BELMONT, CALIFORNIA—NOVEMBER 20, 2002—Latency: Zero today unveiled the VS8HCA, a new, combined 8-channel high-definition, component video and digital audio selector that significantly increases the number of sources that a home theater enthusiast can incorporate into his system. The selector overcomes the problem of limited high-definition and/or component inputs on today’s HDTV monitors and projectors.
“As consumers are demanding increasingly higher quality video presentation, the use of component video outputs on consumer electronic devices is beginning to explode,” said Rick Mann, president of Latency: Zero. “We see this both in a shift to progressive scan DVD players, in the growing availability of high-definition digital TV receivers, and with the success of HD-capable video game consoles.”
Component video is an interconnect technology where the three primary color video signals each travel over their own cable between components, instead of being multiplexed into a standard composite or S-video cable. The technology allows the full video bandwidth to be devoted to each color—an absolute requirement for HDTV, and highly desirable for progressive scan DVD players. “What is problematic,” said Mann, “is that the latest displays, and even most leading edge, component-capable A/V receivers, have typically only one or two component inputs. This creates a severe limitation in how a multi-source system can be configured.”
The new Latency: Zero VS8HCA solves this problem by giving the consumer eight high-bandwidth sets of RGB (specifically, YPbPr) component video inputs, each paired with a digital audio input. Under user control, any of the eight inputs may be selected to appear at the selector’s output. For convenience, Latency: Zero has provided two sets of component video outputs so that the user may feed two different display devices simultaneously, such as a video projector for theater-like presentation and a conventional monitor for daily viewing.
The video path features 97MHz (-3dB) video bandwidth and 0.1dB gain flatness over 45MHz, making the VS8HCA essentially “transparent” to video signals up to 1080i. Six of the digital audio inputs are optical (Toslink) and two are coaxial. There is one Toslink and one coaxial digital audio output, and audio is transcoded between both. All video connections are BNC for maximum quality, and a set of BNC-to-RCA adapters is included to facilitate connections to some video devices.
Power control and direct input selection is accomplished via an infrared remote control or DB-9 RS-232 serial port. The enclosure features an elegant black, brushed aluminum front panel and blue LEDs to indicate the currently-selected input. A rack-mount adapter kit is available separately, and the unit requires only 2U of rack space.
“The VS8HCA provides convenient, affordable expansion without requiring the owner to give up his or her investment in existing equipment,” said Mann.
The VS8HCA is available through the Latency: Zero online store. The suggested retail price is $899, with delivery expected in early December. Introductory pricing is available for a limited time. The unit is covered under a one-year manufacturer’s warranty. Details are available at http://www.latencyzero.com.
Latency: Zero, located in Belmont, CA manufactures and sells products designed to make the most of existing home theaters. Every product is developed with careful thought and planning to make sure it provides the right features implemented the right way.
For further press information, contact:
Rick Mann, President
Latency: Zero
Belmont, CA USA
800 900-1150 voice
650 592-1600 fax