Onkyo has announced three new A/V receivers and three home-theatre systems with HDMI 1.4 connectivity. Not only does this allow the products to pass 3D video signals from a 3D-capable Blu-ray player to a 3D display, it supports a new feature called "HDMI Thru," which allows content to pass through to the TV when the receiver is in a standby state.

All models can decode lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreams, and include new 192-kHz/24-bit Burr-Brown PCM1690 DACs. Onkyo says the new DACs are highly resistant to clock jitter and provide 113dB dynamic range. The lineup includes Onkyos an overlaid onscreen graphical display that lets the user watch the program in the background while using the function menus.

The TX-SR608 7.2-channel THX-Select2 Plus certified receiver (shown here) has a new power amplifier section that uses three-stage inverted Darlington output topology; rated power is 7x100 watts. The TX-SR608 features Audyssey DSX dimensional sound processing and Dolby Pro Logic IIz. The latter feature allows a set of elevated speakers to be used up-front, for conveying height information. Audyssey DSX lets users add extra speakers up-front for conveying height, or at the front side for a wider soundstage. Also featured is Faroudja DCDi Cinema video processing, which can upscale all video sources regardless of source resolution, including those using the new PC input, and output 1080p video over HDMI. The TX-SR608 will be available in Canada in May at an MSRP of $699.99.

The 5.1-channel TX-SR308 and 7.1-channel TX-SR508 round out this announcement of A/V receivers from Onkyo. The TX-SR308 will be available in Canada in April with an MSRP of $329.99, a followed by the TX-SR508 in May for $499.99.

The HTiB package systems, which each consist of a receiver, speakers and a subwoofer, are the 5.1-channel HT-S3300 and 7.1-channel HT-S5300; the latter also includes an iPod dock. The HT-S3300 will ship in April with an MSRP of $499.99, followed by the HT-S5300 in May for $699.99.

A third packaged system departs from the traditional HTiB form factor and uses a combination subwoofer and 3D Ready A/V receiver plus two front speakers. It uses Onkyo's Theater-Dimensional processor to create surround effects through just 2.1 channels. The HTX-22HDX has three HDMI v1.4 inputs, handles HD audio formats from DTS and Dolby; offers four distinct audio modes for gaming; and outputs for additional speakers. The HTX-22HDX will ship in June with a $399.99 MSRP.

The new receivers offer as many as six HDMI inputs, plus component and composite video, numerous stereo input jacks, optical/coaxial digital inputs, and front-panel connections on many models. Two models include Sirius Radio connections, and all these receivers incorporate Onkyo's proprietary Universal Port (U-Port) connector, which simplifies connections to optional HD Radio tuners and iPod Docks (included with the HT-S5300).

Marketnews will update this story with Canadian prices and ship dates, when these become available.

Article Tags:  Onkyo, receiver, Dolby, Audyssey, HDMI, 3D, blu, TrueHD, DTS, HD, Faroudja, DCDi, THX, Select2, DSX, video, processing