Category: MP3, Receivers, Separates, Transports

Portables & Storage > MP3 / Portable Players

Company: Toshiba America, Inc.
Product: gigabeat T400
MSRP: $119.99
www.toshibadirect.com

The gigabeat T400 Portable Media Player is outfitted with 4GB of NAND flash memory and a 2.4-inch color LCD screen, which is one of the largest in its class. The gigabeat T400 holds up to 1,000 songs, 4,000 photos and up to six hours of video and supports today’s most popular audio and video files for greater support and compatibility with a user’s growing media collection. Its rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides consumers with up to 16 hours of audio and five hours for video playback. A thin, sleek and solid design anchors the intuitive user interface of the T400, that’s built for easy navigation via its PlusPad controls.

Category: Receivers

Receivers > Multi-channel

Company: Yamaha Electronics Corporation
Product: RX-Z11
MSRP: $5,499.99
www.yamaha.com/yec

Yamaha’s flagship 11.2 channel digital AV receiver (140W x 7 + 50W x 4) features network compatibility for listening to Internet radio and audio files stored on a hard drive, a USB interface for easy connectivity to external HDD drives and USB audio players, as well as compatibility with HD Radio, iPods, and XM Satellite Radio/XM HD Surround. The RX-Z11’s advanced audio and video features include Cinema DSP HD3, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. The RX-Z11 also features 5 HDMI inputs and analog to HDMI 1080p video upscaling and HDMI Audio upconversion. The assignable amplifiers of the RX-Z11 offer many configurations, including the delivery of 11.2-channel audio to a single room, or surround sound to one room, and 2-channel stereo in up to three additional rooms.

Category: Separates

Separates > Multi-channel Amps

Company: Axiom Audio
Product: A1400-8 8-channel Amplifier
MSRP: $3850 | Review

The A1400-8 brings to home theaters the power to reproduce real-life loudness levels with no-compromise spectacular dynamics, even at 4 ohms or lower impedances and into as many as 8 channels - with no overheating, shutting down, clipping or running out of dynamic headroom. The new technology in the A1400-8 lets consumers fully appreciate the dynamics in today’s current DVD reproduction as well as the demanding new high-fidelity Dolby Digital and Dolby TrueHD soundtracks. Its massive output power capabilities, up to 1,400 watts into as many as 8 channels, and its circuitry that prevents clipping, mean consumers can play dynamics to real-life levels without risking damage to their speakers’ midranges or tweeters.

Finalist: Emotiva XPA-5 5-channel Amplifier

Separates > Preamps / Processors

Company: Marantz America
Product: SC-11S1
MSRP: $3,199
us.marantz.com

Marantz’ no-compromise SC-11S1 Reference Preamplifier echoes the distinctive voice of the company’s original and legendary Model 7 preamplifier. Based on the pre amp section of the award winning PM-11S1 amplifier and the SC-7S2, the SC-11S1 features a new phono pre amp section, a new linear volume control and a new headphone amp. The SC-11S1 has fully balanced topology, a precision multi-gang volume control, brand new ultra high speed HDAM-SA3 buffer modules, and a choke input power supply.

Separates > Video Processors

Company: Anchor Bay / DVDO
Product: DVDO iScan VP50PRO
MSRP: $3,499

Average consumers have high expectations of the video quality from today’s displays in their home theater. Unfortunately, they are often disappointed in the viewing experience once they view standard definition content on a high definition display. The DVDO iScan VP50PRO offers the full suite of Anchor Bay’s VRS technologies, which insures that consumers get the best-possible image from all of their home theater sources. The VP50PRO sports Anchor Bay’s Mosquito Noise Reduction and Picture Enhancements that greatly improve the quality of compressed content coming from STBs, DVRs, DVD, IPTV, and other digital media devices. The exclusive PReP (Progressive ReProcessing) and Progressive Cadence Detection can remove deinterlacing artifacts and judder inherent in many sources and even broadcasts for stunning picture quality allowing the consumer to have the picture quality intended for larger displays.

Category: Transports & Media Systems

Transports & Media Systems > Media Players / Streaming

Company: Sling Media
Product: Slingbox SOLO
MSRP: $179.99
www.slingmedia.com

The Slingbox SOLO seamlessly hooks up to one high definition HD device or one standard definition SD device such as a DVR, cable box, satellite receiver, or DVD player. The latest iteration of the SlingPlayer software includes a great video-optimization wizard, which automatically calibrates the software settings to the PC's CPU and graphics card. Once the software is up and running, users will see a video window not unlike that of QuickTime or Windows Media Player, with channel-changing controls. If the Slingbox is connected to a TiVo, a cable or satellite box with a built-in DVR, or even a DVD recorder, users will also get video-transport controls: pause, rewind, fast-forward, and so on. Also, Sling Media customer care is available for live chat and can also take over the customer’s computer remotely to help with installation.

Finalist: Logitech Transporter Network Music System

Transports & Media Systems > Media Servers

Company: SE2 Labs
Product: ITC One
MSRP: $24,995
www.se2labs.com

The ITC One is the world’s first personalized, fully-integrated, one-box home entertainment solution. With the ITC One, components that would normally take up rooms are reduced to one small, easy-to-use box. Custom installers or end users design a personalized system from the SE2 Labs website. The unit is then built and shipped within days. The following components can be included: Microsoft X-Box 360, X-Box 360 HD-DVD Player, Nintendo Wii, DirecTV, High-Def TiVo, Dish Network DVR, national cable providers DVR (Comcast, Time Warner, Cox Cable and more), AMX Netlinx Control System, High-End Digital Surround Processor, Bryston Pre-Amp Processor, IcePower High-End D-Class Amplifiers, High-End Video Processor, Front Touchpanel Screen, Apple Video iPod with Dock, proprietary Remote Control, Power Conditioning, Transparent Cabling and Cable Harness and an Anti-Noise and Vibration System.

Finalist: CodexNovus HDcodex DML-1600 Digital Media Player

Transports & Media Systems > HD-DVD Players

Company: Samsung Electronics
Product: BD-UP5000Duo
MSRP: $999
www.se2labs.com

The Samsung BD-UP5000 Duo HD Player combines specifications for a comprehensive Blu-ray, HD DVD, standard DVD and CD player. It offers full compatibility with both Blu-ray BD-Java and HD DVD's HDi interactive feature sets and features Silicon Optix HQV processing, an HDMI 1.3 connection and support for 10-bit 'deep color'. The Duo HD also supports an array of next-generation Full HD audio formats, including Dolby Digital+ and Dolby TrueHD. Additionally, the BD-UP5000's HDMI 1.3 connection is CEC-compliant (Consumer Electronics Control), also known as Samsung's Anynet+, for the added convenience and versatility of controlling all Samsung AV devices with Anynet+ from a single remote.

Finalist: LG Electronics SuperBlu Player (BH200)

Transports & Media Systems > DVD & Universal Disc Players

Company: OPPO Digital, Inc.
Product: DV-980H Universal DVD Player
MSRP: $169
www.oppodigital.com

The OPPO DV-980H is a universal up-converting DVD player that offers 7.1-channel audio output and 1080p video up-conversion. OPPO refined the audio portion of the DV-980H for precision rendering from Super Audio CD, DVD-Audio, HDCD and regular CDs. The DV-980H offers multiple high definition output formats, including 1080p/1080i/720p/480p/480i. As an ideal source component for the latest audio/video receivers with HDMI, the DV-980H stands out from competing products by featuring PCM and DSD multi-channel high resolution audio through its HDMI 1.2a output for DVD-Audio and SACD. Its convenient USB 2.0 port, high resolution photo slide show capability and DivX playback function opens the home theater to digital cameras, portable audio players, computers, and contents downloaded from the Internet.

Finalist: Meridian G92 DVD Player/5.1 Ch Receiver