Nuon is a technology created by VM Labs that adds new features to a DVD player. In addition to watching DVDs, users can play 3D video games and use improved tools for navigating DVDs, such as zoom and smooth scrolling during playback. Users can also play CDs, and the Nuon graphics processor creates matching graphics on the screen. Plans were made to add Internet access in future Nuon DVD players.

History

Nuon was first introduced under the name "Project X" and was planned for release during the 1998 Christmas shopping season. It was included in Electronic Gaming Monthly's 1999 Video Game Buyer's Guide. One of the main software developers for Nuon was Jeff Minter, who created a version of Tempest called Tempest 3000 for the system and the built-in VLM-2 audio visualizer. The hardware was made by several original equipment manufacturers.

The software development kit (SDK) for Nuon cost about one-third as much as the PlayStation SDK. After a strong showing at the 1998 Consumer Electronics Show, VM Labs sent out many SDKs to developers.

When Nuon was first announced, its creators hoped it would compete with upcoming video game consoles from major companies. However, Nuon was mainly marketed as an improved DVD format. Most Nuon players sold looked like regular DVD players, with the only difference being a Nuon logo. Nuon players had features not found on other DVD players when playing standard DVDs. These included smooth forward and reverse playback and the ability to zoom in and out of video sections. Nuon also provided a platform for DVD authors to add interactive features to their titles.

In North America, Nuon was used in Samsung models DVD-N501 and DVD-N2000. Other models were released in Europe (DVD-N504, DVD-N505) and Korea (DVD-N591). Toshiba made the SD-2300 DVD player, and RCA produced models DRC300N and DRC480N. Nuon was also used in Motorola's Streamaster 5000 "Digital DNA" set-top box.

Nuon was created by VM Labs, whose assets were sold to Genesis Microchip in April 2002. By November 2004, no Nuon-enabled DVD players were being sold, and no new Nuon software titles were being developed or released.

Nuon had four 128-bit 54 MHz or 108 MHz Nuon MPE (Media Processing Element) processors that supported parallel operations on 32-bit scalars. Each MPE had eight 128-bit registers, which could store vectors of that size or be divided into 32 32-bit registers or eight packets of 3 or 4 16-bit vectors. Each MPE used its own RAM, but MPEs 1 and 4 could access system memory directly. These MPEs could use their memories as configurable caches and had access to additional tag RAM. MPEs had a hardware multiply unit but no hardware division. There was no hardware support for floating point calculations. Some reports suggested a model with a 333+ MHz clock frequency, but it was never widely released.

Other components included:
– MCS-251 microcontroller for background tasks
– 32 MB 8-bit Fast Page DRAM at 33 MHz, 512 KB sound RAM, and 24 KB programmable ROM
– 2x 3D Media GL MPE with 8 MB 32-bit video RAM at 66 MHz
– 64–256 MB writable ROM and optional hard drive (up to 137 GB)
– Optical drive support for DVD or CD-R

Peripherals for Nuon-enhanced DVD players included:
– Logitech Gamepad
– Pro-elite controller
– AirPlay wireless controller
– Stealth controller
– Warrior Digital-D pad
– Controller extension cable
– Port replicator to move Nuon ports to any location

Only four DVD releases used Nuon technology. All were released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment:
– The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
– Bedazzled (2000 remake)
– Dr. Dolittle 2
– Planet of the Apes (2001 film, Bug Free Version UPC – 024543028987)

Only eight games were officially released for Nuon:
– Tempest 3000
– Freefall 3050 A.D.
– Merlin Racing (later had a sequel, Miracle Space Race, for PlayStation) and an altered version, Rascal Racers; released for PlayStation in 2002
– Space Invaders X.L.
– Iron Soldier 3 (later recalled due to compatibility issues)
– Ballistic (only available with Samsung players)
– The Next Tetris DLX (only available with Toshiba players)
– Crayon Shin-chan 3 (Korean-only release)

Other releases included:
– Interactive Sampler (three versions)
– Nuon Games + Demos (collection from Nuon-Dome)
– Nuon-Dome PhillyClassic 5 Demo Disc (giveaway collection)

Homebrew development

In late 2001, VM Labs introduced a set of tools that let programmers create apps and games for the Nuon system. Only the Samsung DVD-N501/DVDN504/DVDN505 and RCA DRC300N/DRC480N models can run homebrew games. Some homebrew games have been made for or adapted to work on Nuon. These games are not sold in stores and must be copied onto a CD-R that is compatible with the Nuon system.