Sony's "Missing Link" Receiver Gets the Blu's
By Darryl Wilkinson June 5, 2006 — Sony proudly announced the imminent birth of their newest STR-series receiver, a home theater gizmo Sony says is "the final link in the HD chain". The new STR-DG1000 is described as having 1080p pass-through, eight channels of uncompressed audio, smooth video switching, and a simplified surround sound set up with automatic adjustment. (Well, it's not totally automatic. You still have to hook up the microphone and push a button.)

Sony says the STR-DG1000 also includes dual HDMI active intelligence, a feature that automatically detects and receives the best possible video and audio signals from connected devices. The active intelligence, however, does not comment on your choice of programming. (There's no intelligence involved in the picture shown here since it's not the receiver we're talking about, but that's because Sony doesn't like us enough to give us a sneak peak.)

Like other companies' offerings in the price range, Sony's new 7.1-channel, 120-watts per channel home theater receiver includes room acoustic correction technology. Sony calls their particular incarnation Digital Cinema Auto Calibration (DCAC). Using the included microphone, the system automatically adjusts the audio output based on speaker placement, distances, and delays.

For satellite radio fans, the STR-DG1000 includes XM Connect and Play technology that lets the user navigate XM stations displayed on the front panel of the receiver. The necessary XM Connect and Play antenna and XM subscription are not included in the package, but I'm sure XM will gladly assist you in your quest for commercial-free music and talk (along with some stations that include commercials, too).

The STR-DG1000's "Portable Audio Enhancer" applies digital signal processing to the compressed-audio playback from any portable audio player. Sony says the processing will improve sonic clarity and add depth to the sound that was ruthlessly stripped away during the original compression process.

For those with two rooms but the desire for only one receiver, the new piece of gear has the capability to run a 5.1-channel theater in your main room while simultaneously providing two channels of power to a second room. The second room has independent volume and access to any source connected to the STR-DG1000.

Sony says the receiver will be available in August. Expect to pay in the neighborhood of $800.