About Electronics

Akihabara News: Onkyo is now expanding its product line to include upscale separate components. With its announcement today of three new THX Certified components, Onkyo is now offering the higher levels of performance, quality, and capabilities typical of separates. These new products include Onkyo’s first A/V preamplifier/processor that is both 3D-Ready and THX-Certified, a powerful 150-watt nine-channel amplifier, and a full-featured Blu-ray Disc Player.

Onkyo’s flagship PR-SC5508 is a THX-Ultra 2 Plus certified, network-capable, 9.2-channel audio-video controller will function as the brains of the worlds most advanced in-home home theater systems. It has a 3D-Ready HDMI-1.4a interface, HQV Reon-VX video processing, ISF Video Calibration, and a long list of top-of-the line audio and video features unmatched in other products.

The networking features offer DLNA 1.5 and Windows 7 compatible connection to PC audio and internet radio. The system is configured for Pandora, Rhapsody, Mediafly, Slacker, Napster, VTuner, and Sirius Internet Radio. The PR-SC5508′s component circuitry is at the far edge of the technology envelope, both in terms of sound and video quality and processing. Superior video performance comes in the form of HQV Reon-VX processing, 1080p upscaling, and individual ISF calibration capability for all video sources. This THX-Ultra 2 Plus certified system offers exceptional surround sound, height channels, setup calibration, and state of the art processing from Dolby, THX, DTS, and Audyssey, including the latter’s new MultEQ XT 32. The PR-SC5508′s extensive connectivity options includes 8 HDMI inputs, dual USB’s, two balanced line-level XLR audio inputs, and nine XLR preamp outputs to drive the matching PA-MC5500 nine-channel power amplifier.

The Onkyo PA-MC5500 is a powerful nine-channel THX-Ultra2 Plus certified analog power amplifier that is 8-ohm rated at 150 Watts per channel, and up to 400 Watts dynamic power into 3 ohms. It utilizes Onkyo’s exclusive WRAT (Wide Range Amplifier Technology) design philosophy, which proscribes low negative feedback, low distortion, extended frequency response, and a power supply with high instantaneous-current capability. To achieve all this, the PA-MC5500 uses large, custom output transistors in push-pull configuration and massive power supply consisting of a large toroidal power transformer and two 22,000 µF storage capacitors. Despite all this power, the PA-MC5500 preserves the subtle details of the sound with a three-stage inverted Darlington circuit to remove distortion and the use of professional balanced line-level XLR inputs for the optimal interface with its ideal companion, the Onkyo PR-SC5508. The 51-lb PA-MC5500 has a rigid, anti-resonant chassis, gold-plated inputs and outputs, plus multi-zone and bi-amp capability to allow full utilization of all channels no mater what the system configuration.

The Onkyo BD-SP808 is a THX Certified and DLNA 1.5 Certified Blu-ray Disc Player with a full array of state of the art technology, including Video On Demand, premium Marvel Qdeo™ video scaler, and studio-master quality Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™ sound. Its superior build quality provides a robust and versatile playback solution for Blu-ray, DVD, and CD. Harmful vibrations are minimized thanks to the highly rigid chassis construction and a balanced, center-mounted drive mechanism. An Ethernet port enables interactive Profile 2.0 BD-Live features such as picture-in-picture and web-sourced firmware updates. An SD card slot allows playback of downloaded web content or stills and video from a digital camera. In HDMI Source Direct mode, the player can output the video signal in its native resolution for optional external processing.

These products will begin shipping to dealers in September. The PR-SC5508 will have a suggested retail price of $2,199, the PA-MC5500 will be $1,699, and the BD-SP808 will have a suggest retail price of $599.

read more

EngadgetHD: The wizened ones at THX have added yet another reason to actually spend some time calibrating your TV — energy savings.

Videophiles have long known that moving out of “torch mode” is good for the electric bill, but we’re hoping that putting the THX logo behind the message will help move better picture quality to the mainstream. Y

ou know, because not everyone knows that TVs aren’t supposed to pull double duty as tanning lamps and space heaters. For those people, maybe the 15 – 50-percent energy savings will get them to check out the THX calibration screens.

Yearly electricity savings of about $50 (€35) aren’t enough to offset a professional calibration, but if you’re going to spend $1,000 (€699) on a TV, it’s just silly to not spend 15-minutes to get things dialed in better than the out of the box settings.

read more

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.

read more

TechDigest: Japanese company Onkyo has announced the release of two new home cinema receivers – the TX-SR707 and the TX-NR807. Both units are 7.2-channel receivers and are THX-certified.

They both feature six HDMI inputs – which should more than cover most home setups, Audyssey DSX and Dolby Pro Logic IIz decoding, 1080p video upscaling, four dedicated DSP modes which will be useful for hard-core gamers and ultra-low jitter Burr-Brown 192kHz/24-bit DAC.

The TX-NR807 is also internet enabled allowing for firmware updates and, more importantly, it’s equipped to stream audio and internet radio such as Last.fm. The units are available from the end of July and are priced at £700 (€825) for the TX-SR707 and £800 (€943) for the TX-NR807.

read more

TechRadar: Onkyo has announced the release of its latest pre-amp, the PR-SC886.

The big, black box of goodness contains a whole host of features that will serve your home cinema with fantastic HD audio – no matter what the codec, as the machine has full on-board decoding.

And it’s not just audio that gets the HD treatment, state-of-the art video processing circuits will upscale images to 1080p and the machine has two HDMI sockets and an Ethernet connection.

The PR-SC886 also gets a nice seal of approval from the likes of THX who has given the system Ultra2 Plus certification.

read more

Mobile Magazine: Everyone has surely heard about the death of HD DVD, but THX is saying that we should be quite so quick in declaring that Blu-ray is the victor. In fact, they’re saying that Blu-ray is dead too. This is according to Laurie Fincham, one of THX’s chief scientists.

When asked about the recent death of HD DVD, Laurie says that “I think it’s too late for Blu-ray. I think consumers will only be interested in replacing DVD when HD movies becomes available on flash memory. Do we really need another spinning format?”

This follows in the line of thought of some other industry analysts. More specifically, you may have heard that they’re pushing toward HD streaming content over an Internet connection. Having the HD movies on flash memory is a similar concept, but with less of a digital delivery system. Laurie goes to say that “in the future, I want to be able to carry four to five movies around with me in a wallet, or walk into a store and have someone copy me a movie to a USB device. Stores will like that idea, because it’s all about having zero inventory. I don’t want to take up shelf space with dozens of HD movies.”

read more

PC Magazine: Panasonic launched an updated Viera HDTV line on Sunday, bringing both LCD displays and plasma TVs under a single brand. Also announced were a number of new displays. Most noteworthy were the 37-inch (94cm) TC-37LZ85 LCD and the 46-inch (117cm) TH-46PZ800. Both represent new form factors in Panasonic’s HDTV line. Moreover, all Viera HDTVs now incorporate SDHC flash memory card support.

The flagship PZ800 line consists of four different units, offering 42- (107cm), 46- (117cm), 50- (127cm) and 58-inch (147cm) diagonal form factors. All four meet the new THX Certified Display specification, include four HDMI inputs, an SDHC slot and a new “single sheet of glass” design concept.

read more

Akihabaranews: Dubbed the RX-Z11, Yamaha’s new entrant into the Home Theater business is quite impressive.

Offering an industry-first THX Ultra2 Plus certification along with a full HDMI 1.3a with support for 1080p resolution, the RX-Z11, along with its 11.2-channel surround sound support is awfully nice. Amazingly, the device offers up to five independent zones offering different audio sources along with two zones with visual content, which can be controlled by the zone controller.

The RX-Z11 sports five HDMI inputs with two allowing you to send a full HD signal to a an HDTV. Besides the HDMI, it sports four component inputs with two outputs, along with support for Dolby Digital Plus/True HD and DTS High Resolution Audio/Master Audio.

But wait — that’s not all! The RX-Z11 network capabilities enable access to Internet Radio, music stored on a PC and the included YDS-10S dock gives access to iPod music, images and video files.

read more

HiddenWires: Onkyo unveils four THX-certified AV receivers – step-up models are the world’s first with onboard Silicon Optix’ HQV Reon-VX 1080P video processingOnkyo is proud to reveal its next wave of sector-leading home cinema receivers, a quartet of new THX-certified 7.1-channel models incorporating a range of high-end features and core technological improvements designed to deliver the highest levels of performance possible. Available in black or silver, the models are the…

TX-SR705 – THX Select2-certified
TX-SR805 – THX Ultra2-certified
TX-SR875 – THX Ultra2-certified
TX-SR905 – THX Ultra2-certified

All four home cinema receivers offer full HDMI 1.3a compatibility, including internal decoding for DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus. Each also features a sophisticated set of internal video processing capabilities, with the two upper models boasting a world first with the inclusion of Silicon Optix’s acclaimed HQV Reon-VX processing, the first time this leading-edge technology has ever been seen in an home cinema receiver.

read more

AVZombie: THX will introduce a new volume control technology, dubbed THX Loudness Plus, as part of the latest iteration of its post-processing certifications, THX Ultra 2 Plus and THX Select 2 Plus.

The quality-control company says that the technology ‘maintains the integrity of audio content when listening at lower volume levels.’

While the Reference Level used to mix most surround soundtracks may be fine for playback in cinemas, THX accepts that this is just too loud for most homes.

And when these soundtracks are played back at a lower level, surround effects and ambient sounds can be lost.

Warren Mansfield, director of consumer technology at THX explains “With THX Loudness Plus, home theater enthusiasts have the option of cranking the sound, or turning the volume down and still hearing the ambient detail in movies, video games or music soundtracks just like they were mixed in the studio.”

read more

Akihabaranews: Sharp looks like it will be the first to market with a THX-certified television.

Dubbed the T-series, the new lineup features a 65-inch and 52-inch LCD. Support for THX means the screen will sport the best match of brightness and contrast with home theater level quality.

The T-series LCDs feature 350cd/m2 brightness and a 2,500:1 contrast ratio. Besides that, the HDTVs will sport 1,920 x 1,080 120Hz ASV panels with 3x 1080p HDMI, 1x DVI, 2x Firewire, IrSS, and Ethernet.

read more

Engadget: Little known fact: THX was founded by Star Wars director George Lucas in 1983 to help theater owners adjust their auditoriums for maximum impact — and in doing so became an iconic brand for AV technology, even if no one really knew what THX is or does.

Well, the company is now using that expertise to take on a new home theater challenge: automatically balancing audio and video levels. While THX-certified receivers, screens, and speakers are nothing new, what THX has under development could help ensure even the least technology-savvy users get the most from their gear. While details are slim at this point, think about how HDMI connectors can send technical details between source units and televisions to set optimal resolutions or audio formats.

read more