Sure, the battle of the next-generation DVDs has ended with the clear victory of Blu-ray (the format backed-up by none other than Sony), but the fact of the matter is that the rate of adoption of this format is still pretty low, compared to the overall expectations. And this is the reason why Sony has decided to keep things moving on the standard definition front as well and has just announced the European release of its new DVP-NS708H DVD player, a device that allows users to view their old DVDs in full high-definition (1080p).

Thus, the new player delivers a high resolution video output, being able to up-convert normal, standard-definition DVDs to 720p/1080i/1080p. This is possible due to the fact that the player incorporates a 12 bit/108 MHz Noise Shaped Video D/A Converter, Precision Cinema Progressive (PCP) and Progressive Scan Output technologies, as well as a Precision Drive 3 Mechanism for stable, accurate playback.

The compatibility issue is a major one in the case of any device of this type, so it's actually no wonder that the engineers from Sony have designed the DVP-NS708H in order to work with pretty much every format out there, including CDs (High Resolution JPEG, CD-R/RW/ Data CD (MP3) & SVCD (Simple Playback), DVD-R/RW/-R DL (VR and Video Mode) and DVD+R/+RW/+R DL, as well as DVD-R/-RW/-R DL/+R/+RW/+R DL and CD-R/RW with DivX.

Furthermore, the player will be able to accommodate any home cinema setup, as it comes packed with some of the most popular connectivity options around, including HDMI, component video and coaxial digital. For an increased compatibility with other Sony gear, the DVP-NS708H can also be controlled via BRAVIA Sync using the TV�s remote, which grants this thing an extra level of versatility.

"Here�s the perfect answer for any home theatre fan who wants to get the very best out of DVD movies or their digital photo collection.", says Ayhan Aky�z, Product Manager for DVD Player products. "The DVP-NS708H upscales Standard Definition signals to 1080p for beautiful, detail-packed images that look amazing on your BRAVIA� television or home cinema projector. Your favourite DVDs have never looked better!"

Much as we've come to expect from Sony, no official pricing details have been provided for the time being, simply because they'll probably vary quite a lot, depending on the local markets.


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