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Onkyo Adds Two More AVRs With InstaPrevue, MHL

Upper Saddle River, N.J. – Two TX
series AV receivers (AVRs) unveiled today by Onkyo will expand its selection of
AVRs with InstaPrevue and MHL (Mobile High Definition Link) and bring down the
opening price of DTS Neo:X surround processing and Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room
correction.

The $999-suggested TX-NR717 and
$1,199 TX-NR818 will be available in May. Both are 7.2-channel networked AVRs
with Windows 7, DLNA, and THX Select2 Plus certification. Both stream Internet
radio stations and Internet music services, and they upscale any video source
to full 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. The $1,199 model adds ISF video calibration
technology and DTS Neo:X surround post-processing.

To date, the company hasn’t
announced adoption of Apple AirPlay in its AVRs.

With the launches, Onkyo is
bringing DTS Neo:X’s opening price in the TX series down to $1,199 from last
year’s $1,399 and Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room correction down to $1,199 from last
year’s $2,199.

 Audyssey MultEQ XT32 gathers data from more
than 10,000 points across eight listening positions to adjust response to
compensate for a room’s sonic deficiencies. DTS Neo:X post-processing
technology upmixes stereo and multichannel audio programs to create as many as
11 audio channels, which include a pair of front-height channels and pair of
front-wide channels. In the TX-NR818, it is used to add two front-height or two
front-wide channels to deliver a total of seven channels. In last year’s $1,399
9.2-channel AVR, Neo:X could be used to power front-height and front-wide
channels simultaneously.

 The two new AVRs will join four other TX
series AVRs

announced
in February

at suggested retails of $299, $499, $599, and $699. The three
models starting at $499 were the company’s first models announced with
InstaPrevue, and the $599 and $699 models were the first with MHL-enabled HDMI
inputs.

InstaPrevue delivers live
picture-in-picture thumbnail previews of video sources connected via HDMI and
MHL-enabled HDMI inputs, including video from Blu-ray Disc players, game
consoles, set top boxes, and MHL-enabled tablets and smartphones. The
technology makes it unnecessary for consumers to remember whether a particular
source is labeled HDMI 1, HDMI 2, or HDMI 3.

MHL-enabled HDMI inputs enable an
MHL-compatible smartphone or tablet to stream 1080p HD video and 7.1-channel
surround sound from the mobile device via cable to a home theater system. The
AVR’s HDMI port also charges the portable device, and consumers can use their
TV or AVR remote to control the playback of content streamed from their
MHL-enabled mobile device.  MHL
technology is also planned for TVs.

In announcing the latest two AVRs, Onkyo said both would be
compatible with its first USB Bluetooth adapter, which will be unveiled
sometime in the future.

Onkyo also plans to announce its
first remote app for the Kindle Fire and a new iPhone remote control app that,
like before, controls a networked Onkyo AVR but will add such new features as
streaming music from an iPhone. Details were not revealed.

 As for other features in the two new AVRs,
both models offer many of the same features as their immediate predecessors,
including eight HDMI 1.4a inputs, two 1.4a outputs with audio return channel,
iPod/iPhone-compatible front USB port for music playback, and compatibility
with an optional UWF-1 Wireless LAN Adapter for the rear USB port.

Carryover features at both price
points also include the Audyssey DSX and Dolby Pro Logic IIz post-processing
technologies. Audyssey DSX is used to add two front-wide channels to a 5.1
system, and Dolby Pro Logic IIz is used to add two front-height channels to a
5.1 system.

Both also feature a new 1080p GUI
with an overlaid ‘Quick Setup’ menu that provides access to frequently used
settings. Both AVRs also feature three-zone audio via dedicated line-outs or by
allocating surround-channel outputs to the second- and third zones. Both also
enable speaker biamping and feature 4K2K upscaling, which in this year’s TX
series starts at a suggested $599.

Playback control is available
from anywhere in the house via the Remote App 2 for iPhone or Remote App for
Android phone.

The 717 features Audyssey 2EQ for
room correction, and the 818 adds more sophisticated Audyssey MultEQ XT32room
correction, 9.2-channel preamp outputs for adding an outboard amplifier, and an
onboard Digital Crossover Processing Network to cancel frequency interference
when speakers are biamped.

The 818 also adds ISF
calibration, which makes it possible to individually optimize video signals for
each video source connected to the AVR without resorting to complex cable
routing and customized remote-control macros that make system operation more
complex for consumers.

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