Yamaha YPS 3000 Soundbar

Pure audiophiles will steer you away from soundbars, but not everyone wants or can accommodate a full 5 or 6 speaker system into their lives. This is where the Yamaha YPS 3000 comes in.

The YPS 3000 packs 2 HDMI inputs, Neural Surround Dolby Pro-Logic DTS 5.1, SRS TruBass, a Compressed Music Enhancer for MP3s, their 3rd Generation IntelliBeam with optimizer microphone and is compatible with Apple iPods.

Measuring in at 35.5 x 6 x 4.5, the YPS 3000 reproduces its sound with its digital amplifier that individually drives 21 sound beam drivers and two woofers to deliver true multi-channel surround sound.

The YPS 3000 should retail for just under $1000 at Amazon (affiliate link)

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LG's First 32 inch Plasma TV

LG have just announced that they plan to sell their first 32 inch Plasma TV globally in November. The LG 32PC5RV should be an affordable alternative for buyers who prefer plasma TV’s over LCD’s.

The LG 32PC5RV’s 16:9 aspect ratio has a response time of 0.001 ms and can be connected to the usual devices such as DVD players, home theater systems and HDMI or component ports, such as LG’s SIMPLINK

No word on pricing at this point. But if you are in the market for a new 32 inch TV; this is worth considering.

Source: LG Press Release

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Onkyo HT-SP908 HTiB Brings 7 Speakers to Your Home

This is is Onkyo’s latest Home Theater in a Box (HTiB); the HT-SP908 sports a receiver with 7.1 channel audio, 2 HDMI 1.3a ports, 1080p output, a 1080p upscaling DVD player, 10 inch sub-woofer and a remote interactive iPod dock. It also comes XM/Sirius ready.

The HT-SP908 should retails around $1099 or drop down to the HT-SP904 for $899. The 904 loses upscaling and HDMI.



Source: Onkyo

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YPS-500 Soundbar from Yamaha

This should be Yamaha’s latest ‘Digital Sound Projector’ or Soundbar; The YSP-500 is much smaller than its larger siblings at just 24 inches wide.

With 18 individual sound drivers to reflect the sound it can decode, it can decode Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS Neo:6 sound formats. The YPS-500 also offers SRS TruBass and the IntelliBeam automated room calibration, will get you up and running with optimal sound in just a couple of minutes.

This should retail for around $650 when it hits the USA

Source: Technabob

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Philips SHD9100 Wifi Headphones

You folks over in the UK should soon be able to get hold of the latest WiFi headphones from Philips; the SHD9100. With around 6 hours of listening, these lightweight headphones come with breathable ear cushions and 3-way adjustment. They have a 40mm speaker driver and a range of around 40 meters.

There is also no need to worry about set up as the SHD9100 headphones feature automatic tuning and also features a low battery indication to give advance warning for when the headphones need to be recharged.

No word on US availability

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The Sleek DHT-FS3 Soundbar Home Theater System from Denon

If you are looking for a surround sound system without the clutter of all those wires, then take a close look at the Denon DHT-FS3 soundbar. This is a sleek, compact home theater surround sound system that will sit below your screen to give you an immersed sound experience.

The system comes in a piano black finish and comes with Dolby and dts decoders, along with the new X-Space technology. Denon states that the ‘X-Space technology, deliver stunning spatial sound for enhanced enjoyment’.

Specs:
22 watts x 5 Channels
45 watt x1 Subwoofer
Dolby Digital and dts decoding
New X-Space technology
Dedicated iPod port for use with optional ASD-1R Denon D-dock
Auto Power Standby / On function
Slim build design
Wall or free standing mounting
Preprogrammed remote control included

The DHT-FS3 will retail for $1,199



Source: Denon

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Sony Add High End Blu-Ray Players

This week Sony adds to their line-up of Blu-ray players with the BDP-S2000ES and BDP-S500. Both feature full high-definition 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema output. They support 7.1 channel linear PCM and Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby® Digital Plus, as well as dts-HD™ High Resolution Audio bitstream output via HDMI™ (ver1.3) and compliment Sony’s current entry level model; the BDP-S300.

More Features:
Compatible with most standard DVDs and feature 1080p upscaling through HDMI to capable HDTV sets

Support AVCHD discs encoded with x.v.Color™ (xvYCC) technology

Compatible with BD-R/RE (BDMV mode), DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW (Video Mode), CD, CD-R/RW (CD-DA format), MP3, and JPEG on DVD recordable media

Include BRAVIA® TheatreSync™ through HDMI

Pptical and coaxial digital audio outputs, along with 5.1 channel decoding capability for backward compatibility with existing A/V receivers

The BDP-S2000ES will retail for around $1,300 and the BDP-S500 for around $700.





Source: Sony Press Release

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Let Sony Organize Your Digital World The HES-V1000 Home Entertainment Server

Sony have just introduced there solution to help you organize your personal collections of digital movies, music and photos; the stand-alone HES-V1000 Home Entertainment Server (it’s not cheap…)

The HES-V1000 Home Entertainment Server features a full HD 1080p 200-disc Blu-ray Disc™/DVD/CD changer, a 500GB hard disc drive that can store up to 137 hours of video, 40,000 songs or 20,000 digital photos and a Blu-ray Disc burner.

The HES-V1000 offers Sony’s new x-Application® feature that includes x-Pict Story™ HD and x-ScrapBook™ photo slide show so users can create customized photo presentations with the click of the remote.

The HES-V1000 system can play back music stored on the hard drive and can wirelessly stream music throughout the home with a router to other devices. The system can register up to ten devices with four independent audio streams.

There are also plenty of connections available; S-video, composite, audio and HDV/DV (i.LINK®) inputs, as well as HDMI™ with BRAVIA Theatre Sync, component, optical, coaxial, analog outputs, as well as, Memory Stick® media inputs, Secure Digital cards, CompactFlash media and xD-Picture CardTM flash memory readers.



The HES-V1000 Home Entertainment Server will be available in October for about $3,500.

Source: Sony Press Release

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Sony's Elevated Standard Home Theater Recievers

If you are looking at investing in a new audio/video receiver, then the folks at Sony would like you to check out there latest offerings in their ‘Elevated Standard’ (ES) lineup. These systems are compatible with latest audio formats including Dolby Labs’ Dolby® Digital +/Dolby® TrueHD and dts® High Resolution Audio and dts® HD Master Audio.

The STR-DA5300ES, STR-DA4300ES and STR-DA3300ES 7.1 channel models offer iPod® intergration through the receiver’s Digital Media Port feature and optional iPod audio dock (TDM-iP1), sold separately.

Additionally, the Digital Media Port feature allows users to add other optional accessories such as a PC WiFi client for streaming digital music (TDM-NC1), a Bluetooth® receiver that allows users to connect to various compatible Bluetooth-enabled devices to the receivers (TDM-BT1), as well as the Network walkman

The STR-DA5300ES will be available in September for about $1,700, while the STR-DA4300ES ships in October for about $1,300. The STR-DA3300ES will be available in August for about $1,000



Source: Sony Press Release

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Sony’s RHT-G1000 Home Theater in a TV Stand

Sony has just announced that they will start shipping their RHT-G1000 ‘Home Theater in a TV Stand’ in October. According to Jeff Goldstein, VP of Marketing for Sony Electronics.

Unobtrusive home theater systems are soaring in popularity as flat-panel LCD televisions drive the market and, as a result, we have begun to merge home theater products into TV stands specifically designed for these displays
Another option the company is introducing is a TV stand with an integrated home theater system. Then you can add a Sony BRAVIA LCD TV for a full home theater experience without rear speakers.

The stand comes complete with concealed multi-channel surround sound speaker system, S-Master digital amplifier and Sony’s S-Force Pro virtual surround sound processing.

Rears speakers can also be utilized via the units rear speaker terminals. The Sony RHT-G1000 will retail for around $1300



Source: Sony Press Release

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Sony's TAV-L1 Sliding Home Theater System

Sony has announced that it will be releasing its unique TAV-L1 ‘all in one’ TV with nuilt in home theater system in August. What’s unique about the TAV-Ll, just take a look at the picture below.

The TAV-L1 has a unique sliding speaker system. When the TV ( is covered (as shown above), the system acts like an audio system with the ability to play CD’s and SACD’s using the built in slot loading CD player. When the unit is in the open position (see below), the TV is revealed and the surround sound speakers enhance your viewing pleasure.

The TAV-L1 all-in-one home theater system features a motorized audio unit that with a push of a button automatically slides down, revealing a 32-inch LCD flat-panel HDTV.

The combination LCD TV/home theater system incorporates a slot-loading DVD/CD/SACD player, two powerful vibration canceling subwoofers, Sony’s S-Master® digital amplifier, and Sony’s S-Force® Pro virtual surround sound processing for realistic surround sound without rear speakers.

As an added bonus, you will be able to buy additional colored speaker grills, if black is not your taste.

The TAV-L1 will be available from SonyStyle for $4000

Source: Sony Press Release

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