8642 chip
Our 3.0 solutions are based on Sigma Designs 8642 chip, not on the 8643 one. We'd like to remind that every odd version of Sigma chips is a functionally reduced variant of the chip with the _previous_ even number (i.e. 8643-8642. 8635-8634, ...). Odd versions inc. 8643 and 8635 are never meant for playing any copyright-protected materials (like Blu-ray and DVD) and are mostly meant for cheap IPTV/VoD set-top-boxes. For example, Macrovision support is enabled in 8642 chips and disabled in 8643 ones. So only Dune players on 8642 chip have no limitations with output of protected video through analog video interfaces. Also 8643-based players can not be legally sold in any AV-stores as Blu-ray players (for example, with some preinstalled Blu-ray drive), for Dune BD players there is no such limitation and you'll be able to find them not only in Internet.


eSATA interface
eSATA interface now available in the basic configuration for the fastest possible external HDD and other attached storages with SATA or eSATA interface. Only when connecting equipment via this interface direct SATA operation mode is possible. And of course, you don't need to open your player to be able to connect any new SATA/eSATA equipment any time.


Plug-and-play
In general, any Dune player is fully Plug-and-play. You don't need to have any special experience working with PC components and you can use your player directly from store, w/o opening it and risking to damage anything inside. If you need a player with Blu-ray drive you can buy Dune HD Prime 3.0 and start using it immediately. If you don't need Blu-ray drive inside just buy Dune HD Base 3.0 with or w/o HDD and you are ready to go!


Real Blu-ray player

1. real Blu-ray players like Dune BD Prime 3.0 use specialized BD drives (called "loaders"). BD loaders are substantially cheaper in production than any PC Blu-ray drives. Of course, it means less expenses for end-users of Dune players in the end...
2. as a real Blu-ray player Dune BD Prime 3.0 contains factory-preinstalled AACS keys (needed for decrypting any original Blu-ray discs) of type A.

These keys are fixed for this very type of the BD loader and they have no time constraints.
In contrast, any player with PC BD-ROM drive must have AACS keys of type C to be able to work with original Blu-ray discs. The major problem with the keys of this type is that by definition they expire after 1.5 year after the player is made. After this period the manufacturer would need to buy new keys for all their users and install them somehow (unique key for every player!), otherwise the ability to playback original discs is lost.


Fanless operation
special cooling design for Sigma processors allows not to use any active cooling systems (like fans) in Dune BD Prime 3.0. It allows 100%-noise-free operation and absence of any parts which "wear out" in time and may need changing from time to time in the future. Cooler use can be also avoided in the Dune HD Base 3.0 player if using one of the HDD recommended models (the list will be available later). For HD Base 3.0 it will be possible to switch on/off using the cooler via Setup (no need to open the cover).


IR remote by default with integrated receiver, option: RF remote with Z-Wave
The basic package of the both models will include our standard IR remote. Infrared receiver is integrated inside of the unit. But if you want to control player with RF signals, this option will be also available separately during Q4 2009. Our solution will be based on Z-Wave RF standard (technology currently owned by Sigma Designs, previously by Zensys), supported by some models of Logitech Harmony (890, 1000), Philips Pronto and Nevo remotes. We'll also suggest a cheaper option of RF remote under Dune brand. With Z-Wave support any Dune 3.0 player will be able to serve as a center of your very affordable Smart Home system.


Design
Light and compact design will fit nearly any already existing equipment in your home. Also it's easy to relocate players.


Display
Information on our digital VFD display can be easily seen on much higher distances under nearly any angle (in contrast, information on LCD displays have VERY limited visibility).


Memory
Higher system flash memory (at least 128MB) allows to include much more features in the future with firmware upgrades. Specialized BD-Live memory (optional 2GB) allows to use full function of any Blu-ray disc w/o adding any aditional storage by user.


Fast and convenient GUI
as for the previous 8634-based models, our GUI implementation is based on direct work with graphics primitives of Sigma processor and doesn't use any heavy intermediate libraries/technologies (like Web-browsers). It allows us to keep superiority in the speed of the players' GUI over competitive solutions. Also as before, our GUI is very simple and intuitive and so it is suitable for anybody who can operate a standard DVD player. So our players are "friendly" to children, elders and second halves. You will not need to keep any special player for other family members...

Main features:

• Playback of retail Blu-ray and DVD discs
• Playback of full Blu-ray structures from HDD and network (with Blu-ray menu, BD-J, BonusView, BD-Live)
• Playback of video, music, photos from any media source (HDD, PC, NAS, etc)
• Optical disc formats: data discs (CD/DVD/BD) (MP3, JPEG, etc), Audio CD (PCM/DTS), DVD-Video (retail and user-authored discs), Blu-ray (retail and user-authored discs)
• Support for modern video file formats (MKV, H.264, VC1, etc) with very high bitrate (up to 50 Mbit/s and higher)
• Dune Network Playback Accelerator: special optimizations ensuring best-in-class network playback performance for the Sigma Designs 864x platform and enabling smooth playback of any supported kind of media content via any network protocol (including NFS and SMB) in both 100 Mbit/s and 1000 Mbit/s networks.
• Dimensions: 420 mm (width) x 262 mm (depth) x 50 mm (height)

Specification:

• Processor: Sigma Designs 8642
• Memory: RAM 512 MB, system Flash: 128 MB, expandable with a HDD partition or USB flash drive (2GB recommended)
• Media sources: built-in Blu-ray drive, external HDD (eSATA, USB), external optical drive (eSATA, USB), USB devices (USB flash drive, USB card reader, etc), PC and NAS in local network (SMB, NFS, UPnP, HTTP), internal 2.5" SATA HDD (option)
• Video codecs: MPEG2, MPEG4, XVID, WMV9, VC1, H.264
• Video file formats: MKV, MPEG-TS, MPEG-PS, M2TS, VOB, AVI, MOV, MP4, QT, ASF, WMV, Blu-Ray-ISO, BDMV, DVD-ISO, VIDEO_TS
• Video output modes: wide range of supported modes and resolutions, including 23.976p, 24p, PAL, NTSC
• Audio codecs: AC3 (Dolby Digital), DTS, MPEG, AAC, LPCM, WMA, WMAPro, EAC3 (Dolby Digital Plus), Dolby True HD, DTS HD High Resolution Audio, DTS HD Master Audio, FLAC, multichannel FLAC
• Audio file formats: MP3, MPA, M4A, WMA, FLAC, WAV, DTS-WAV, DTS, AC3, AAC
• Pass-through and decoding of HD audio formats, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio
• Picture file formats: JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF
• Subtitle formats: SRT, SUB, text/SSA/ASS (MKV), VobSub (MP4), PGS (full Blu-ray mode)
• Playlist file formats: M3U, PLS
• Filesystems: FAT16/FAT32 (read-write), EXT2/EXT3 (read-write), NTFS (readonly)

Other features:

• Upscaling: high-quality upscaling and deinterlacing of DVD and other SD content to HD resolution (up to 1080p)
• Access to network: browser of network shares (SMB, UPnP), user-defined shortcuts to network shares (SMB, NFS), links to HTTP media streams
• NAS function: SMB and FTP access from network to the player's attached storage devices
• IPTV: direct playback and recording of multicast IPTV streams (raw-UDP and RTP-over-UDP, SD and HD)
• Internet radio: HTTP/MP3
• Powerful file manager (copy, move, delete, rename, etc), built-in FTP and SMB file server (NAS function)
• Photo viewer: slide-show function, picture transition eff ects, picture rotation
• Playlists: music/photos/video, user-defined and automatically generated playlists, repeat and shuffle
• FullHD-quality, fast, convenient, customizable interface (with covert-art and icon browsing support)
• Future (free f/w upgrade): Flash Lite 3 support