Vm Labs Pushes Its Nuon Dvd Players; Image Unleashes Its Own Dinos, Apes

chicken-and-egg Theory: Although its specialized software remains in short supply, 2-year-old technology company VM Labs says it expects to have 1 million units of its Nuon-enhanced DVD player in the marketplace by the end of the year.

"We're knocking on doors and moving forward with such studios as MGM and Disney," says Paul Culberg, VP/COO of VM Labs' Nuon division. "But it's a chicken-and-egg dilemma. The studios want to know how much hardware is out there, and the hardware companies ask how much software is out there before committing to adding the technology." Inclusion of the Nuon technology adds about $5,000 to the production of a DVD disc, he says.

Nuon-enhanced DVD players work like regular DVD players, capable of playing all discs, as well as audio CDs. But the Nuon technology treats viewers to several interactive features, including the ability to zoom in on certain elements of a scene, play a scene with multiple camera angles, and scan a film at more than 250 times the normal speed. Nuon players also come with a game controller to play Nuon games; five are in the market now, and a sixth title will be released by October. To date, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment's Bedazzled is the only major video release that features the Nuon enhancement. Culberg says that three other Fox titles are in the works.

While Nuon software has been slow in coming, the hardware should get a major boost from a Best Buy promotion featuring the product. The retailer has been installing a Technology on the Go section in its stores to spotlight new products; all 350 outlets should have the display installed by mid-July. Nuon products will be showcased in one-third of the spaces, according to Culburg. A new Toshiba model featuring the technology has been on sale at the chain since last fall.

Another spotlight product in the Best Buy promotion will be Samsung's new Nuon-enhanced DVD/CD/CD-R/MP3 player, which debuted at retail in May. The model retails for $229, and Culberg expects the price to drop to $199 by Thanksgiving. Nuon players from other manufacturers, including Oritron, are expected to hover around the $200 price point, he says. Sales figures for Nuon-enhanced DVD players aren't available.

In other DVD hardware news, Panasonic has announced it will begin shipping a recordable—and more affordable—DVD player this fall. Available in October, the Panasonic model will retail for $1,500 and features simultaneous playback and recording on DVD-R discs, which can be played back on most DVD models, and DVD-RAM discs, which can be played back on computers. Consumers can also record and transfer programs from VHS to DVD. The machine is said to improve picture and sound quality of the VHS during the transfer.

The new model is a second-generation machine for Panasonic,