Black Boxes: Samsung Extiva DVD-N2000 NUON-Enhanced DVD Player Reviewed

by Jim Mikles
October 2000

Samsung Extiva N2000
(201) 229-4000
www.samsungusa.com
$400

Interactivity in the typical off-the-shelf set-top DVD player has thus far meant a menu selection featuring additional useful enhancements to the actual movie such as alternate language tracks, additional camera angles, director outtakes, movie trailers and other amusements. The Samsung Extiva N2000, with NUON interactive DVD technology, is the first DVD video player to ship to consumers that takes the set-top DVD format to the next level of interaction. Samsung spared nothing in the Extiva's design, loading it with extras. The Extiva's price reflects its championship performance.
While the machine will play any standard DVD video, the highly anticipated NUON chip technology by VM Labs of Silicon Valley means the box also has the horsepower to be a gaming system and can support a few other unique bells and whistles you won't find in any other DVD player on the market today.

Connections

As a DVD video player, the Extiva is stacked with everything you would expect from a top-shelf unit. The box cables easily enough. S-video and RCA composite video outputs connect it to the typical TV, while the high-end component video outputs make it fully compatible with the best projection and digital sets on the market today.
The array of audio outputs takes full advantage of all the various Dolby audio options available for home theater systems. It has Dolby Digital out jacks for either coaxial or optical digital cable connection to an A/V amplifier that has a Dolby Digital or a DTS decoder. It has 5.1 channel audio out jacks to connect to an amplifier with 5.1 channel analog input jacks. It also has RCA composite audio out jacks to connect with most everything else. The player can only work with the audio encoded on the DVD movie software it runs, of course, but more and more movies come with 5.1 channel audio on-board, so this feature is increasingly important for maximum audio effect.
With component video outputs and Dolby Digital 5.1 channel audio outputs, this player is squarely aimed at the high-end home theater market. People who possess component-video capable televisions and Dolby Digital surround sound amplifiers expect the best performance from their home theater systems, and the Extiva fits the bill.

Features

In keeping with the spirit of being fully-loaded, the Extiva player has tons of DVD movie playback features, including the standard multiple angle, subtitle, slow and fast advance and universal remote control functions. In addition, Extiva has some unique features, such as "Strobe," which divides the screen into nine blocks and strobes the action across them in snap-shots. "Screen Fit" allows the user to eliminate the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen when viewing in letterbox mode. "3D Sound" simulates surround-sound audio through non-surround speakers or headphones. "Bookmark" allows the user to select scenes for instant replay. While some of these features could be very handy, it's hard to imagine a practical use for them all. Each worked flawlessly during the test, however, and they make the Extiva particularly adaptable to a wide range of user preferences and applications.

It's NUON Enhanced

The Extiva's NUON chip enables an enhanced gaming experience on the N2000. The technology manifests itself through a game pad, a small two-port input jack on the front of the player the pad connects to, and an "N" button on the remote control. Game control pads have come a long way in the past few years and this one reflects today's standards, with A/B buttons, front left and right firing buttons, a directional thumbpad and four optional control buttons. The pad has a 10-foot cord, which is unusual and makes it easy to use from the couch or easy chair. The literature says the N button on the remote will enable Nuon content to be played on DVD movies, but no software with this particular feature is included with the system.
Any game system is only as good as its software. While the game Ballistic that ships with the Extiva isn't overly exciting, it's a solid enough design and more titles are bound to be on the way that should take better advantage of the NUON chip. Ballistic provided about the same level of amusement as a Java game on the Web. It was cool enough, but it probably wouldn't be a long-lived relationship. The player shoots colored paintballs from a spinning turret at other paintballs to match the colors. It was a decent 10-foot game for one person to play. The second input jack holds the promise of two-person couch gaming, which would be a breakthrough for the 10-foot interactive TV viewing experience. With the speed the game loaded and the reactions of
the controls, it feels like NUON can support some heavier-duty software. For now, there are only a few games written for NUON DVD game play. We expect to see more software written as NUON-enhanced players become available.
NUON technology is also scheduled to ship in DVD video units by Raite and Toshiba.

Lightshow

For pure passive entertainment value, perhaps the most impressive feature of the Extiva is its CD spectrum analyzer and "virtual lightshow." The spectrum analyzer is a lot like the lights on an amplifier, rising and falling to the music. The lightshow is something even better. Put on your favorite music CD and choose from a menu of literally dozens of different color light schemes that pulse to the rhythm of the tune. The lightshow was nice icing on the cake.
Overall we were impressed with the N2000. It's an innovative design with solid high-end DVD functionality and several unique features that are compelling and easy to use.

Outputs
Video Component, S-Video, Composite
Audio Dolby Digital (Coaxial and Optical), Dolby 5.1 channel analog, Composite