HT Staff

Pioneer Electronics continues to refine audio and video performance with its new generation of DVD players. The $2000 DV-38A is the company's effort to combine high-resolution sound and image at an upscale but not unattainable price.

The surround processor is the heart of every high-end home theater system. Good ones, like Myryad Systems' MDP500, have flexibility built in for unanticipated new formats.

Many home theater receivers have excellent audio capabilities, but not many boast state-of-the-art video features. Onkyo has changed that with its TX-DS696, a 5 x 100-watt home theater receiver with component video switching and the ability to mix and match composite and S-video components. This feature is the result of a proprietary YC separator/mixer that "reconciles the incompatibility of composite and S-Video signals," according to company publicity. "Without this circuit, the video source, receiver, and video monitor must all use the same type of video connection."

Convergence has taken another step forward with the newest offering from Princeton Graphics Systems. On June 13, the display and monitor maker introduced its Ai3.2HD, a 32" flatscreen CRT with HDTV compatibility and interactive television features.