CES 2010

British audio manufacturer Cambridge Audio has unveiled its new Azur 640R Version 2 7.1-channel AV receiver and the Azur 640BD Blu-ray player at CES 2009.

Version 2 of the receiver upgrades the receiver's video circuitry to include full HDMI 1.3b connectivity with three inputs and can transcode analog video to HDMI for simpler connection to a video display. The receiver's audio processing uses a Cirrus Logic / Crystal chipset with 32-bit DSPs for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding. Power output is 100-watts x 7 backed by a toroidal transformer. Suggested retail price is $1799.

The Azur 640BD is designed as the companion to the new receiver with HDMI 1.3 output and internal decoding of the latest sound formats. The player is also able to scale standard definition DVD discs to 1080p resolution. The 640BD is Profile 2.0 compatible and a front panel USB port allows playback of content from portable drives. The Azur 640BD has a suggested retail price of $999. Both components will be available in spring, 2009.