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Bose To Simplify Home-Theater Setup WIth Onscreen Displays

FRAMINGHAM, MASS. — Three
new Bose Lifestyle home-theater systems
are the company’s first with onscreen
displays to simplify setup and
control sources.

They’re also the company’s first system
to decode Dolby TrueHD and multichannel
PCM soundtracks on Blu-ray
discs. Dolby TrueHD is decoded via a
TrueHD decoder, while Dolby Digital
Plus, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS
5.1 are all decoded via Bose proprietary
technology, a spokesperson said.

Two models are also the company’s
first with included iPod dock, which connects
to a dedicated proprietary input.
The dock is certified as Made for iPod,
but it also works with iPhones placed in
airplane mode, a spokesman said.

The two iPod-docking systems are the
Lifestyle V35 and V25 system, retailing
at $3,299 and $2,499, respectively. The
third system is the $1,999 Lifestyle T20
system. All are available now at Boseowned
retail stores,

www.bose.com

, and
Bose’s toll-free number. They will become
available through authorized retailers in
the next few weeks, a spokesman said.

All three feature RF remotes, amplification,
5.1 speaker system, ADAPTiQ
automatic room equalization, and
source switching that includes four
HDMI 1080p inputs, up from two in
the Lifestyle systems that they replace.
The HDMI inputs and output do not
support 3D passthrough.

All but the T20 comes with embedded
AM/FM tuner and tethered iPod
dock. None comes with embedded
DVD player or Blu-ray player. All can
be used with the separately sold SL2
transmitter/receiver package to make
the surround speakers wireless.

In carrying over its DVD-equipped
Lifestyle 48 system at $3,999, Bose offers
four 5.1-speaker Lifestyle systems, down
from as many as seven in recent years.

To simplify setup, the three new models
feature Bose’s Unify Intelligent Integration
System, which walks consumers
through set-up steps displayed on a connected
TV screen. Bose said the instructions,
written in simplified language, include
pictures of the connectors to use and
recommend the right cables to use. The
control console senses when a connection
is made, and the display confirms that the
connection was made successfully.

To simplify operation, consumers use
Bose’s own RF remote to control connected
audio and video sources. To enable
control of other-brand sources via Bose’s
remote, consumers point the source remote
at the main Lifestyle control console,
which incorporates a database of IR
codes. The console identifies the type and
brand of source, and after the consumer
follows onscreen instructions, the connected
source can be controlled from the
Bose remote via the console’s front-panel
IR blaster, a spokesman said.

Previous Lifestyle systems with
RF remotes also controlled connected
sources, but users had to manually enter
codes into the systems.

To simplify source switching, the
onscreen display lists connected sources
by such generic terms as Blu-ray
player or cable box.

The Lifestyle V35 and V25 come
with universal remote with two-line
display to display the name of a song
or the radio station that is playing. The
V35 features four 4.5-inch by 2.25-
inch by 3.25-inch D Jewel Cube speakers
and a horizontal center channel
speaker. The V25 system features larger
6.25-inch by 3-inch by 4-inch Direct/
Reflecting speakers.

The T20 system also features 6.25-
inch by 3-inch by 4-inch Direct/Ref
lecting speakers but lacks AM/FM
tuner, iPod dock, and LCD display on
the remote.

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