All Products Filed in Digital Media

Friday, January 08, 2010

Meridian has received a lot of praise for its Sooloos solution because of its combination of audio quality and user functionality and its latest updates to the product line should enhance these qualities.

The new 2.1 update debuted at CES 2010 improves on the system's ability to integrate with a Crestron control system, while adding Apple iPhone control capabilities, streamlined configuration options, zone-link synchronization, and the addition of the Rhapsody service and Internet radio.

Meridian has also increased the interoperability of its Sooloos media system by adding modular card options that enable installers to integrate a Sooloos system with the company's flagship 800 solutions. The new ID40 Sooloos integration card is standard with the company's new 808v3 CD player and an add-on option for its 861v6 A/V controller.

Naim Audio's UnitiQute is a one-box solution that incorporates an amplifier rated to deliver 30-watts per channel into an 8-ohm load, an FM tuner, USB for computer connections, analog and digital inputs for traditional legacy sources, Ethernet, UPnP networking capabilities and 24-bit/192kHz digital-to-analog converters (DACs) to upgrade the sound quality of low-resolution digital files.

The company says the unit is compatible with WAV, MP3, Windows media, AAC and FLAC files, and its on-board bass management system enables installers to run the unit with a subwoofer/satellite speaker system.

The unit, which debuted at CES 2010, is expected to launch in March 2010 at an MSRP of $2,000.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

The Anthem BLX 200 Blu-ray Disc Player is engineered to complement the company's Anthem Statement-based home theater system. It plays DVDs and CDs, and supports 1920 x 1080p screen resolutions via HDMI v1.3.

Additionally, the player incorporates Deep Color and x.v Color video standards. Anthem trims the component out with a brushed aluminum faceplate and Anthem-blue lights to match its standard industrial design.

The BLX 200 also features:

• 1GB of built-in memory
• Ethernet port
• Additional 2GB USB Flash Drive for access to Web-based content available through BD-Live (Profile 2.0) functionality
• Compatible with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD
• 1080p upscaling through HDMI
• 12-bit video pipeline

Installers can set up the player to output 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p. It can be configured to output DVD at its native 480i resolution to bypass the BLX 200's internal de-interlacing to allow a connected Anthem and Anthem Statement A/V pre/pro to handle the video processing duties.

On its back panel, the BLX includes connections for Ethernet, as well as component and composite video outputs, plus digital optical and coaxial audio outputs and 7.1 PCM audio output via HDMI.

MSRP is $799.

Adding to its high-performance A/V line of products NAD has introduced its new M56 Blu-ray disc player.

Engineered to provide the highest possible levels of performance, the M56 is capable of delivering 1080p/24fps images via HDMI and 1080i via component video.

The unit's audio performance is driven by its ability to support 7.1 LPCM, Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio via HDMI, in addition it also includes 7.1 multichannel analog audio outputs, as well as the ability to playback CDs encoded with MP3 and WMA digital files.

NAD uses the same industrial design as the other Master Series products, and the company says it loads discs quickly, while supporting the interactive functionality of BD Live 2.0.

A few years ago www.wadia.com created a stir among budget-minded audiophiles when it introduced its original i170 Transport, which back then allowed Apple iPod users to create a digital connection between their iPods and their home audio systems.

The just-announced i171 Transport expands on the original capabilities of the older component by enabling iPhone and iPod Touch owners to use their Wi-Fi devices as media servers.

Beyond the new unit's "works with iPhone" certification, the dock also includes upgraded power supply components, connectors, remote control options, and it passes video signals via component outputs.

The Simaudio Moon 750 D Digital-to-Analog Converter/CD Transport plays CD collections and digital music files stored on computers.

The Moon 750 D employs a 32-bit, fully asynchronous digital audio playback system that eliminates jitter. It includes eight internal DACs per channel working in 32-bit Hyperstream mode.

Its rear panel offers a selection of digital inputs, a choice of outputs and a RS-232 port to integrate with a third-party control system.

Sony's BDP-N460 Blu-ray Player combines the latest in Blu-ray disc playback with the ability to stream YouTube, Slacker and Netflix. The BDP-N460 also upscales standard DVDs and decodes high-resolution lossless Dolby True HD and DTS MA surround formats.

The BDP-N460 doesn't feature Wi-Fi, but it comes with built-in software for a $95 Linksys Wi-Fi dongle.