In April, Pioneer Electronics Canada Inc. will begin shipping new A/V receivers with HDMI 1.4 connectivity, allowing for 3D support and other advanced features. The company has announced details on the first two models in the line: the VSX-520 (CDN$329 MSRP) and the VSX-820 (CDN$429 MSRP, shown here), both of them rated at 5x110 watts.

Both models offer full support of high-resolution Blu-ray surround-sound formats, including Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and both incorporate Dolby Pro Logic IIz processing, for producing height information with the addition of extra speakers and amplification. An option for both receivers is Pioneer's AS-BT100 Bluetooth Adapter, which enables wireless music streaming from Apple's second-generation iPod Touch, iPhone, and other portable devices with stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) wireless technology.

The VSX-520 has three HDMI 1.4 inputs, while the VSX-820 has four. Additionally, the VSX-820 has iPod/iPhone integration, allowing users to stream music, movies and photos to their home theatre from an iPod or iPhone connected to the front-panel input via the supplied USB/composite video cable. The iPod or iPhone can be operated directly, or via remote control using the receiver's text interface. The VSX-820 also features Pioneer's Multi-Channel Acoustic Calibration (MCACC) room-optimization feature.

The 2010 Pioneer receiver lineup will feature two other models: the VSX-920 and VSX-1020. Features, pricing and specifications will be released later, Pioneer said. All four models will be available in Canada in April.

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