receiver
Latest
Get your run on - Apple taking preorders for the Nike+iPod Sport Kit
It looks as though Apple is officially taking pre-orders for the $30 Nike+iPod Sport Kit, a customized wireless transmitter and receiver set that helps you track your run by integrating with Apple's iPod nano. The tips started pouring in, and sure enough, it's up in the store in all its über-branding glory. Fortunately, more compatible shoes have also been added to the Nike Plus site, though I'm sure pioneering DIYers are scoffing at the thought of purchasing a pair, and are already hard at work at assembling specs and carving out their present running gear (I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to see a guide for this; send in those tips people!). On a related note, TUAW reader Aaron sent us a question that y'all might want to bat around: has anyone heard about the battery life of this kit? Aaron noticed that this kit's specs mention the battery in the shoe transmitter is not replaceable, so those who run 8 miles a day like Aaron (or who I'll refer to as: RoboRunner) might have to find out how much juice these things hold before they kick the bucket. On the other hand, I'm sure in a couple of months Apple will whip out a $40 charging dock for the $30 sensor kit and make all this worrying about battery life a moot point.
Pioneer's Elite VSX-80TXV, 81TXV, 82TXS, and 84TXSi receivers
Pioneer launched a slew of HDTV and home entertainment gear this week, not the least of which being their 1080p switching Elite receiver series. Models VSX-80TXV, VSX-81TXV, VSX-82TXS, and VSX-84TXSi have 1, 2, 3, and 4 HDMI source ports, the top two models featuring a Genesis DCDi Faroudja video scaler, iPod integration, XM Connect & Play, and even a USB port on the VSX-84TXSi. Expect to pay between $650 and $1,500, depending on your options and features.
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.
Pioneer VSX-516 6.1ch receiver with USB, MP3, AAC and WMA playback
Pioneer continues to pump out surround-sound receivers with the ability to play digital audio files via a USB port, and the latest in the line, the VSX-516, adds a few new tricks, including support for the latest Dolby standards. The VSX-516 also continues Pioneer's support for WMA9 Pro, for lossless playback. And the VSX-516 also represents a decent price drop: Pioneer's first amp with similar features, 2003's VSA-AX10Ai-N, went for a whopping ¥500,000 (about $4,400), while the new model is just ¥49,500 ($440), or about a tenth of the price of the older model. What a difference three years makes.
