Pioneer introduces Blu-ray ready HTIB
It seems as if there has been a lot going on with Pioneer recently. I’m not a Pioneer shill, they’re just the only company with interesting news right now; everyone else is holding off for CEDIA or something.
The new Elite HTS-LX70 powers a 5.1 surround system. This is a unique system because it uses 4 satellite channels designed for a full surround sound with angled speakers featuring multiple drivers. It utilized MCACC multi-channel room equalization to calibrate the speakers for distance and loudness.
Another cool feature is a separate display providing all the information the front panel of an A/V receiver in an easy to read fashion. The remote is also well designed and features an illuminated touch screen.
The receiver can decode advanced audio in Dolby®True HD, Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS-HD® Master Audio, DTS®-96/24, and DTS®-ES.
Also included with the package is an iPod interface and XM Connect-and-Play functionality. For only $1,800 this offers quite a bit. It is possible to piece together a system for this much, but this comes with one-remote control straight away, which is a plus.
Correction: This article originally said the Blu-ray player was integrated in this system, and this is not the case. I was confused by a promotional email from Pioneer that said this system “unlocked” the power of Blu-ray. This alluded to the advanced codecs, not to an integrated player. The image (seen above) shows a Blu-ray player, but this is not included. An HDMI 1.3 input facilitates the audio. My thanks to Juan from BluFocus for pointing this out.
Why does the website for Pioneer state that the Blu-ray player is not included??? Very confusing.
Yes, this is very confusing. I received an email from Pioneer that said this was a Blu-ray home theater. It wasn’t clear that the Blu-ray player was not included in that email.