Digital entertainment products maker Creative and surround sound company DTS today announced a standalone, self-powered encoder which they feel will help bridge the gap between a PC or media center and a multi-channel consumer electronics receiver. The Home Theater Connect DTS-610 will be available in September for $99.99.
The DTS-610 acts as a digital connection between all audio, including multi-channel and DRM-protected content, coming from a PC and going to a consumer electronics receiver. The audio is encoded in real time by the standalone device with DTS surround sound technology and digitally outputted to the home entertainment system through one cable.
The DTS-610, Creative said, is the first standalone hardware product on the market to uses DTS Interactive, a special real time version of DTS which does the previously mentioned on the fly encoding.
“Media center PCs are quickly becoming a necessary part of home theater systems, because of their ability to store and playback all types of content, including CDs, MP3s, DVDs, and downloaded movies. However, their limitations in handling DRM-protected content have kept media center PCs from blending seamlessly with the other components,” said Steve Erickson, vice president of audio for Creative. “The Home Theater Connect DTS-610 removes these limitations and allows real-time DTS Interactive encoding of all audio content. DTS is widely regarded by audio aficionados to be the premium sound solution for home theaters, and we are excited to release the first product on the market with the new DTS Interactive encoding process.”
