Sony announces first A/V receiver to optimize Blu-ray/HD content

Sony announced the STR-DG1000 receiver today, the first A/V receiver designed to optimize Blu-ray discs and other HD content. That's just Sony's Blu-ray player, not the receiver, on the right  -- sorry, Sony's stingy with press pics sometimes, we'll add 'em when we get 'em. Among the HD-friendly features of the receiver are 1080p pass-through, eight channels of uncompressed audio, and dual HDMI active intelligence, which promises to automatically detect and receive the best possible video and audio signals from connected devices. The receiver also sports XM Connect and Play satellite radio capabilities and a "Portable Audio Enhancer" feature, which'll let you plug in MP3 players or other portable devices and then supposedly pump out the best possible sound quality. Aight. Look for it this August for $800 even.