Home Theater Week in Review. September 3-7, 2007
by Oliver Amnuayphol
Do you have a penchant for premium home theater gear? Enjoy a little cutting-edge technology? Pioneer Elite has got you covered: they've recently announced a new flagship receiver in two boxes, the SC-09TX Direct Energy amp and AV receiver. While this unit has all of the latest hi-res audio/video processing capabilities (on-board Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD Master Audio, HDMI 1.3, THX Loudness Plus, 1080p video upconversion, etc.), what makes this circa $7k (ouch!) stack so interesting is its use of Bang and Olufsen's ICEpower amplifier technology: an analog, class D amplifier technology claimed to be 90% efficient (most traditional amplifiers are at around 10% efficiency), meaning great power output with less heat, space, and sonic degradation. With our industry's knack for eventually bringing cutting edge technologies to lower price points, there may well be a fine-sounding, ICEpowered receiver somewhere in your future. For a more detailed description of the Pioneer's many virtues, check it out here at Gizmodo.
Can't decide between Blu ray or HD-DVD? No problem: combo Blu ray and HD-DVD players are becoming more widely available and gaining momentum. LG has announced just such a player, the BH200 ($999, due in October), which is capable of 1080p at 60Hz, 1080p upscaling of standard DVDs, and CD compatibility. What's more, The BH200 will also support bonus HD DVD content and will allow you to access BD-Live, Blu-View or Picture-in-Picture. 
Samsung also recently announced their own combo player, the BD-UP5000 (fourth quarter '07, $1049). Incorporating 1080p, HDMI 1.3, and the HQV Reon processor, this unit should be capable of fine picture quality indeed.
Movies releases for next week.
DVD: Grey's Anatomy (The Complete Third Season), Supernatural (The Complete Second Season), Two and a Half Men (The Complete First Season).
Blu-ray: The Replacement Killers (Extended Cut), Wings of Honneamise.
HD DVD: Nature's Journey, Wings of Honneamise.
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