Pioneer: Setting the benchmark in high power AV receiver performance, two new LX Series AV receivers will be available across Europe from September 2009:

• SC-LX82: AV Receiver with ICEpower, Sampling Rate Converter, DLNA, Internet Radio and THX Ultra2 Plus Certification
• SC-LX72: AV Receiver with ICEpower, DLNA, Internet Radio and THX Select2 Certification

Both receivers incorporate Direct Energy HD Amplifiers built on ICEpower analogue Class D technology to ensure exceptional reproduction of high resolution stereo and multi-channel audio.

Pushing the boundaries of AV receiver innovation, the SC-LX82 provides the full advantages of this amplification technology in addition to achieving THX Ultra2 Plus as well as AIR Studios certifications. Both models offer seamless digital audio connectivity to iPhone and iPod devices.

Full press release here.

air studios icepower pioneer sc lx72 sc lx82 THX

BBC: This year is seeing a comeback for 3D cinema, with every major film studio releasing a title in the format.

Even the Cannes Film Festival showed its support to the industry by allowing a 3D feature to open the event for the first time.

The film selected was Disney and Pixar’s latest release called Up, which is just one of 15 movies in 3D coming out in 2009. It is the story of a widower who ties a thousand balloons to his house and flies away on an adventure.

Other forthcoming releases cover genres from family friendly animations such as Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs to adult horror in My Bloody Valentine.

But the most anticipated 3D release is due at the end of the year from Titanic director James Cameron. Avatar is expected to be the most expensive movie ever made - Cameron has spent much of the past decade researching and experimenting with the technique.

“You can look at a 2D version of a 3D film and see all the dumb gags that were fun in 3D but look stupid in 2D. Before we spent hundreds of millions of dollars making a movie, we had to say is this movie going to be in any way compromised in its 2D presentation. Because the reality is that in the short-tem DVDs are still going to be in 2D. Hollywood is starting to catch up now that the technology is finally right for a third era of 3D.”

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iPodNN: Onkyo has recently announced the upcoming release of two 7.1-channel home theater systems with advanced audio processing, including support for all current audio formats, including the vertical dimensions added by ProLogic IIz.

The HT-S7200 and HT-S6200 surround sound systems are rated at the same 130 watts per channel, with a speaker system that includes an active 230W subwoofer.

Onkyo’s U-Port iPod dock is included with each system. The HT-S7200 has one extra HDMI 1.3a input, at five, compared to the HT-S6200’s four inputs.

The HT-S7200 can upscale signals connected via components and composite inputs to 1080i. The HT-S7200 sports tower front speakers with dual 3.25-inch woofers and a 1-inch dome tweeter. A center channel has the same arrangement of drivers.

The speakers are available as a stand-alone package known as the SKS-HT870 The HT-S6200 system has single 4-inch woofers and one 1-inch balanced dome tweeter on the three front speakers and 3.25-inch full range drivers in the surround speakers.

The 10-inch subwoofer has a 230W power rating on either system. The Onkyo HT-S7200 and HT-S6200 are available now, priced at $899 (€639) and $699 (€496), respectively. The SKS-HT870 7.1-channel speaker package costs $499 (€354).

onkyo

Wired: Have you ever been in desperate need of an AAA battery (your TV remote control is running out of power) and all you can find in your house are AAs or some other incompatible size of battery?

Three designers claim to have the solution. Pyeong Joo Goh, Jong Seung Choi and Ji Soo Hong have created the AtoD rechargeable battery, which can be squashed to fit the device that you need to power.

The battery is made from memory foam and so will retain its shape until you squash it for a different device.

It will then gradually become bigger again when you remove it for recharging. It provides 1.5 volts of nickel hydroxide power, but there’s no indication of whether it will make it beyond the concept stage.

battery

Dvice: Despite the cultural differences it’s still a wonder why Japanese capsule hotels haven’t made their way to big U.S. cities like New York and Chicago. Perhaps a new take on the capsule hotel by Panasonic and designers Masaaki Hiromura and Takaaki Nakamura will inspire the West to finally adopt this futuristic hotel dynamic.

Set up like a normal (somewhat coffin-like) chamber for sleeping, the new 9H facility in Kyoto will merge cutting-edge electronics with minimalist design evocative of the late Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi aesthetic.

Adorned with a simple, sleek black panel called the “sleeping environment system,” the future of hotels will be on display at the Axis Gallery in Tokyo from August 19th, more information here.

9h panasonic

NewLaunches: LG Display has struck a deal worth millions of dollars with Continental AG for the supply of 30,000 sheets of LG Display’s 5.8 inch and 7.3 inch LCD panels on a monthly basis to Mercedes Benz which will be used for new E-class sedans.

The exact amount of the deal is unknown because officials declined to state it but it is estimated around 46 million dollars. That is good news especially during these tough financial times.

The panels provided by LG Display are high-end products with light-emitting diode backlight bulbs. The 5.8-inch model will be used in low-end models of the E-class, while the 7.3-inch panels will be attached to premium models.

lcd LG Mercedes