A/V equipment manufacturer Harman Kardon announced at CES 2006 that it had begun shipping or would soon bring to market an array of new high end A/V components as well as a universal remote control. The new components coming retail include A/V receivers and two DVD players.
Harman Kardon’s new A/V receivers are the flagship AVR 740 ($3,499 – available February), AVR 640 (Price TBA – available February) and AVR 440 (Price TBA – available March). Features in common on these models include HDMI switching, XM Ready satellite radio compatibility, an iPod interface which offers player playback and control capabilities and streaming audio support from a computer via a built in USB port.
Features specific to the top end AVR 740 include DCDi by Faroudja digital video processing with video scaling up to 1080i, automatic system calibration and room equalization function with stereo subwoofer adjustment capability and 7.2 channel sound via a discrete-output amplifier section that delivers 7 x 85 watts of power output. It, like the AVR 640 and AVR 440, also includes a wide array of video and audio connections.
Harman Kardon’s new DVD players are the DVD 47 ($399 – available February) and DVD 27 ($299 – available now). The DVD 47 includes features such as HDMI, video upscaling to 720p or 1080i and playback compatibility with a wide array of disc formats including DVD-Audio and SACD. The DVD 27 is a progressive scan player which offers features such as pixel by pixel and motion adaptive progressive scan video processing and an on screen interface with enhanced navigational capabilities.
Rounding out Harman Kardon’s 2006 offerings is the $299.99 TC 30 universal remote. This remote features a color LCD screen, grouped buttons and a five-way control pad. It can be fully configured and programmed by connecting it to a computer through a USB port. Control codes for A/V equipment and operating information are downloaded to the TC 30 directly from an updated, online database that the company maintains.
