Pioneer is adding network entertainment capability to much of its electronics range. New receivers can stream music or tune in to internet radio, its £800 Blu-ray player can handle music, movies and pictures, and there's even an all-in-one home cinema in a box system with comprehensive computer/Ethernet connectivity. Using the plug and play protocols of the Digital Living Network Alliance, Pioneer's BDP-LX70 Blu-ray player can connect to a home network to stream a wide variety of entertainment file formats: it's available in June, but will soon be replaced by a new version also having full compatibility with the new HD movie audio formats, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Audio - the current model only does the Dolby version. Network capability is also featured in Pioneer's new AV receiver line-up, with the forthcoming flagship VSX-LX70 receiver having an iPod input as well as network connections, enabling it to stream audio or even tune into and store into presets internet radio stations. iPod connections are also provided on other new Pioneer receivers for 2007, including the VSX-LX50 (above), which has onboard decoding for both Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. Completing the new range is the all-in-one LX01 home cinema in a box system, based around a 250GB HDD/DVD recorder able to operate as a music juke box as well as a conventional video recording device. It also uses novel omnidirectional speakers, each using several drivers firing in different directions to create a more spacious sound. It goes on sale in October.
