

No we still havent started Matroska coding yet. Will keep you up to date when its done.

[niamh]

Originally posted by chuna
No we still havent started Matroska coding yet. Will keep you up to date when its done.

Please :) A lot of people are waiting for this. (and thanks)

[CruNcher]

Will there be a HD-DVD version in the future ?
and will the Linux Core the current player is based on OpenSourced ?

[SeeMoreDigital]

Zensonic have just issued a press release regarding the Z500: -

http://www.z500series.com/press.php


Looks like it could be time to start saving your pennies ;)

[Cyberace]

Wonder if it will be powerfull enough to decode/playback these + output to HDTV:
DivX video with GMC, B-frames, Qpel @ 8MB/s bit-rate in native 720p resolution?
XviD video with Packed Bitstream (N-VOP) and more than one consecutive B-VOP?
H.264 video with B-frames, CABAC & macro-deblocking in native 720p resolution?
HC-AAC (and LC-AAC) audio tracks in supported video containers like AVI & MP4?

PS! Native 720p resolution = 1280x720 progressive encoded video, (not upscale).

[SeeMoreDigital]

Tests have already been carried out with other players fitted with Sigma's EM8620L chip-set using some of the MPEG-4 implementations you mention!

You'll need to head over to the AVS forum and look up the following threads for the latest information: -

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=459759

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=484807

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=495915

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=501115


EDIT: You can forget about decoding MPEG-4/AVC in hardware... the chip-set does not support it.... despite what you may have read on some KiSS web pages ;)


Cheers

[SeeMoreDigital]

Just to let you guys know....

The Zensonic Z500 has been officially launched in it's naitive country, Australia. Indeed, some eager people have already placed export orders directly from Australia....

So for all you doubters out-there.... this product should no longer be considered as being "vapourware" ;)

Just thought you'd like to know....


Cheers

[masken]

Give me a .EU reseller! :D

[SeeMoreDigital]

Now you know EU distribution is not officially available until early 2006 ;)

[Top_Cat]

Any update on a UK reseller?

[halcy]

What's the difference between Zensonic Z500 and Buffalo and IO-data counterparts?

The boxes are based on the exact same reference design, aren't they?

Are the only differences in firmware?

BTW, I-O Data Linkplayer 2 isn't really anything to shout about, so if this piece isn't significantly better, it's going to cause a lot of grey hair to users :)

[SeeMoreDigital]

What's the difference between Zensonic Z500 and Buffalo and IO-data counterparts?Depends on the "counterpart"....

For instance, neither the Buffalo and I-O DATA players offer an digital video output connection. Nor do they offer 6Ch analogue audio outputs.

The boxes are based on the exact same reference design, aren't they?Actually Sigma's "reference boards" in the Buffalo and I-O DATA players are quite different to the Zensonic Z500

Are the only differences in firmware?As you can see from the above responses.... no, the firmware is not the only difference...


Cheers

[satawn]

Hi

btw,
The question about network protocols supported has not been answered, even in the Z500 forum.

What streaming protocols are/will be supported ? is mms:// part of them ?

Thanks in advance.

[SeeMoreDigital]

What streaming protocols are/will be supported ? is mms:// part of them ?The Z500 does not include a "web browser".

So whenever you see the expression "streaming" it's actually referring to accessing and passing your own files stored on your own computer/network and HDD's to the Z500.

That said.... you might be able to use a UPnP media serving software and gain access to "mms" internet based files that way... I don't know for sure... I've never tried.


I'm sure somebody over on the Z500 forum will get back to you.... Hope that helps?


Cheers