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Pioneer's new CD deck and mixer feature MIDI integration, USB for external storage
If you're looking for a product designed to "transform novices" (that is, you) into "the next generation DJ" (that is, Sven Vath) you're in luck: Pioneer has just announced a CD deck / mixer combo that includes the usual compliment of features (looping capabilities, a visual beat display, BPM lock, so on, and so forth) as well as some computer-friendly touches, including MIDI integration -- allowing you to use either as a control surface for your fave DJ software. The CDJ will also play music off your thumb drive, and the mixer itself accepts external USB storage device for saving your mixes as WAV files. Sure, in our day all one needed were two turntables and a crossfader to rock the party -- but that was a long time ago, kids. The CDJ-350 and DJM-350 will be available in June 2010 for $850 and $750, respectively. We've only scratched the surface here, however -- peep the PR below for all the vital details.
Pioneer DJM-2000 digital mixer sports multitouch screen, per-frequency mixing delight
Ready to graduate from DJ Hero? Got a house payment handy? Then Pioneer would like to show you the way to the pros. Say hello to the DJM-2000, a four-channel digital mixer built around a 5.8-inch multitouch screen and sporting enough knobs, buttons and sliders for a NASA launch sequence. Designed to play nice with the matching CDJ-2000 players Pioneer released last year, the unit features an integrated audio effects suite with six dedicated processors and several intriguing modes for multitouch music control. While the mixer has the traditional crossfade slider that allows DJs to assign a certain percentage of the output to channels on the left and right, the DJM-2000 debuts with "frequency mix," a mode that lets DJs assign within seven narrow frequency bands as well by manipulating virtual sliders on the touchscreen, and a "sidechain remix" mode that uses the screen to apply custom effects in real time. Yeah, it's not as wild as some other touchscreen DJ rigs we've seen, but at least this one's for sale: Pioneer says the mixer will retail for $3000 this June. Droolworthy video demonstrations after the break.
Pioneer VSX-1020-K AV receiver with iPhone app up for pre-order
In the market for AV gear that "Works with iPhone?" Looks like Pioneer's trusty old VSX-1019AH (with its built-in iPod dock) just got a formidable ally in the form of the VSX-1020-K. This bad boy not only packs in the features you expect from an AV receiver (including connections for HD video, HD audio, wireless and analog components, 1080p video conversion and upscaling, support for 3D video and more) but the company throws in a free custom iPhone / iPod touch app for exploring your inner audiophile -- and getting your room to sound just so in the process. Up for pre-order now at Amazon for $549. Screenshots and further details after the break.
Pioneer brings Bluetooth streaming, 3D-readiness to VSX-520-K and VSX-820-K receivers
It's not like your two ears really need 7.1 channels of audio, but what your home theater does need is simplicity and an eagerness to support the third dimension. In truth, we can only safely say that those beliefs are shared by Pioneer, who has today introduced a new pair of 5.1 AV receivers that offer Bluetooth streaming, HDMI 1.4 and an unmistakable "3D ready" label. There's also the obligatory Works with iPhone certification on the VSX-820-K, which enables it to transfer iPod navigation control and on-screen graphics from the remote back to the Apple device. Outside of that, most everything else is identical between the two, as they each offer five channels of 110 watts, at least 3 HDMI sockets and rather reasonable price tags. Speaking of, you'll be asked to pay $229 for the 520 and $299 for the 820 when they splash down later this month.
Samsung's LTE-equipped cameras, MIDs, and photo frames shill for Verizon
By and large, LTE is LTE -- it's just fast wireless, really, and there's not a lot to see. You know you want it, and you really don't need to be convinced. Amazingly, though, Samsung managed to impress us at Verizon's 4G demonstration area today with its three-pack of LTE-enabled devices, including a modified photo frame, ST1000 digicam, and a MID called "Pioneer" which we're told is little more than a Mondi with LTE swapped in place of WiMAX. Unlike some of the other demos we saw in the booth, Samsung was using actual integrated LTE chipsets -- the real deal, not a concept of what kind of stuff you could see in an LTE-connected world -- and if it weren't for the conspicuous "LTE" logo atop the ST1000, we would've been none the wiser. With the camera, you could instantly beam photos straight to the frame, and the Pioneer allowed you to shoot live video displayed immediately on the frame, all using an LTE base station as an intermediary. This stuff isn't as fanciful as it seems -- Verizon intends to have a couple dozen markets operating in 2010, and these are all examples of the kinds of things we could see if only Big Red decides to make it financially reasonable for us. Check out some pictures of the system in action in our gallery below, because let's be honest: unless you're lucky, odds are good this is the closest you're getting to a live 4G network in the next few months. %Gallery-82205%
Pioneer AVIC-X920BT brings Pandora streaming music to your satnav via the iPhone
Your car's dash just got a tad bit more interesting with the introduction of Pandora music streaming in Pioneer's latest navigation unit. The double-DIN in-dash device exploits your iPhone's cellular connection to glean tunes from the ether and comes with a 6.1-inch display, Bluetooth, 3D video accelerator, and 4GB of built-in memory expandable by MicroSD. Coming out in March for $1,200, this is slated to be a direct challenge to satellite and old school radio services, and for more on the greater market impact of its introduction, you can see the WSJ coverage below. For the full specs of this new flagship device, as well as a new AVIC-U220 add-on nav unit, hit the source link below.
Pioneer suing Garmin over three navigation patents
Pioneer's GPS products don't make huge waves in the Stateside navigation market, but it's actually got some fairly broad patents on route guidance and mapping, and apparently Garmin's infringing them. That's at least the story Pioneer's telling to the US International Trade Commission, where it's filed a complaint against Garmin and asked for a ban on sales of GPS products that infringe the patents. Obviously that would shake things up in a big way, but we clearly don't have the whole story here -- Pioneer and Garmin have apparently been negotiating for some time, and the two companies are currently fighting it out in the German court system as well. We'll see how this one shakes out -- stay tuned.
OWC takes quad-interface Mercury Pro external BD burner to 12x
Pioneer's BDR-205 may not be hitting shelves in retail form until early next year, but those who desperately need a Blu-ray burner that outpaces the optical media currently available still have an option. OWC has today updated its long-standing Mercury Pro external BD drive -- which boasts FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0 and eSATA connection options -- with Pioneer's latest, giving it the ability to toast BD-Rs at up to 12x. Of course, you'll need lady luck on your side to actually find any media that'll support said rate, but hey, there's always the future. It's available today for $349.99, or $449.99 if you want Roxio Toast Titanium PRO bundled in.
Pioneer's 12x BDR-205 Blu-ray burner is so fast it's ahead of its time
We're still not sure if that many people are interested in buying Blu-ray burners yet, but Pioneer just unveiled the first 12x capable drive (up from 8x, and with an 8x read speed that gives us a great idea for the next PlayStation 3 revision) the BDR-205. Initially rolling out to OEMs this month, this drive couldn't wait for 12x certified discs to exist, though its full speed has been tested on Panasonic and Sony 6x BD-R blanks, "12x writing on all media cannot be guaranteed." Minus that caveat, expect to see these popping up on Newegg and the like any second now, the only price mentioned is for the full retail package BD-2205 coming Q1 2010 for $249.
Pioneer adds Anchor Bay VRS scaling to VSX-23TXH, VSX-21TXH and VSX-1019AH-K receivers
Video scaling has been a longtime knock held against Pioneer's AV receivers, but Pioneer is addressing those concerns with the inclusion of Anchor Bay VRS processing in its Elite VSX-23TXH ($899) and VSX-21TXH ($699) models, and also the VSX-1019AH-K ($499). Of course, Pioneer's home market in Japan isn't getting the short shrift -- the VSA-LX52 and VSA-1019AH are getting the same treatment. These models will be getting an ABT1015 to ratchet input signals all the way up to the magical 1080p figure; hopefully an indication that Pioneer will take a page from Denon's playbook and include ABT scaling in all of its AVRs from here on out. Full details after the break. UPDATE: We have sent questions to Pioneer about whether this is a mid-production spec bump, or ABT VRS has been in these models all along. We'll report back with any answers we get. UPDATE: We got official word back from Pioneer -- the VSX-1019, 21, 23, 25, and 27 models have all had Anchor Bay VRS scaling from the initial production, so there's no need to go throwing your AVR out. We can't imagine why both Pioneer and Anchor Bay haven't touted this feature from day one, but if your eyes told you the new Pioneer receivers had great scaling, give yourself a point.
Pioneer's new CDJ-2000 DJ deck hopped up with a 6.1-inch LCD, new features
Sure, it's not quite as legendary as the Technics SL-1200MK2, but Pioneer's CDJ-1000 has an impressive reputation of its own in clubs the world over, and the new CDJ-2000 looks to take things to the next level with a 6.1-inch 480 x 234 LCD and the ability to play music directly off USB and SD media. That huge LCD shows waveforms, album art, and song info, and it's paired with a horizontal "Needle Pad" touchstrip underneath it that lets you drag directly to the part of the song you want -- no more endless cueing. Oh, and there's more: up to four 2000s can all share a single USB or SD music source with the Pro Link feature, there's a MIDI mode that allows you to use all 35 buttons to control your favorite audio software, a new four-beat loop cutter that autoslices loops for you on the fly, and the whole shebang is bundled with Pioneer's rekordbox music-management software. Yeah, it's steep at $2,150 -- $1,600 for the screenless CDJ-900 -- but we so, so want one. Video after the break.
Pioneer's new soundbar and iPod docks coming this Winter
You probably already have your Home Theater situation well sorted, so the gang at Pioneer (lovely chaps) have brought some slightly less robust devices to CEDIA for that other room in your house. First off, the iPod docks: in case you didn't see them in Europe where they first made the scene a week or so ago, both new XW models pack 2.1 surround sound, 60W output, and Bluetooth connectivity into a single unit. The splashier of the two is the XW-NAS5, which is available in multiple colors, features a radio, and includes some sort of built-in ambient sound player for fans of relaxation, sleep, or hypnosis. If you're not feeling quite as ostentatious, the XW-NAS3 comes in white and features iPod support -- and nothing else. If PMP dockery isn't your bag, you might want to check out the HTP-SB300 soundbar. Featuring 3.1-channels, 250W of power, dual HDMI ins, and support for DTS, Dolby Digital PLUS and Dolby TrueHD audio, it's the perfect compliment to your wall-mounted 32-37-inch display. Both are available this Winter, for a price TBA. PR after the break. [Via SlashGear]
Video: First working Blu-ray Managed Copy demo
Just because Pioneer isn't in the plasma business anymore doesn't mean the company is dead, and one of the new points of focus over there is on media aggregation. So part of the new do-it-all Entertainment Tap concept Pioneer was displaying today included a demo of storing Managed Copies of Blu-ray Discs on a hard drive. The copy itself was done in about 4x real time (dependent on the drive's speed) and looked great thanks to some hardware transcoding. We also appreciated the Pioneer interface that made copying the disc easy. Of course at this point this is just a demo, with no word on availability or price, but it is a start to what will one day hopefully be a better way to enjoy HD movies.
Pioneer shoots for the moon with its Entertainment Tap concept
What do you get when you take every single source of audio and video content, including Blu-ray with Managed Copy, online streaming content and everything else you can think of (except Hulu), and then combine it with control and remote viewing capabilities? You guessed it, the Entertainment Tap. We understand that Pioneer is shooting for the stars with this one, but it most definitely falls under the category of it sounds too good to be true. Of course Pioneer is just trying to throw everything against the wall to see what sticks, which is great, but the anticipated release of 2010 seems ambitions considering everything included in the demo. We could go on and on listing the media sources and control devices, but Pioneer wasn't exactly giving us any negative responses. Lets just say the new ET concept is a do it all media server as well as a client client that plays nice with everything. For example, the ET can connect to a HR22 DirecTV HD DVR via USB and using the data from the DVR, it'll build its own version of the interface. Of course the whole video part is hard to integrate, so the ET simply instructs the TV to switch inputs at the right time to give you a seamless experience. At this point none of these features are finalized so don't be bashful with your ideas in the comments, because who knows, Pioneer might actually include them. %Gallery-72467%
Pioneer plots a Kuro-less future in the home theater market
If you were afraid that the post-Kuro Pioneer would retreat to car audio, fear not, because the company has plans to soldier on in the HT space with a marketing message that emphasizes both its A/V specialty roots and "balanced" home-A/V product lineup. As much as we love those Kuro plasmas, there's no denying that the prices didn't exactly jive well with the company's efforts to get consumers to recognize the value proposition in its other products. We'll admit that everyday consumers (read: not Engadget HD readers) looking to assemble a one-brand system could have been scared off of the Pioneer name by the Kuro prices, but we wish Pioneer would have kept its plasmas around as an "aspirational" product and allowed shoppers to cross-shop displays by building in deep, off-brand HDMI-CEC support into its other electronics. Wiping our fanboy tears aside, we have to give Pioneer credit -- its current lineup of electronics (AVRs especially) stack up competitively on the value-o-meter; which is good, because with companies like Denon, Onkyo and Yamaha around, it's in for a tough fight.
Pioneer outs DCS-FS30, DCS-585, DCS-590 DVD HTIBs
If you're into an all-Pioneer system, we'd suggest jumping into one of its Blu-ray HTIB offerings, but we'll just hope that these new DVD-centric offerings strike a lower price point that allows more people get started right away and attach a Blu-ray player to the HDMI inputs when their budget allows. Coming to the lineup -- at least in the UK -- are the 2.1-channel DCS-FS30 and 5.1-channel DCS-585 and DCS-590 systems. All kits are based (see that?) on a powered sub, but the configurations vary from there. The DCS-FS30 adds two height-adjustable desktop-sized speakers, and the DCS-590 is comprised of four tall speakers and a center channel, but things get interesting with the DCS-585 that comes with six small cube speakers -- two for center, the remaining four to be sprinkled around the room or stacked and put up front. Correct placement is so staid -- it's all about choices, see? More pics after the break.
Pioneer's ultraslim DVR-XD09 burner is more jewel case than drive
While ASUS is busy stuffing DVD burners into Eee PCs, Pioneer and others are working hard to make the integrated optical drive a thing of the past. The freshly announced XD09 measures in at 5.24 x 0.58 x 5.24-inches and 8 ounces, or slightly beefier than your average CD case. Pioneer claims that it's the most compact drive design yet. Essentially this means if you can carry your optical media around with you, then you can carry the player for it too. Power comes via the USB 2.0 connection, and all the usual DVD plus, minus, reading, writing, dual-layer mumbo jumbo is retained with top writing speeds of 8x on single-layer and 6x on double-layer media. This inspired minimalism can be yours for $79.99 in August.[Via Hot Hardware]
Audioholics overviews entry level receiver choices
Take one sagging economy, add in advancing technology, bake them with some economies of scale and serve up to consumers hungry for this newfangled digital, HD AV craze -- it's a winning formula. When it comes to AV receivers, however, the pool is so crowded that picking a winner in the entry level category (remember that sagging economy) is daunting enough to push people to HTIB simplicity. The truth is that there's no single "best" entry-level receiver, but Audioholics has gone through the trouble of putting appropriate models from Denon, Yamaha, Harman Kardon, Onkyo and Pioneer into a feature comparison grid. The answer that emerges on which receiver is the "best" is a definite "it depends" -- you basically get to pick two out of three: audio features, video features and price. So the bad news is, you've got some choices to make; the good news is, you've got some choices to make.
Pioneer BDP-LX52 & BDP-320 Blu-ray players get the hands on treatment
Already on shelves in their U.S. forms, Pioneer's BDP-LX52 and BDP-320 Blu-ray players are just now going on sale in the UK but Electricpig has already gotten some time with them. It seems they found their audio technology including the jitter-eliminating Precision Quartz Lock System rather impressive, though whether that audio setup is enough to convince buyers to separate themselves from £550 or £400 (respectively) for one of these remains to be seen. Anyway, there's plenty of in the wild pics, we know how much you like gazing at knobs and "BD-ROM BDMV" blinking displays, so we'll just leave you to it.
Pioneer refreshes, lowers prices on its Elite receivers
If you love the good stuff -- and who doesn't -- then the four new receivers Pioneer has dropped into its Elite lineup might be your cup of tea. Slotted in at the high end of the range are the SC-27 (pictured) and SC-25; and the prices of $2,000 and $1,700 respectively even manage to shave a few dollars off the outgoing SC-07 and SC-05. The SC-25 and SC-27 both hold up the ICEPower tradition, and the SC-27 wears a THX Ultra2 Plus badge -- the first class D amplifier to earn the distinction. Add in the Burr-Brown DACsADCs and Wolfson DACs on these two and you've got the makings of top-end gear. Lower on the totem pole but continuing the trend of shaving a few bucks off the older models (VSX-01TXH and VSX-03TXH) are the VSX-21TXH ($700) and VSX-23TXH ($900). As you'd expect, all the Elites get loaded up with a heap of Pioneer's best wizardry, including MCACC room correction, network connectivity and (of course) compatibility with iPods and iPhones. There's plenty of other good info in the press release, so hit the link for the full details.
