Receivers

Onkyo and Silicon Image on Wednesday unveiled a new line of A/V Receivers featuring Silicon Image's InstaPrevue technology and MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) technology. The new A/V receivers will be the world's first to include these technologies.

InstaPrevue provides live picture-in-picture preview of HDMI and MHL inputs connected to the AV receiver, allowing you to view and select a live preview window to switch between your Blu-ray player, DVD player, game console, or other HDMI or MHL-enabled connected devices. What does that mean? No more cycling through inputs or navigating text-based menus (i.e., HDMI1, HDMI2, HDMI3, etc.) to switch between source devices.

MHL technology is an HD audio/video connectivity standard that allows a mobile device to transmit 1080p uncompressed video with up to eight channels of digital audio over five pins, while also supporting HDCP content protection. MHL-enabled AV receivers, such as those from Onkyo, provide power to the mobile device when connected via MHL, keeping the device charged and ready to use even after viewing a full-length movie. You are also able to control MHL-enabled mobile devices using the existing AVR remote.Read more

Some companies are leaders, some are followers. Earning their "leader" status is Onkyo. Earlier this year they became the world's first consumer electronics brand to offer the Spotify digital music service through home cinema receivers. On Monday Onkyo announced yet another first…

Owners of selected Onkyo network A/V receivers and home theater systems can now download a firmware update that enables direct support for Spotify Premium via Onkyo's Remote App for Android. The Android App itself also has been updated to support this new feature.

Compatible Onkyo products:

• Receivers: TX-NR609/709/809/1009/3009/5009 and HT-RC360/370
• Home Theater Systems: HT-S7400/7409/8400/8409 and 9400THX

In addition, Onkyo announced that in late November 2011 they will also extend direct support for Spotify Premium via Onkyo's Remote App for Android to the TX-NR509 network A/V receiver as well as the TX-8050 network stereo receiver. At this time Onkyo will also issue a firmware upgrade that allows owners of all its network products with Spotify support to access the service using Facebook account details. Read more

Onkyo on Monday unveiled two new high-end network 9.2-channel THX Ultra2 Plus-certified A/V receivers—the TX-NR5009 and the TX-NR3009. Both top-of-the-line receivers include major upgrades from last year, including the use of the latest HQV-Vida and Marvel Qdeo video processors and new DTS Neo:X dimensional surround processing.

Both receivers can connect to Internet radio and streaming music services such as Spotify, AUPEO!, Pandora, Last.fm, Rhapsody, Napster, Mediafly, Slacker, Sirius XM, and vTuner. They are DLNA 1.5 certified; can interface with USB- portable music devices, such as iPods, and play music off a USB thumb drive. The receivers can handle just about any audio format you can imagine, including FLAC, WMA Lossless, WAV, AAC, Ogg, MP3 - even Super Audio CD.

On the technical side, both receivers use Onkyo's WRAT (wide range amplifier technology) power stages and three-stage inverted Darlington topology to deliver high power with low distortion. Audio signals on are refined by PLL jitter-cleaning technology and Onkyo's VLSC contributes to crisp digital-to-analog signal conversion. Read more

Last month, Onkyo added Spotify to its home theater receivers. This month, Onkyo is offering even more home entertainment options by adding support for the AUPEO! personal radio service. The company also announced that even more Onkyo network-capable A/V receivers support Last.fm.

The AUPEO! service offers over 120 free specialized music channels. User-selected stations can be customized with "Loves" and "Bans", and specific artists can be searched for on Artist Radio. In the mood for a sappy love song? Use the unique Mood Selector to match the music style to your mood.

Onkyo is also expanding Last.fm support to all its 2011 network receivers. Last.fm is currently available on receivers starting with the TX-NR709. Last.fm is a music recommendation service that uses a process the company calls Scrobbling. This process analyzes the songs users play most often, which songs they like the most, how much they've played an artist over a certain amount of time, which of their friends have similar tastes. By focusing on the music subscribers already play, Last.fm can help them discover more music.

AUPEO! and Last.fm functionality will be incorporated on all new 2011 Onkyo network receivers. A firmware upgrade for current owners of 2011 Onkyo network receivers is available. For more information, visit www.onkyousa.com.

Spotify is hitting the US in a big way – the digital music service is available on Onkyo and Sonos home entertainment gear – and now we're happy to say that you can find it on Integra's entire 2011 line of network home theater receivers.

Spotify is easy to operate via the television screen connected to a Integra home theater receiver. With a few clicks on your remote control you're given quick, scrolling onscreen access to your own and collaborative playlists as well as Spotify's 'What's New?' and 'Starred' features. Album cover art is displayed onscreen and subscribers can also browse artists, albums and tracks.

A firmware update will be released soon that will enable Integra's 2011 network receivers to support Spotify. You'll need a Spotify Premium account and a network connection to enjoy Spotify on your Integra receiver.

For more information on Integra's entire line of home theater receivers, visit www.integrahometheater.com.

NAD announced on Monday that its NAD T 757 surround sound AV receiver is now available. The T 757 has all the latest features you would expect in a high-end receiver, but the standout item is the fact that it has NAD's Modular Design Construction (MDC) architecture – a first for a receiver at this price point. MDC makes the T 757 future-proof, allowing it to be easily upgraded to future digital formats.

With the T 757, audio comes first. It includes all of your popular surround sound formats, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio – all which are decoded using the latest generation of high-speed DSP. Stereo source material can also be converted to surround sound using the company's EARS surround mode.

Audio may come first in the T 757, but that doesn't mean it's lacking in the video department. It features the latest digital video technology, including 3D video at resolutions up to 1080p. Analog video sources are also supported on HDMI for connection to your HDTV or projector. Read more

You can now get the popular digital music service Spotify on Onkyo's home theater receivers in the United States. Until now, the Spotify service was only available overseas – in the UK, France, Spain, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands and Norway.

Spotify will be available via a firmware update provided by Onkyo for its 2011 network capable receivers beginning with the TX-NR609. Onkyo will also be introducing additional networked Spotify-ready products in the near future. All you need to enjoy Spotify on Onkyo is an internet connection and a Spotify Premium account.

The addition of Spotify offers Premium subscribers instant access to one of the biggest music libraries in the world, in excellent sound quality, thanks to Onkyo's seamless integration of Spotify's high quality streaming.

Spotify is easy to operate via the television screen connected to Onkyo home theater receivers. With a few clicks on your remote control you're given quick, scrolling onscreen access to your own and collaborative playlists as well as Spotify's 'What's New?' and 'Starred' features. Album cover art is displayed onscreen and subscribers can also browse artists, albums and tracks.Read more

Onkyo just debuted the first nine-channel home theater receiver to feature DTS Neo:X technology – the TX-NR1009.

The 9.2-channel Onkyo TX-NR1009 network-capable home theater receiver is an upgrade of last year's TX-NR1008 model and is THX Select2 Plus Certified, features Marvell Qdeo and IDT's HQV Vida video upscaling and processing circuits, and Audyssey's MultEQ XT audio room correction. Its DTS Neo:X technology allows you to enjoy nine loudspeakers while watching your favorite movies, for a "lifelike 3D soundscape."

The TX-NR1009 is certified for Windows 7 and DLNA, and can playback a wide variety digital audio file formats via a home network or USB devices, and it is capable of wireless connectivity via Onkyo's optional UFW-1 wireless USB adaptor. It supports MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, FLAC, WAV, OggVorbis, AAC, and LPCM files. An iPod or iPhone can also be connected using and optional dock connected via Onkyo's proprietary Universal Port. Read more

Onkyo just announced the TX-NR809 7.2-channel network-capable A/V receiver. An update to last year's TX-NR808 model, the new TX-NR809 is THX Select2 Plus Certified and comes packed with new features including Mavell Qdeo and IDT's HQV Vida video upscaling, along with ISF Video Calibration technology - a first for a receiver at this price point.

The new TX-NR809 features Audyssey's MultEQ XT automated calibration, Dolby Volume, and now includes front and rear USB ports for your digital device or Onkyo's optional wireless USB adaptor. The front-panel USB port lets you access MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, FLAC, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, and AAC audio files stored on a USB flash drives or iPod/iPhone. Home integration capabilities have been improved as well, with Zone 2/3 preouts, a bi-directional remote control with on-screen RC set-up, and Macros for four activities.

On-board video processing on the TX-NR809 is handled by HQV Vida VHD1900 and Qdeo technology by Marvell. Vida offers upscaling of all 480i/p, 576p, and 720p video sources to high-resolution 1080p, while Qdeo performs full 4K (3840 x 2160) upscaling of 1080p sources. Read more