It has been unveiled at CES, but now the forthcoming AV8003 A/V receiver appeared on Marantz's official website with a $2599.99 price tag. Equipped with all of the latest technology, the receiver features 7.1-channel Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and THX Ultra2 certification. It includes HDMI v1.3a inputs, built-in video processor with de-interlacing and 1080p up-conversion, Deep Color support, xvYCC extended video formats, and there is also audio/video multi-room capability up to three zones.

Pioneer has just released their new line of low-priced A/V receivers which comprises three models, the VSX-518-K, VSX-818V-K and VSX-918V-K. These new A/V receivers include an AM/FM tuner, MCACC Speaker Calibration, and the Pioneer Hybrid Amplifier Technology (PHAT) to reduce the distortion caused by the dynamic change of heat in the system.

VSX-518-K - 5.1 channel, 120 Watts per channel, WMA9 Pro Decoder. Price: $199.

VSX-818V-K - 5.1 channel, 2x HDMI Video, 120 Watts per channel, WMA9 Pro Decoder, iPod support, XM and SIRIUS satellite radio ready. Price: $249.

VSX-918V-K - 5.1 channel, 2x HDMI A/V, 120 Watts per channel, WMA9 Pro Decoder, PCM via HDMI, XM and SIRIUS satellite radio ready. Price: $349.

Altec lansing's iM500 gets an update to fit the new iPod Nano. This model is lightweight and super-thin by using flat full-range drivers, it measures just 1.2x 21.5x 1.8cm when folded and weighs 340g. The inMotion iM500 charges and syncs the iPod Nano, and there is an auxiliary input for connecting other devices such as a CD/MP3 players or other iPods. Also, it can be powered by either AC mains or six AAA batteries, providing up to 8 hours of continuous play.

Price raised to £80 for this new edition and it comes with a protective carrying pouch.

The Sneaky Music DS is the latest addition to the DS line of digital stream player, the Sneaky Music DS is the first player from Linn to add a power amplifier inside which provides 2x 20W RMS of high-quality sound. Priced at £995 this one-box solution is compatible UPnP, support Internet radio and can stream throughout your house MP3/WMA/FLAC audio from any devices with an Ethernet interface such as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) or a computer.

Yamaha has announced a new line of A/V receivers with three models including the DSP-AX463, DSP-AX763 and DSP-AX863. Expected to be available this month, each model will includes the YPAO Auto Setup, Cinema DSP, built-in radio tuner and will offers Bluetooth (YBA-10) and iPod (YDS-11) compatibility with optional docks.

DSP-AX463 - 5.1 channel, 2x HDMI, 100 Watts per channel. Price: $600.

DSP-AX763 - 7.1 channel, 2x HDMI v1.3a, 95 Watts per channel, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD MA decoding. Price: $850.

DSP-AX863 - 7.1 channel, 3x HDMI v1.3a, 105 Watts per channel and full support for HD audio/video formats. Price: $1,100.

The LG LHT854 is a complete home theater system including a 5.1-channel amplifier, progressive-scan upconvert DVD/CD player, 2 front speakers, 2 satellite speakers, center-channel speaker and subwoofer. The whole system delivers 1000 watts (speakers: 5x 155W; subwoofer: 225W), includes built-in Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS sound decoders, DivX, MP3 playback as well as DVD upscaling to 1080p through HDMI and a digital AM/FM tuner with 50 station presets.

The system also offers Apple iPod connection, USB port and an auxiliary input for connecting MP3 players, CD players and other portable audio devices with a stereo mini jack. It will be available this month for $249.99 at BestBuy's store.

The Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) becomes a very good system for High-Definition home theater, with its Blu-ray player and the newest addition of DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, the Sony PS3 is now fully compatible with HD content. The DTS-HD Master Audio is capable of delivering audio that is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master at super high variable bit rates (up to 24.5 Mbps on Blu-ray discs).

The new Playstation 3 with DTS-HD Master Audio will be available by simply downloading the upcoming firmware upgrade on April 15th, 2008.

The Essentio CS5110 from Asus is the world’s smallest Desktop PC equipped with a fully embedded discrete graphic card. This Mini PC measures 200x 290x 80mm, weighs 3.4kg and it seems to be a pretty interesting computer for home theater setup because of its gorgeous specifications. It features a laptop-sized MXM MN8600M GT 256M graphic card with 1080p HDMI output to play HD movies easily and smoothly, an Intel processor, 7.1-ch sound card output, Wifi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.0 connections, slim slot-in Blu-ray SuperMulti or DVD SuperMulti player, up to 4GB of RAM and up to 1TB HDD. However pricing and availability are missing from the press release.

New Sony's BDZ-T90 blu-ray recorder has improved the video quality recording as well as the addition of True Cinema 24p support, 500GB HDD, two analog/digital TV tuners and Sony Room Link support. The BDZ-T90 can record directly on a Blu-ray or on the built-in HDD in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 in a choice of seven different quality settings. Also, this Blu-ray recorder includes HDMI output, S-Video, RCA and optical.

AKG introduced four models in Japan in the new product range called "High Definition", the K142HD ($199), K242HD ($239) semi-open studio headphones and the K172HD ($229), K272HD ($239) closed-back DJ headphones with rotatable ear cup for one-ear monitoring. All models can handle 200mW of power and employ large driver units with ultra-soft velvet earpads.

Specifications (K142HD):
► Frequency response: 18Hz ~ 24kHz
► Nominal impedance: 55Ω
► Sensitivity: 101dB/mW

Specifications (K242HD):
► Frequency response: 15Hz ~ 25kHz
► Nominal impedance: 55Ω
► Sensitivity: 91dB/mW

Specifications (K172HD):
► Frequency response: 18Hz ~ 26kHz
► Nominal impedance: 55Ω
► Sensitivity: 94dB/mW

Specifications (K272HD):
► Frequency response: 16Hz ~ 28kHz
► Nominal impedance: 55Ω
► Sensitivity: 91dB/mW