Sony's new home theater system

Sony home theater receivers have been a standard in many homes over the years even though there are other brands out there with higher end equipment. Consumers seem to have a thing for the Sony brand name and a new upcoming receiver, the STR-DA5300ES, may well give loyal fans another reason to head out to Best Buy with credit cards in hand.


The STR-DA5300ES is part of Sony’s higher end ES brand of consumer electronics. This particular receiver is somewhat pricey at around $1,700 but you get an amazing array of features for that amount. Sony says it has optimized this receiver for working with Blu-ray Disc, the next generation optical disc format it has been backing. Video support is offered at 1080/60p and 24p video formats. This receiver also comes with six HDMI inputs to support various HD devices.


In addition to being optimal for Blu-ray Disc the STR-DA5300ES doesn’t leave users of non-1080p devices out in the cold. It can upscale video sent through composite, S-video, component and HDMI up to 1080p. This 7.1-channel model with a 120-watt amplifier is also designed to offer a variety of high end sound options, including accepting eight-channel linear PCM and supporting new audio formats like Dolby’s Dolby Digital +/Dolby TrueHD and DTS’ dts High Resolution Audio and dts HD Master Audio.


Options exist through the STR-DA5300ES’ “Digital Media Port” to interface some great other gadgets with the receiver. One can get an optional iPod dock and connect Apple’s player to enjoy high quality audio while seeing information on the device’s playlists, artist, album and track information through an icon-based, on-screen menu system. You can also connect through this port an optional PC WiFi client for streaming digital music  and a Bluetooth receiver that allows users to connect to various compatible Bluetooth-enabled devices to the receivers.


The features list just continues to keep rolling with this receiver. You get control functions passed through via a HDMI cable when combined with select Sony Bravia televisions and other Sony A/V products. There’s auto audio calibration with a stereo microphone, Sirius and XM Connect-and-Play ready, portable audio enhancement and manual down conversion of component and S-video sources for those who desire.
Sony added the STR-DA5300ES is its first receiver that can distribute high definition content to a second room.  It also offers picture-in-picture for monitoring multi-zone output or an external video source. This product is due out in September and you can find more information on it at Sony’s Web site.