Not satisfied with its recent launch of its Pandora, Sirius and Rhapsody capable AV receivers, Onkyo has announced yet more tuners. The new tuners, the TX-NR1007, TX-NR3007, TX-NR5007, each have the same Internet capabilities of the recently announced models, but include other top of the line features as well. The newest models include features that more »

Banking on hopes that many consumers will use the now delayed digital transition as an opportunity to make the jump to HDTVs, Klipsch hopes to offer audio accompaniment at reasonable prices.

The only problem with Klipsch’s plan is that, of the three home audio systems it announced today, only one is south of the $500 mark. It is also interesting to note, that while Klipsch is seeking the the DTV set, they only expect their more modestly priced audio systems, the HD Theater 500 for $599.99 and the HD Theater 300 for $399.99, to be available for sale in March for the former and April for the latter.

The home theater in a box market continues to grow. Their low entry price makes them even more attractive in the current economic climate. So it comes at as no surprise that Samsung introduced new Blu-ray HTIB offerings at CES. Each offers 1080p playback with the Blu-ray player, and virtual or real 5.1 audio.

The HT-BD8200 is the first home theater sound bar equipped with a Blu-ray player and wireless subwoofer. At 2.6 inches deep, the BD8200 is designed for wall mounting, but still provides virtual 5.1 surround. Users can stream multimedia from the integrated Blu-ray player, USB port, a Bluetooth enabled media device, or through the included iPod dock. It networks via 802.11 b/g/n or USB dongle to stream Netflix or Pandora and is BD-Live (Profile 2.0) compatible.

Jumping on the wireless bandwagon at CES, Acoustic Research announced their new Modular Wireless Speaker Conversion line. These modules allow you to turn any 5.1 or smaller speaker system into a wireless application. To solve the common problem with wireless speakers where the signal bounces off of objects in the room creating a lag in one or more speakers, Audiovox has developed what it calls “Diversity antennas” which uses error correction to ensure interference doesn’t disrupt the signals. Each of the six channels provides 16 bit audio at 60 digital watts.

Though many Americans are obsessed with their home “theater-in-the-box” systems and many more are dying to have one, about half of these owners are not installing their rear-channel speakers. If you’re wondering why, it’s because of lack of technical expertise as well as aesthetic issues such as wire visibility.

This so-called “surroundaphobia” hinders the great home theater experience. The study conducted by Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and CE manufacturers reveals that 74% of consumers prefer as few wires and connections as possible. Also, 34% said they wanted to improve the “visibility of wires” in their current system setups.