Audio Video News

Last week, Faroudja's parent company, Sage, announced that it has launched a "video quality certification program" that authorizes the use of the Faroudja "Flying P" logo and trademark to certified licensees for product placement, literature, and packaging.

Concurrent with the announcement of the logo program, the company also announced that Kenwood has received Sage's first certification to display the Faroudja logo on their two new Sovereign model progressive-scan DVD players, the DV-5700 and the DV-5900M, available September 2001 in North America.

Sage says that in order to qualify to use the Faroudja logo under the program, a licensee's progressive-scan product must use the company's FLI2200 video deinterlacer and FLI2220 video enhancer, and pass a series of "rigorous" video performance tests conducted by Sage. According to the company. "These tests ensure that the product meets the Faroudja standards for premium video quality." Sage adds that the certification program requires a standard one-time application and certification fee and a per-unit royalty.

According to Sage, the FLI2200 is a 10-bit single-chip motion adaptive deinterlacer that incorporates Faroudja's deinterlacing and post-processing algorithms to convert standard interlaced video signals into progressive-scan signals. The company claims that the FLI2200 boasts a number of industry-first features, including what Sage calls Directional Correlational Deinterlacing (DCDi). "The DCDi algorithm produces smooth and natural images by eliminating the jagged edges seen on moving angled lines in video," says the company.

Other claimed capabilities include motion adaptive deinterlacing "with optimal filtering on a per pixel basis" and motion adaptive cross-color suppression. Sage says that the FLI2200 also features a "film mode" for proper handling of 3:2 and 2:2 pulldown as well as bad edit detection/correction.

Kenwood's Bob Law explains, "Having the Faroudja 'Flying P' logo on the faceplates of our new Sovereign progressive-scan DVD players signifies our commitment to producing high-performance video products. Being the first company to pass the video certification testing to carry the Faroudja logo validates the extraordinary video quality of our new DVD players."

Sage's Dr. Nikhil Balram says that his company is pleased to have signed Kenwood up for the logo program. "Sage is setting the standard for video excellence that consumers can identify at a glance, and we anticipate a positive response from manufacturers dedicated to providing the very best in video performance."