Buena Park, Calif. – Yamaha is expanding its selection of A/V receivers (AVRs) with HD Radio, Internet radio, networked-PC streaming, dual XM/Sirius satellite radio inputs and optional Bluetooth connectivity with the October shipment of three new receivers priced at more than $1,000.
The top two models, priced at a suggested $1,899 and $2,699, are the industry’s first with HD Radio-enabled iTunes Tagging, which requires an optional Yamaha-provided iPod dock.
All three models, including the $1,399 RX-V1900, feature on-board decoding of all authorized Blu-ray surround formats, 1080p up-scaling, and HDMI 1.3 connection to the company’s first Blu-ray player, a $1,195-suggested Profile 1.1 model that also incorporates all Blu-ray surround decoders.
All products ship in mid-October and will be displayed at the CEDIA Expo.
The $1,399 RXV-1900 features HD Radio, XM/Sirius ports, connection to an optional Bluetooth module, four HDMI inputs, and all Blu-ray surround decoders, among many other features. The step-up $1,899 RX-V3900 and $2,699 RX-Z7 add iTunes Tagging, Internet Radio, networked-PC streaming, and ability to be controlled from a networked PC’s Web browser.
The Internet radio feature accesses Internet radio stations, the subscription-based Rhapsody music service and, with a March software upgrade, the subscription-based Sirius Internet Radio service. No PC is required. For playback of PC-stored music, the two AVRs incorporate WAV, MP3, WMA and AAC decoding. The two units are certified by the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) for home networking and are compatible with Windows Vista.
The Z7 adds two USB ports with Microsoft’s Media Transfer Protocol, enabling the selection and playback of music stored on a USB-equipped MP3 player or USB drive. Another Z7 enhancement is two HDMI outputs to display video on two TV screens. The Z7 also adds six preset video noise-reduction and image-enhancement settings that can be applied to any video input. The feature isn’t considered video calibration, the company noted.
The top two models also network with Yamaha’s MusicCAST networked music server. Both AVRs connect via a wired Ethernet connection or add-on Wi-fi access point to the Wi-Fi-equipped server, but the Z7 features built-in wireless to network with the wireless-equipped server.
With the introductions, Yamaha is expanding its selection of AVRs with HD Radio to five from two, Internet radio and PC streaming to four models from two, dual XM/Sirius satellite inputs to seven from four, USB MTP to four from two, MusicCAST connectivity to four from two, optional Bluetooth music streaming to eight models from five, and embedded decoding of all Blu-ray surround formats to six models from three.
Currently available Yamaha AVRs with HD Radio are priced at $999 for the RX-V863 and $5,499 for the flagship RX-Z11. Currently available models with Internet radio tuning and PC streaming are the $1,699 3800 and the Z11. The decoding of all Blu-ray surround formats starts at a suggested $549 among current Yamaha AVRs. MTP is a feature of the currently available $1,699 RX-V3800 and $5,499 Z11. The only other Yamaha AVR controlled from a Web browser is the Z11. Four current AVRs with XM/Sirius ports range in suggested retails from $349 to $999. Current models with MusicCAST connectivity are the Z11 and V3800.
In launching the $1,195 BD-S2900 Blu-ray player, the company incorporated Bonus View, 24fps output, 12-bit Deep Color compatibility, 1080p up-scaling of DVD and photos, 5.1-channel analog outputs and such custom-friendly features as RS-232C interface and IR in/out ports.
Yamaha is expanding its selection of A/V receivers (AVRs) with HD Radio, Internet radio, networked-PC streaming, dual XM/Sirius satellite radio inputs and optional Bluetooth connectivity with the October shipment of three new receivers priced at more than $1,000.
