Sony unveils new multi-room home theater products

Sony has introduced a multitude of products for multi-room home theater integration. Two new receivers, the STR-DA6400ES and STR-DA5400ES allow HD audio/video transmission to a second room. Products in the new HomeShare HD line can be used to distribute entertainment into 16 zones, with four zones of HD video. For custom installed home entertainment and automation, Sony has unveiled new rack systems, the NHS-70c and NHS-A30C, combining whole home HD capabilities with integrated controls for movies, music, lighting, temperature, and security systems. The new AV receivers, STR-DA6400ES and STR-DA5400ES, include CAT5e ports for connecting a second room to HD audio/video, and outputs for three zones of just audio. The 6400 includes an input for CAT5e as well, enabling the receiver to stream music, video, or photos from a PC, or play online music such as Shoutcast or Rhapsody without being connected to a computer.

With a focus on HD, both are compatible with Blu-Ray 1080p/24p signals, x.v.Color/Deep Color sources, and Dolby Digital Plus, TrueHD, DTS High Res., or DTS HD Master Audio formats. Using two video processors allows standard definition to be up-scaled to 1080p in the primary room and 1080i in the secondary room. The graphical user interface is also shared.

Direct Stream Digital audio is supported, while coding such as MP3 can be up-scaled to 192kHz. Two media ports can be used to connect other devices. Users can purchase iPod/Network Walkman docks, or PC client and Bluetooth adapters. "Digital Cinema Auto Calibration" can be used to tune the surround sound speakers.

Each of the seven primary output channels receives 120 watts of power, at 8 ohms with a frequency range of 20Hz - 20kHz, with .09 percent harmonic distortion. Six HDMI inputs are available, with two HDMI outputs. The Ethernet connection requires a DLNA compliant PC. The 6400 model also features Sony's "High Quality Audio Transmission System" to manage digital signals.

The STR-DA5400ES receiver will be available this month with an estimated price of $2,000, while the STR-DA6400ES will be released in October for $2,500.

The HomeShare HD multi-room system works as an intercom and distributes audio/video to a maximum of 16 zones. Sony designed the line to be plug-and-play, claimed to reduce the costs associated with custom installations. A control keypad, the HS-KP1, features a 4.3 inch LCD screen with a "XrossMediaBar" user interface.
Four HD sources can be connected using CAT5e cable. Digital Media Port technology allows users to connect and control players like iPods over the system, allowing the content to be viewed on the keypad. "Wallports" can be used to allow sources to be connected from each room. Connection to the ES receivers mentioned above will enable 2-way communication across the whole system.

The keypads allow IR pass-through and IR-in for control of disc players or cable boxes and connection with systems from other manufacturers. Two extra video inputs are provided, one for a front door camera and the other for a room such as a baby room. The video feed can be accessed from any room that has a keypad, and the intercom can also be used to selectively communicate room to room or to the front door.

The HomeShare system won't be available until next year, with pricing that will vary depending on individual needs. Sony estimates installed systems to cost between $1,000-$2,000 per room.

The two rack mount entertainment/automation systems, NHS-A30C and NHS-70C, both come pre-built and wired. The NHS-A30C is built for 5.1 channel HD home theaters, and includes a Blu-Ray player. Two zones of HD video are supported and three zones of audio. Lighting, thermostat, and security systems can be automated using Control4 technology.

The NHS-70C system adds audio improvements and wider expansion of zones- 7.1 channel HD audio in the main room and up to six zones of HD video. A 400-disc DVD/CD changer with a disc management system allows for control of complete libraries. A 160GB music server is built in, along with the option of adding three other devices such as HD cable boxes or HD gaming consoles. This system also uses Control4, but adds the HC-500 controller that manages the music content.

The rack mount systems will both be available later this year. Estimated installed costs were given as $15,000-$30,000 for the NHS-A30C or $30,000-$50,000 for the NHS-70C.
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Sony intros 8 new Blu-ray players and recorders

At its press conference in Japan recently, Sony showed off two new Blu-ray disc players and six Blu-ray players with built-in hard drives, which act as high-definition DVRs. The products make up four new lines in Sony's lineup, and all feature a new CREAS engine with new upscaling technology that promises to bring 14-bit HD processing and what Sony calls its Super Bit Mapping engine for video. The most expensive of the new products are found in the X-series, which is made up of the 500GB BDZ-X95 and 1TB BDZ-X100. Apart from the difference in the hard drive capacities, the two X-series products are nearly identical. They are alone in the new releases to include Digital Reality Creation - Multi Function software, DRC-MFv3, that is already supported by Sony's high-end BRAVIA LCD TVs. They share a digital TV tuner and an unspecified counts of HDMI, component, S-video and VGA connections, in addition to a USB port. Users will interact with the two through Sony's Cross Media Bar interface.

The second-highest rung in Sony's BD recorder range is occupied by the L-series, the 320GB BDZ-L55 and 500GB BDZ-L95. Both use a pair of USB ports, an HDV 1080i / DV input, and the usual assortment of HDMI and lesser video inputs and outputs. The BDZ-T75 alone comes with a multi card readers and is DLNA certified to work in conjunction with other home electronics on a local network.

The entry-level BD recorders from Sony comprise of the BDZ-T55 and BDZ-T75, both of which use the same 320GB HDD. Shared among them is BD Live support, 24p native frame rate support and a digital TV tuner. The BDZ-T75 contrasts against the T55 with DLNA hooks.

The two S-series devices, BDP-S350 and BDP-S500ES, are Blu-ray players only, and include BD Live support as well as the new CREAS Engine processor and Sony's Super Bit Mapping.

The BDZ-X95 is to be priced at an equivalent of about $1820 for the BDZ-X95 and $2,600 for the BDZ-X100. The BDZ-L55 should be priced at about $1,150, while the BDZ-L95 should cost nearly $1,550. The previous four devices are expected to hit the Japanese market by the end of September. The BDZ-T55 and BDZ-T75 are due for a mid October release in Japan, priced at about $1,000 and $1,275, respectively. No prices were revealed for the S-series Blu-ray players, although they will hit the market early in December

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PNY and Sony offer Ghostbusters movie on USB

Sony and portable flash drive maker PNY on Wednesday announced they are collaborating on the release of a 2GB flash drive that come preloaded with the 1984 blockbuster Ghostbusters. The two companies claim to be the first to release a full-length movie in such a method. Sony and PNY promises users will be able to watch the movie on their PCs or laptops, though whether it can be copied onto the computer and stored for uses in other devices or multiple devices is unknown but unlikely given copyright concerns. Once the movie is off the drive, the 2GB capacity will allow users to store 12 hours of video content, 33 hours of music, or 1,080 pictures, PNY claims. The pre-loaded USB drive is available in the UK now at Argos chain of stores, although its pricing has not been revealed. A standard 2GB flash drive from PNY is priced at the equivalent of about $17.50 on Argos' webstore.

Microsoft confirms Xbox 360 price cut in US

The Microsoft price reductions take effect as of September 5th.

Microsoft today confirmed heavily reported price cuts for the Xbox 360 in the US following recently official moves in Japan. The base Xbox 360 Arcade is now the least expensive current-generation console and keeps to its 512MB memory card and absence of other extras to reach $199; the upgraded Xbox 360 Pro with a 60GB hard drive drops by $50 to sell for $299, while the black Elite console with a 120GB hard drive has been reduced by a similar amount to $399. The move is justified by Microsoft as essential to sparking console sales, which it notes have historically surged the moment a console's price drops to below the $200 mark in the US. The addition of Netflix support in the coming fall software update will also make the Arcade one of the least expensive Internet video sources and a practical alternative to cable TV, Microsoft claims.

Reducing Xbox pricing also creates a clearer separation between Microsoft's game systems and those of Sony. The top-end Elite now costs as much as Sony's least expensive PlayStation 3, which holds a smaller 80GB of content in return for Blu-ray and Wi-Fi. Sony has so far declined to drop its prices below $399 in favor of replacing outgoing models.