RCA DIMENSIA System Features

RCA DIMENSIA Entertainment System White Paper

Simple Control

With DIMENSIA you simply tell the system what you want the end result to be and its built-in intelligence will take care of all the in-between steps automatically. For instance, compare the procedure you must use to play the VCR in an ordinary system with the steps for doing the same thing with DIMENSIA.

If you had an ordinary video/audio system, you would probably have to do all this just to play the VCR:

1. Go to the TV and turn it on.
2. Choose the channel for the VCR picture.
3. Go to the amplifier and turn it on.
4. Select the right input for VCR audio.
5. Go to the VCR and turn it on.
6. Make sure the TV/VCR switch is in the right position.
7. Press the Play button.

When you have done all these steps you can sit back and watch your program. But with DIMENSIA to take care of details, you sit back, relax, and pick up the Remote Command Center. Then:

1. Press VCR.
2. Press PLAY.

That's all. DIMENSIA takes care of all the other steps automatically. You do the enjoying - DIMENSIA does the work. This is only one example. You will experience similar ease of operation whether you want to do something simple like listen to an audio cassette or something complex like record a TV/FM simulcast with your VCR. A few button presses and the rest is automatic.

Total Remote Control

Virtually every operational function of every DIMENSIA Device can be controlled by the extraordinary DIMENSIA Command Center - not only the regular TV functions you would expect, but even the functions of the audio components.

Want to tell your Compact Digital Audio Disc Player to pause while you answer the phone? One button press does it.

Want to tell the Audio Cassette Deck to play just the third, sixth, and tenth songs on the tape? Do it from your easy chair.

On-Screen Feedback and Prompts

Every time you give a command, the DIMENSIA System confirms it with an alphanumeric display, superimposed on the picture, right on the Monitors screen. It's even color coded - Blue for audio devices - Yellow for video devices. It tells you that your command has been received and carried out.

There are even messages to tell you if the command you gave cannot be done. For instance, if you inadvertently command the Turntable to record, the display will inform you, PHONO CAN'T.

You can check the status of each operating device in your system by pressing the remote address button for that device. Press VCR, for instance, and the display will tell you what channel has been selected for the VCR's tuner, the tape counter reading, the hours and minutes left on the tape at the present tape speed, and what the machine is doing - Playing, Recording, Rewinding, etc.

An instant readout of the entire system status can be called up with the Remote Status button. This gives you a page-by-page display of the operating mode of every component that is on, three devices at a time. Let's suppose you are recording a TV/FM Simulcast with the VCR. When you ask for System Status the display will tell you the preset station number of the AM/FM Tuner, the channel number of the Monitor's tuner, and that the VCR is recording.

Programming a component for unattended recording, random program access, etc. is no chore because on-screen prompts lead you through the sequences step by step. As you give programming information to the system, it appears on the Monitor's screen, and when you have completed one entry, the on-screen display will tell you what to do next.

Mixed Mode Operation

Video and audio from different sources may be played simultaneously. A frequent application of this feature is for TV/FM simulcast reception, and recording on the VCR. It may also be used for making VHS Hi-Fi recordings of any audio source device with "blank-screen video," or for viewing and recording unrelated audio and video for special effects.

Multiple Concurrent Operations

The DIMENSIA System can do several things at the same time. For instance, the following can be done simultaneously:

Record any TV channel off-the-air with the VCR.
Play any TV channel with the Monitor/Receiver and Stereo Amplifier.
Record from any audio source (or the TV audio that is playing) with the Audio Cassette Deck.

Record Protection

An annoying problem when recording with an ordinary video/audio system is accidentally interrupting the source that is being recorded. The simplicity of controlling the DIMENSIA System helps to avoid this problem. As an additional safeguard, special features are built into the system for recording protection.

The device that is the program source for the recording cannot be turned off until the recording is stopped.
The recording device cannot be turned off until the recording is stopped.
A cable or component that is in use to route program material from the source to the recorder cannot be used for another purpose if it would interfere with the recording.
Normally the VCR's tuner automatically selects the same channel as the Monitor/Receiver whenever the VCR is addressed with the VCR button. This permits you to begin recording very quickly when you see something you want to tape. However, this feature is inhibited when the VCR is already recording so not to interrupt the off-the-air signal.

System-Off Command

If you have more than one DIMENSIA Component turned on, it is not necessary to turn each one off individually. Just press the Off button twice and all components except those involved in recording will turn off.

SystemLink Interconnection

You might suspect that interconnection of such a comprehensive system as DIMENSIA would involve a maze of wires and cables. Thanks to the unique SystemLink cabling arrangement, you can connect one component to the next in a "daisy-chain hookup" that is simple, neat, and efficient. The special SystemLink cables have color coded plugs that match the colored jacks on the components, and a single multi-conductor cable connects each component to the next one in the system. Extra-long SystemLink cables are available if you need them for unusual component locations.

Expandability

Whether you start with only one or two Components and add to them in the future, or buy the complete system right off, there won't be any "unpleasant surprises" as you assemble your DIMENSIA System. Each component is designed for automatic integration into your System when you connect the SystemLink cable and turn it on, whether today or sometime later.
If your plans call for two VCR's or two Audio Cassette Decks, all you need to do is connect them to the end of the video and audio "daisy chains" and set the switch on each unit to give it a distinctive address code. The DIMENSIA Control System is designed to communicate with them and relay your remote commands just as simply as it handles the first unit of each type.
New types of video/audio equipment are already being designed for future expansion of your DIMENSIA System. When they become available all you need to do is connect them to your present system, just as you would add one of the present components.
Your DIMENSIA System is compatible with many non-Dimensia video and audio devices. If you have a reel-to-reel tape recorder or a video disc player, for examples, you can connect them to your system much as you would connect them to another stereo amplifier or video monitor. Installation suggestions for these and other non-DIMENSIA devices are included in the DIMENSIA Component manuals.

High Quality, Matched Performance

Each component of your DIMENSIA System has been designed to the highest standards of quality and performance to bring you the finest quality of video and sound reproduction. Equally important, every DIMENSIA Component is matched to all the others in such critical areas as video and audio frequency response, signal input and output levels, power handling capability, speaker characteristics, etc. This makes your DIMENSIA System truly a SYSTEM, more than just a collection of fine components.

Matched Styling

Careful attention to electronic details makes DIMENSIA a true System from the standpoint of performance. Equal attention to styling makes it look like a system. Each component is distinctive in appearance, as dictated by its function, yet the styling of each component has been carefully matched to the others as befits a truly integrated system.

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