Onkyo's TX-SR608: First THX-Certified 3D AV Receiver

Onkyo introduces the TX-SR608 receiver the TX-SR608 will be out on the market in April for a price tag of $599, coincidentaly its release is around the same time as Panasonic or Sony 3DTV. This beauty has a mother load of six HDMI inputs. All six HDMI 1.4 inputs has the capacity of passing 3D video, and upscale to 1080p if needed—with one of the inputs located on the front. All HD audio formats are able to be decoded, and uses 192kHz/24-bit Burr-Brown DACs. Dual subwoofer outputs and 7 x 100W output is a definite upgrade over the previous TX-SR607 model, which had just 90 watts per channel.

This is just a press release of more Onkyo products they announced March deliveries of its first 3D-Ready home theater receivers and home theater in a box (HTiB) systems. These models consists of three A/V receivers and three HTiB systems ranging in price from $299 to $599, and all of them support the new HDMI v1.4 connectivity standard for new 3D video displays and Audio Return Channel capabilities.

The lineup includes Onkyo's new easy-to-setup overlaid onscreen graphical display that lets the user watch the program in the background while using the function menus. Additionally, all 2010 HDMI v1.4 models include a new feature call HDMI Thru. HDMI Thru allows content to pass through to the TV when the receiver is in a standby state.

All are extremely well furnish to provide excellence in music, home theater sound and video experience, with a quality that offers an exceptional value. All these new receivers and HTiBs now decode lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreams, and include new 192-kHz/24-bit Burr-Brown PCM1690 DAC's that are highly resistable to clock jitter and provide a remarkable 113-dB dynamic range.

The new TX-SR608 7.2-channel THX-Select2 Plus certified receiver has a new powerful amplifier section that uses three-stage inverted Darlington output topology, and a power boost from 90 to 100 watts. Audyssey DSX dimensional sound processing has been added to its predecessor's Dolby PLIIz capabilities. Additionally, all video sources, including those using the new PC input, and regardless of source resolution, can be upscaled to big and beautiful 1080p via HDMI and Faroudja DCDi Cinema™. The TX-SR608 will also include a front HDMI input, a feature first introduced by Onkyo in 2009. The TX-SR608 will be available in April at an MSRP of $599.

The 5.1-channel TX-SR308 and 7.1-channel TX-SR508 round out this initial announcement of A/V Receivers from Onkyo. The TX-SR308 will be available in March with an MSRP of $299, a followed by the TX-SR508 in April for $399.

The HTiB package systems, which each consist of a receiver, speakers and a subwoofer, are the 5.1-channel HT-S3300 and 7.1-channel HT-S5300; the latter also includes an iPod dock. Thanks to the HDMI interface and the use of advanced Dolby and DTS codecs, all of these receivers and systems are also capable of decoding lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The HT-S3300 will ship in March with an MSRP of $379, followed by the HT-S5300 in April for $599.

A third packaged system departs from the traditional HTiB form factor and uses a combination subwoofer and 3D Ready A/V receiver plus two front speakers. It uses Onkyo's own Theater-Dimensional processor to create an immersive and convincing surround effect through just 2.1 channels. The HTX-22HDX has three HDMI v1.4 inputs, handles HD audio formats from DTS and Dolby; offers four distinct audio modes for gaming; and outputs for additional speakers. The HTX-22HDX will ship in May with a $349 MSRP.

"Onkyo's 2010 entry-level product line represents a significant jump over last year's line," said Paul Wasek, Onkyo USA's marketing manager "We are excited to deliver this first wave of 3D capable products. By upgrading to 1.4, even on the least expensive HTiB, we have eliminated all HDMI pass-through products and allowed HD audio formats to be used across the line. The fact that consumers can now buy a THX-Certified receiver with 1080p upscaling, Burr-Brown DACs, PC input and more for under $600 shows Onkyo's clear commitment to delivering performance and value to consumers."


All of Onkyo's receivers offer exceptional connectivity options with as many as six HDMI inputs, plus component and composite video, a number of stereo input jacks, optical/coaxial digital inputs, and the popular front-panel connections on many models. Two models include Sirius Radio connections, and all these receivers incorporate Onkyo's proprietary Universal Port (U-Port) connector which simplifies connections to optional HD Radio tuners and iPod Docks (included with the HT-S5300).

Apple To Offer Streaming Video, Music, And TV

Apple is in talks with major film studios to offer video streaming services to its users. Apple plans for cloud computing, can go well and above music.

In talks with the studios, Apple disclose that iTunes users will have access to a number of Internet- connected devices, preferable the iPad Apples new and up coming tablet.

There was also talk between Apple and some major record company about a similar plan plan involving music. This is a brilliant move by apple, their vision is to build digital shelves where iTunes users can store their media, trying to eliminate the hard drive.

Cramming songs, videos and software takes up lots of storage there are speculations that consumers might do less purchasing due to lack of storage on their hard drives. Apple has been making apparent moves into streaming content with the acquisition of LaLa media and their North Carolina data center, but previous rumors had focused primarily on music streaming.

Let's see where this leads to, follow us on twitter or subscribe to our RSS feed to keep up with this story.

Archos 2010 Lineup for European Markets

Archos announced it's new lineup at the CeBIT 2010, the European Electronic Show.The new lineup showcases new audio players designed for the lower end of the price range.

First is the A14VG Vision, a simple player with a 1.4″ display, 4GB of internal memory and an FM tuner. Retails for about 35€

Next is the A15VS Vision, a slimline player that supports FLAC, with the same 4GB of internal memory. Retails for about 40€.

The A30VC is pretty much the same as last years model, except with the addition of a camera on the back. The screen on this until measures 3.0″ and has 8GB of internal memory. Retails for about 90€.

Finally we have the A43VB, a typical PMP. The A43VB has a 4.3″ touchscreen, 8GB of internal memory (but a microSD slot for expansion), and retails for about 100€.

Again, don’t expect to ever see these in the US, these new models are only for European Market.

10 Billion Songs Downloaded From iTunes & Counting

Whether you love Apple or hate apple, there is no way to deny the success Apple has had with its devices as well as with the iTunes Store. The digital media player, organizer, and salesperson has just now recorded its 10 billionth song download, marking a new achievement in the world of digital distribution. The numbers only seem like they will be going up due to Apple's new device coming out, the iPad as well as the ever growing popularity of its current devices which allow people to have music on the go as well. What are your thoughts and comments about Apple?