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Behind the scenes at Onkyo

Andrew Everard 28 May 2007 19:07

Andrew Everard writes I've just spent a few days getting under the skin of Onkyo, seeing the company's new range of AV receivers and the factory where the more upmarket models are being made. And the major impression is of an outfit with the established leaders of the European home cinema market - notably Denon and Yamaha - firmly in its sights.

NEWS: Sony extends PS3's home cinema appeal with firmware download

Andrew Everard 28 May 2007 16:58

Sony is making its PlayStation 3 console even more attractive to home cinema enthusiasts with the arrival of its latest firmware upgrade. Version 1.80, which can be downloaded by clicking here, adds video upscaling to 1080p from DVD discs and older PlayStation games. The unit also gains 1080P 24fps output from Blu-ray discs, and RGB Full Range and Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr Super White video output over HDMI.

NEWS: Onkyo AV receiver range offers upscaling and full HD audio from just £400

Andrew Everard 28 May 2007 12:59

Onkyo is all set to unleash a complete AV receiver range for 2007-8, with the entry-level at just £250, a £400 model complete with Dolby Digital Plus/TrueHD and DTS-HD/DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and, at the top end of the line-up, 1080P upscaling using the HQV (Hollywood Quality Video) Reon-VX system from Silicon Optix. The least expensive models are already available, with the others rolling out over the next few months.

NEWS: Denon previews new-look receiver with HD Audio support and built-in wi-fi

Andrew Everard 21 May 2007 09:38

Due in September, Denon's £2000 AVR-4308 heralds a new look for the company's range, with softer lines. But there's nothing soft about what's under the lid: not only does the receiver have decoding for both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, it also features integrated wireless networking, enabling it to stream and control music stored on a home network,or play internet radio.

NEWS: Arcam prepares a 5.1-channel speaker package

Andrew Everard 19 May 2007 16:48

ArcamMuso

Having developed the Alto speaker to go with the original Solo all-in-one system, Arcam is all set to launch a surround speaker package to match the new Solo Movie. The Muso speakers and Logo subwoofer are due in the shops in June, and it will be possible to buy the Musos as separate speakers for the greatest flexibility in system-building.

HDMI: A little less talk, a little more conversation, please

Andrew Everard 15 May 2007 14:29

Hdmi Plugend

Long ago and far away - mid-90s and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, since you ask - there was much talk about the way a wire was going to change the consumer electronics world. One simple connector, whether it was called IEEE1394, FireWire or iLink (which all meant the same thing), was going to carry signal and data between all the consumer electronics devices in your home, make custom installation a breeze - just one wire, see? - and even mean the remote control systems of different brands would be unified.

NEWS: Sony’s feature-packed budget receiver range offers auto-calibration from just £179

Andrew Everard 15 May 2007 12:52

Str-Dg710-1

Sony’s launching three new receivers in its STR-DG range, which slots in below the Award-winning STR-DA1200ES model. And though these are clearly budget designs, the company hasn’t skimped on the features – even the entry-level STR-DG510, at just £179, has HDMI switching and Sony’s Digital Cinema Auto-Calibration automatic set-up system.

NEWS: Five-star SIM2 projector looks even better with £1500 off

Andrew Everard 15 May 2007 12:43

Sim2 Ht305 Down

We gave it a five-star rating at £5000, but now the SIM2 Grand Cinema HT305E has been reduced to £3500, making it even better value.

Apple TV: a case of style over substance?

Anonymous 15 May 2007 12:32

Apple Tv Web
I've spent the last week playing with Apple's much-hyped TV box, writes Andy Clough, and can't quite make up my mind about this slick piece of wi-fi technology. Like all things Apple it's beautifully designed and very slick in operation - I particularly like the way album covers glide across the screen when you're flicking through your iTunes library.

And there's no doubt that setting it up is child's play - for once, this really is a 'plug and play' wi-fi device. Getting it to connect with my home wi-fi network took only a matter of minutes.

NEWS: Three-panel D-ILA Dreambee projector aims to create a buzz

Andrew Everard 15 May 2007 11:47

Dreamvision Dreambee

Just launched in the UK is the DreamBee projector from Paris-based DreamVision: using three 1.8cm D-ILA panels it promises Full HD resolution and cinema quality for £7000, making it a serious rival to high-quality DLP designs.

NEWS: Audiolab set to launch HD-Audio-ready multichannel processor

Andrew Everard 15 May 2007 11:26

It's been a while since we've seen new products from Audiolab, but the company is set to begin a programme of new releases with the arrival in July of the 8000AP processor, which will sell for £1000. The new unit is based on the existing 8000AV, but has HDMI switching - two inputs and one output - and is able to take decoded Linear PCM sound from Blu-ray and HD DVD players, thus opening up high-definition multichannel audio to Audiolab users.

NEWS: Universal denies Blu-ray U-turn – no truth it's ditching HD DVD exclusivity

Andrew Everard 15 May 2007 05:02

Universal Logo

Hollywood studio Universal has denied a German press report that it's planning to abandon its exclusivity agreement with the HD DVD camp, and start to make its movies available on Blu-ray.

The German report, on the Heise Online IT news site, says the source of the information was representative of Pioneer, and that the statement was made during that company's recent press briefing in Rome - if it were true, it would mean HD DVD losing the only studio totally committed to that format alone, since both Warner and Paramount started releasing titles on both format.

It's a Vision thing - Pioneer goes black to the future in Rome

Andrew Everard 14 May 2007 22:14

pioneer rome

I have this nightmare: I’m in a long, pitch-black tunnel, writes Andrew Everard. There are people in front of me in the gloom, so I can’t run and escape; more behind me prevent me fleeing back into the sunlight I just left. The electronic voice intoning seemingly random words suggests it’s not a birth flashback: as I pass one of sources of sound it says: ‘vibe… vibration… vibrator’. So it’s hopefully not a birth flashback, as that would be far too traumatic.

A room with a 42in widescreen, high-definition, 5.1-channel view

Andrew Everard 14 May 2007 22:00

Looks like I've just sorted my holidays, says Andrew Everard, after ages wondering where to go and what to see, all the while dreading dragging myself away from the comfort of my home cinema system. Now I can stay in a hotel room with a complete home entertainment set-up, from 42in widescreen TV to surround sound. And I can even play all those movies I buy on my travels.