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Electronista: Pioneer has expanded its line of vehicle products with several new receivers, a navigation system, and three amplifiers.

The AVIC-X920BT (European model: AVIC-F920BT for April 2010 launch) navigation system features a new interface claimed to offer advanced features while reducing the number of layers required for operation. Users can navigate the menus directly from the 6.1-inch touchscreen, while speech recognition technology enables the system to be controlled without physical interaction.

Along with the standard playback support for CDs and DVDs, the system also integrates 4GB of flash memory and a USB port for connecting an iPod, iPhone, or other compatible devices. Users can install an iTunes plug-in, MusicSphere, that analyzes music and creates playlists based on musical attributes.

The USB port also enables Pandora playback, although the service is currently limited to the iPhone. The iPhone requirement will be in place through 2010, although company executives claimed they are considering other options for the future. Pandora founder Tim Westergren, also present at the Pioneer event, expressed a similar desire to expand the service.

An ECO Driving function analyzes driving characteristics such as acceleration and speed, which are used to create reports estimating environmental impact. Users can view suggestions for improving fuel efficiency, while a Drive Score compares performance between trips on the same route.

Pioneer also introduced new double-DIN receivers, the AVH-P3200DVD, AVH-P3200BT, and AVH-P4200DVD; along with the AVH-P5200DVD and AVH-P5200BT single-DIN models.

The devices integrate touchscreen displays ranging in size from 5.8 inches to 7 inches, along with USB connections for attaching iPods and iPhones. Each integrates the company’s MOSFET50 50 Watt amplifiers driving four channels.

For further customization, the company has announced three new “GM Digital” Class-D amplifiers including the four-channel GM-D9500F and two monoblock models, the GM-D8500M and GM-D7500M. The 8500 variant produces 75 Watts across four channels, while the monoblock 8500 and 7500 push 300 Watts and 200 Watts, respectively, on a single channel.

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Pioneer Europe: Three new high-power CD tuners, providing the versatility of both SD cards and USB connectivity, will be available from Pioneer across Europe in January.

All 3 models allow you to connect an iPod, iPhone, portable MP3 player or USB device, or simply insert an SD card.

Each tuner also offers complete flexibility when it comes to connecting extra amplifiers, speakers and subwoofers. Engineered to the best-in-class audio standards that Pioneer has set over the years, these new tuners enhance the sound quality of compressed music to ensure a dynamic in-car listening experience.

The new CD tuners each have an SD Card Slot discreetly hidden behind their front panels, compatible with both SD and SDHC cards. The units allow playback of MP3, WMA, WAV and AAC files from SD.

Other versatile connections include a front USB high-speed 2.0 direct interface to simply link USB audio devices and immediately enjoy a selection of tunes.

All three new models are designed as the most dynamic solution to connect and improve playback performance for iPods and iPhones. With iPod Direct Control, consumers can connect their iPod straight to the tuner’s Front USB terminal and take charge of their music from behind the wheel. As a handy extra, the iPod will charge while connected.

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TradingMarkets.com: Pioneer Corp. said Monday it has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission claiming that Garmin International Inc. is infringing upon the Japanese manufacturer’s patents involving navigation technology.

In October, Pioneer lodged a similar complaint against the U.S. maker of information appliances with the German District Court of Dusseldorf.

Pioneer says it has been negotiating with Garmin to license its patents but that the U.S. company did not evaluate the patents “fairly.”

Consequently, the Japanese firm has taken the legal steps to protect its intellectual property, according to the statement.

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Bloomberg: Pioneer Corp., the Japanese maker of car-navigation systems and audio equipment, halved its fundraising target, citing improving earnings, cost reductions and asset sales.

Pioneer, which had previously estimated it would raise 40 billion yen ($442 million) by March 2012, will continue to consider all possible funding measures, President Susumu Kotani said today. Pioneer separately reported its first-half net loss shrank 7.3 percent to 40.9 billion yen, in line with preliminary estimates disclosed last week.

Lowering the target amount may help Tokyo-based Pioneer find buyers of its new shares after postponing a planned offering to Honda Motor Co. in June. The company, which is forecasting a sixth straight annual deficit this year, is withdrawing from the television-panel business, eliminating 9,800 jobs and closing down nine factories to focus more on car electronics to restore its profitability.

Pioneer fell 0.9 percent to close at 226 yen in Tokyo trading before the announcement today. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average slid 1.3 percent.

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Pioneer: Start planning your route before stepping into your car with Pioneer’s free NavGate FEEDS iPhone application.

Use the Google Maps interface of your iPhone to find your destination and transfer it via Bluetooth for easy, turn-by-turn directions on Pioneer’s AVIC-F10BT or AVIC-F310BT NavGate systems.

Using the iPhone app, you can:

• Run a point of interest (POI) search on your iPhone using Google Maps, drop a pin at the location and then send it to your NavGate for automatic routing
• Take a photo of your current position (or even receive a photo from a friend), create geo-tag data and send it to your NavGate for automatic routing.

Any POI you send from your iPhone will be saved on the NavGate as a contact.

NavGate Feeds for iPhone is compatible with the AVIC-F10BT and AVIC-F310BT.

For more:

• Download the free iPhone application from iTunes
• Find out more about NavGate Feeds

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Reuters: Japanese consumer electronics makers Pioneer Corp and Sharp Corp said on Monday that they would delay the merger of their optical disc operations as anti-trust reviews continue overseas.

The two companies reached an agreement for the merger earlier in the year and were scheduled to start the joint venture on Oct 1, in a bid to establish a leading position in the Blu-ray disc market.

Pioneer also said it is still in talks with investors to raise money to shore up its finances. The struggling company has said it aims to raise 40 billion yen ($448.7 million) from investors including Honda Motor Co Ltd, which plans to invest 2.5 billion yen. The automaker procures car navigation systems from Pioneer.

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Pioneer: It’s been 15 years since the genesis of Pioneer’s first CDJ deck, which led to the world-beating CDJ-1000 series. Today Pioneer introduced a major leap forward for the club standard CDJ series: the CDJ-2000.

The CDJ-2000 fizzes with fresh DNA and can play music from multiple sources, including CD, DVD, USB storage devices and SD memory cards.

It also comes with the revolutionary music database management software for DJs: rekordbox™. Based on Pioneer’s  ‘Prepare & Perform’ concept, rekordbox works (for both Mac and PC) like the leading music database management software, but is more creative and more DJ-friendly.

rekordbox allows DJs to prepare more before their performance and opens a door to tools such as Hot Cue Banks and Quantize, for perfectly synced loops every time. DJs can then export data to a USB or SD device to access vast libraries of music files and perform live – without the need for extra equipment or any inconvenient rewiring in the club.

No need to burn CDs, simply take your USB device to the club, plug in to the CDJ and play.

Through the industry-first Pro DJ Link, music files and database data on one single USB or SD device can be shared simultaneously by up to four players connected via LAN (local area network) cable. Plus, the data history of each DJ set is automatically saved and can be made into a playlist that can be loaded back into rekordbox.

Another key facet of the CDJ-2000 is its advanced HID (human interface device) and MIDI capabilities for native control of DVS (digital vinyl systems) via USB. What’s more, it achieves Pioneer’s highest sound quality to date through an improved audio output circuit, a new audiophile-pleasing Wolfson DAC processor, and a built-in 24-bit/48 kHz sound card.

Naturally, the CDJ-2000’s layout is related to its robust, reliable predecessor, the CDJ-1000MK3. However, although it fits easily into the MK3’s footprint, it ramps up performance with the largest (6.1-inch) clearest full-colour screen in the business.

Below the screen is an industry-first waveform Needle Search™/Needle Drop ribbon, so that all the convenience of direct file browsing can now be found in an intuitive hardware format. Add to these features a highly evolved illuminated Jog wheel, and an overall enhanced design, complete with carry handles and Kensington lock, and you have the ideal digital innovation for total performance and seamless synchronisation.

The CDJ-2000 is available from November 2009 with a suggested retail price including VAT of €1799 which includes rekordbox software.

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Pioneer: Pioneer today launched the CDJ-900, a ”new multi-format performance player for the digital age”. The CDJ-900 accompanies the launch of the new range-topping CDJ-2000 player and is loaded with many shared features.

It can play from various different music sources, including CD and USB storage devices. It also comes with the revolutionary music database management software for DJs: rekordbox™.

Based on Pioneer’s ‘Prepare & Perform’ concept, rekordbox works (for both Mac and PC) like the leading music database management software, but is more creative and more DJ-friendly. rekordbox allows DJs to prepare more before their performance and opens a door to tools such as Quantize for perfectly synced loops every time.

DJs can then export data to a USB device to access vast libraries of music files and perform live – without the need for extra equipment or any inconvenient rewiring in the club.

No need to burn CDs, simply take your USB device to the club, plug in to the CDJ and play.

Through the industry-first Pro DJ Link, music files and database data on one single USB device can be shared simultaneously by up to four players connected via LAN (local area network) cable, or with one LAN cable between two players.

Plus, the data history of each DJ set is automatically saved and can be made into a playlist that can be loaded back into rekordbox. Another key facet of the CDJ-900 is its advanced HID (human interface device) and MIDI capabilities for native control of DVS (digital vinyl systems) via USB.

There is also an improved audio output circuit, a new Wolfson DAC processor, and a built-in 24-bit/48 kHz sound card. Add to these features an overall enhanced design that includes a new display screen, rotary selector, carry handles and Kensington lock.

Then check out the four-beat Emergency Loop and the three CDJ-900 exclusives: the Auto Beat Loop, Quick Return scratch feature and a Slip mode that enables DJs to perform tricks and return to their original flow in an uninterrupted fashion and you have the perfect tool for maximum performance.

The CDJ-900 is available across Europe from the end of December 2009 with a suggested retail price including VAT of €1299 which includes the rekordbox software.

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Engadget: What do you get when you take every single source of audio and video content, including Blu-ray with Managed Copy, online streaming content and everything else you can think of, and then combine it with control and remote viewing capabilities? You guessed it, the Entertainment Tap.

We understand that Pioneer is shooting for the stars with this one, but it most definitely falls under the category of it sounds too good to be true. Of course Pioneer is just trying to throw everything against the wall to see what sticks, which is great, but the anticipated release of 2010 seems ambitions considering everything included in the demo.

We could go on and on listing the media sources and control devices, but Pioneer wasn’t exactly giving us any negative responses. Lets just say the new ET concept is a do it all media server as well as a client client that plays nice with everything.

For example, the ET can connect to a HR22 DirecTV HD DVR via USB and using the data from the DVR, it’ll build its own version of the interface. Of course the whole video part is hard to integrate, so the ET simply instructs the TV to switch inputs at the right time to give you a seamless experience.

At this point none of these features are finalized so don’t be bashful with your ideas in the comments, because who knows, Pioneer might actually include them.

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Pioneer: Pioneer are previewing their new iPod Speaker Systems at IFA.

The XW-NAS5 and XW-NAS3  systems, due to hit the shelves from December, feature a 2.1-channel digital amplifier and provide precise sound reproduction with warm acoustics, while a down-firing subwoofer supplies dynamic and powerful bass.

Both systems offer a direct digital audio connection and incorporate unique features that are not available on other high-end iPod speaker systems.

They come in a characteristic shell-shaped housing, in a choice of four quality metallic-finish colours: red, black, silver or white (XW-NAS3 in metallic white only).

All the official information and pre-release pictures are here.

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Video Business: Pioneer and Sharp have formalized their plans to jointly create Blu-ray Disc players, among other products, starting in October.

The two companies’ venture, dubbed Pioneer Digital Design and Manufacturing Corp., should help the companies improve efficiency through sharing resources.

Operations are scheduled to kick off in October, but the companies haven’t specified when the first products will reach shelves.

Blu-ray players are high on the venture’s to-do list, as well as such other optical-disc products as disc drives and recorders.

Pioneer Digital Design expects to generate 38 billion yen (approximately $400 million) between Oct. 1 and March 31, 2010.

Pioneer controls 66% of the venture, and Sharp has 34% ownership interest. PDDMC will have 450 employees, to be based within Pioneer’s Kawasaki Plant in Japan.

Toshihiko Kurihara has been tapped president of the joint Pioneer/Sharp entity. He’s currently general manager of Pioneer’s components business division of the home entertainment business group.

Earlier this year, Pioneer management said it was joining forces with Sharp in product development in order to remain competitive in the marketplace. At the same time, Pioneer said it was slimming expenses by exiting its in-house plasma display production business.

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DJsounds.com: Pioneer – the makers of benchmark DJ equipment  – have hinted at what their next generation of products could be. Due for global launch on 17 September, they are calling it ‘the dawn of a new species’. Intrigued? Watch the video:

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