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A whole new slate of audio electronics from Sony in 2012
Sony didn't hold back its engineers this year when it came to iterating on its extensive lineup of audio products for 2012. The new STR-DH820 AV receiver features five HDMI inputs that'll pass 3D and an integrated iPhone/iPod dock. There are three new Blu-ray enabled home theater systems, the BDV-N890W is leading the way with built-in 802.11N, wireless rear speakers and an iOS app for audio control wherever you put the included HomeShare wireless speaker. There are also two new HomeShare network speakers, the SA-NS310 and SA-NS410, which like its bigger brother, support AirPlay. Finally the very expensive SS-AR2 floor speakers are making their way stateside to replace the SS-AR1. The complete priceless and ship-dateless press release is available after the break.
Sony SA-NS500 HomeShare speaker knows how to work a room
Finally, a HomeShare speaker with built-in AirPlay for wireless streaming from your iThing or Apple TV. It'll cost you though: when the NS500 arrives in stores around late October or early November you can expect to see a booming $399 price tag strapped around its logarithmic neck. Sony assures us you'll get some heavyweight audio for that money, thanks to four drivers and a sub-woofer positioned in a "unilateral manner" to pump David Guetta into every nook and cranny. We'll hold out for some proper review time to tell you just how good he sounds.
Sony HomeShare RMN-U1 universal remote hands-on
Trade shows obviously aren't the best environment for evaluating a universal remote, but we couldn't resist taking Sony's RMN-U1 HomeShare IR / WiFi controller for a quick test drive here at the CES. Physically the device is surprisingly light and has a decent screen resolution. Clicking the home menu displays icons for every system component as well as an activities button for accessing online music services like Slacker, playing tracks from a networked Blu-ray player / iPhone / iPod, or even sending media files between DLNA-networked devices. If a BRAVIA TV is connected to the system, users can select the particular input they'd like to hear audio from or cue a movie. Once a track is playing, the screen will display the song's album art and metadata along with playlists. Overall the RMN-U1 looks pretty capable at managing music -- though it's a bit menu heavy. It also seems fairly expensive considering what else is available at its $300 price point, but then again, we're not aware of another IR universal remote that's compatible with Sony's WiFi HomeSharing. Check out our gallery below for more shots of the interface and you may even spy photos of the rest of the new HomeShare line too. %Gallery-113393%
Sony unveils new HomeShare network speakers, iPhone docks, and Wi-Fi universal remote
We haven't heard much about Sony's HomeShare wireless networking protocol since the initial buzz in 2008, but based on today's announcements, it's fairly clear that Sony intends to ramp things up in 2011. The SA-NS300 and SA-NS400 are two new wireless network speakers designed to broadcast tunes from a variety of sources such as DLNA-enabled PCs or BRAVIA internet music services found on Sony's latest Blu-ray players. iPhones and iPods can join in on the streaming fun when placed in HomeShare compatible NAS-SV20i and NAC-SV10i docks. Since all of these components go beyond the realm of your average IR controller, Sony has kindly released the HomeShare-friendly touch screen RMN-U1 Wi-Fi universal remote, too. Using its activity-based control options, the remote allows those invested in the HomeShare system to send music throughout their network and a view a variety of eye-candy -- you know, like album art. Even more interesting is that Sony says all of the components will be available this March for between $200 and $300 depending on the device, which is far below the four figure price points of its early HomeShare gear. For more details, hit up the press release below. %Gallery-112877%
Sony kicks out WiFi-enabled 1TB Home Share VGF-HS1E media server in Europe
We've already seen this circular media server loosed in Japan, but Sony is just now getting around to launching the thing in Europe. The Home Share VGF-HS1E follows the same design scheme as most of Sony's living room-based HTPCs and comes loaded with a pair of 500GB 7,200RPM SATA hard drives, a multicard reader, three USB ports, Ethernet, WiFi and DLNA-compatibility. There's no word on price, availability or any of that good stuff, but we'll be keeping an ear out.[Via Pocket-lint]
Sony's NHS-A30C / NHS-70C AV racks and HomeShare hands-on
At CEDIA, home install is king. Thus, it shouldn't come as any shock to see Sony introducing a few products not exactly aimed at the consumer crowd. Enter the NHS-A30C / NHS-70C home automation racks and the HomeShare multi-room entertainment solution, both of which were generating a bit of buzz while we were bobbing and weaving in an attempt to snag a few shots. The HomeShare system seemed particularly amazing, with the wall-mounted touch panels being among the most attractive at the show. Check out the full walk-through below. %Gallery-31211%
Sony's HomeShare multi-room entertainment solution spreads HD over CAT5e
While most of Sony's offerings thus far at CEDIA have catered to the general electronics consumer, this one is pointed directly at the custom install market. The new HomeShare HD multi-room entertainment solution delivers up to 16 zones of entertainment (four zones of HD video) to any room in the house via standard CAT5e wiring. The neatly packaged, um, package includes the HS-KP1 keypad (4.3-inch screen to display the XMB-based UI; pictured), the HS-MB1 distribution panel, HS-WV1 audio / video wallport, HS-AC1 power supply, HS-WA1 local audio wallport and the HS-WD1 digital media wallport for connecting an iPod (or similar). The kit will be available early next year through Sony's network of installation dealers, and pricing is expected to be between $1,000 and $2,000 per room. The whole release is after the jump.
