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Solar-powered 'guiltless green' home theater system makes your Wall-E Blu-ray very happy

When Home Theater Specialists of America (HTSA) executive director Richard Glikes wanted a home theater system, he didn't just max it out with the best high definition equipment. He also thought to run it entirely from solar energy from four roof-mounted panels that produce an aggregate of 700 watts per hour in sunlight. It'll reportedly run things for 19 hours straight without having to dip into your traditional power grid. Hardware-wise, we're talking about a 100-inch screen, Sharp projector, six SpeakerCraft in-wall speakers, Integra AV receiver, Lutron lighting, and a universal remote. See how it was made, with the help of time-lapse photography and 1980s infomercial-genre background music, in the video after the break.

Integra ships $600 DBS-6.9 Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player


It's quite curious that Integra chose to showcase its DBS-6.9 Blu-ray player at CEDIA prior to making any official announcement, but those looking for the formal verbiage can finally put their mind at ease. A year after introducing its first HD DVD player, the company is proudly rolling out its first BD deck, which offers up 1080p24 video, bitstream output of the latest high-resolution audio codecs, an HDMI 1.3a output, front panel SD card slot, BonusView support (read: Profile 1.1) and compatibility with DivX / MP3 discs as well. Sure, it's entirely overpriced at $600, but if you bet good money on Seth Petruzelli over the weekend, what's it to you?

Integra quietly launches DBS-6.9 Blu-ray player at CEDIA: hands-on


If you'll recall, Integra surprised at last year's CEDIA by trotting out its DHS-8.8 HD DVD player; this year, the company has quietly (silently, in fact) released its plainly styled DBS-6.9 Blu-ray deck. While the design may not suit your fancy, it's far from being the ugliest BD player at the Expo, and reportedly, the Profile 1.1 unit will retail for a buck under $600 whenever it decides to ship. We can already tell you're uninterested based on the price alone, but feel free to peruse the gallery if you're hungry for pics.

Integra unveils DTR-7.9 AV receiver, upgrades DTR-6.9


Integra's doing more than just adding ISF calibration into its receivers this year, it's also dishing out an all new unit and upgrading one of its more popular choices. The DTR-7.9 is a 7.1-channel AVR boasting 130-watts per channel, THX Ultra2 Plus certification, a Faroudja DCDi chip for 1080p upscaling over HDMI (or 1080i over component) and five HDMI 1.3a ports. On a related note, the DTR-6.9 has been upgraded to carry THX Select2 Plus certification along with 1080p Faroudja DCDi upscaling, "on board decoding for lossless and HD audio formats, multizone / multisource capabilities, and Integra's signature systems integration and control features." Hit up the read link for the laundry list of specifications (trust us, we've only brushed over the surface here), and expect to find the DTR-7.9 at local resellers soon for $1,300.

Read - Integra DTR-7.9
Read - Upgraded Integra DTR-6.9

Integra rolls ISF calibration into top-end AV receivers, preamp-processor

Integra DHC-9.9 preamp-processor
Here's an idea that makes sense -- since AV receivers do the video switching and format conversion, why not put the image calibration in there, too? Integra is doing exactly that with its DTR-8.9 ($1,900) and DTR-9.9 ($2,600) receivers, as well as the DHC-9.9 ($2,000) preamp-processor. Better yet, this functionality will conform to ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) protocols so all you pixel-peepers can sleep easy. This makes it possible to calibrate your video sources independently, so you're not limited by the number of inputs you have on your display device. The only problem we see with this is that your ISF tech has to shoulder the extra work of setting up more calibrations.

Integra's DTR-6.9 AV receiver carries THX Select2 Plus badge, $1k price

Integra DTR-6.9 AV receiver
Besting its DTR-5.9 sibling, the new DTR-6.9 AV receiver from Integra has earned itself the THX Select2 Plus certification. In fact, it's the first Integra model to meet that spec, which among other things means that the DTR-6.9 packs THX Loudness Plus wizardry for those of us who value our hearing and don't listen at reference levels all the time. As you'd expect from the Onkyo roots, the feature set is solid: 7x100-Watts, four HDMI 1.3a inputs, Faroudja scaling, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA and Audyssey MultiEQ. And because it's an Integra, you also know that custom installers get some niceties as well: multizone audio that can tap into a pair of the 7-channel amplifier section, 12-volt triggers and remote control via ethernet, RS-232 and HDMI. All in all, a nice tidy package for $1,000.

Onkyo reveals Integra DHC-9.9 AV receiver


It has been quite awhile since Onkyo's Integra branch delivered any new wares, but with IFA and CEDIA both just around the bend, it follows logic to see some fresh faces begin to emerge. What you're peering at above is the DHC-9.9, a potent AV receiver with 7.1-channel Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD Master Audio support, HDMI 1.3a ports, an HQV processor, Ethernet jack, IR extender port and an RS-232 control socket. No telling when it'll head stateside, but those in Japan can add one to their home theater for ¥231,000 ($2,164).

[Via ElectronicsInfoOnline, thanks Mike]

Integra introduces DTR-5.9 A/V receiver


It seems like just yesterday that we were looking longingly at the DTR-5.8, and lo and behold, Integra has already dished out the DTR-5.9 to take its place. Apparently the unit is being aimed squarely at custom installers, but who's to say you can't snatch one up and do a little "installing" yourself? The mid-range unit packs the same HDMI 1.3a repeaters and high resolution audio processing as the DTR-5.8, but there's two more HDMI inputs, 1080i upscaling over HDMI and Audyssey's new Dynamic EQ loudness compensation technology added in on this bugger. If you're curious about power, you'll find seven-channels piping out 90-watts per into 8-ohms or 110-watts per into 6-ohms. Check it out right now for around $800.

[Via eCoustics]

Hands-on with Integra's DHS-8.8 HD DVD player


Just yesterday we learned that Integra would be busting out its first HD DVD player ever, and merely hours later, we were able to go one-on-one with the relatively expensive device. Quite frankly, the DHS-8.8 is one fine looking piece, and the specs aren't anything to sneeze at either. Unfortunately, the unit wasn't even hooked up to a TV for us to check it out in action, but we were able to glean a few interesting details from an on-site representative. Turns out, Integra could be ditching prior plans to unveil a similar player for the Blu-ray crowd, and as you can probably guess, it's all because of devices such as LG's BH200 and Samsung's BD-UP5000. Apparently, Integra is now reevaluating its options and may consider launching a hybrid player next rather than one that only plays nice with Blu-ray -- and hey, that would be a-okay with us.

Integra unveils first HD DVD player: the $1099 DHS-8.8

Just before the wheels of CEDIA really get rolling here in Denver, it looks as though we'll have one more contestant in the standalone HD DVD player market: Integra. The firm has announced its first HD DVD player, dubbed the DHS-8.8, and judging by the specs, it's no slacker. This unit touts HDMI 1.3a compatibility, obligatory support for all the lossless audio formats, 1080p24 playback, onboard Reon VX HQV video processing, DVD upscaling to 720p / 1080i / 1080p, and component outputs to boot. Furthermore, you'll find "Wolfson and Burr-Brown 192 kHz/24-bit audio DACs for conversion of audio sources for analog output," and the built-in Ethernet port allows buyers to take advantage of any web-based extras that they may encounter. Notably, this bad boy rings up a full Benjamin higher than the couple of hybrid players we heard about yesterday, and is slated to hit the market in Q4 for $1,099.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Integra's DTR-5.8 receiver does HDMI 1.3a, XM / Sirius


If you've been scouting a leading-edge AV receiver with just about every amenity out there (including HDMI 1.3a), Integra's latest offering is likely to fit the bill. The DTR-5.8 sports a standard black enclosure, twin HDMI 1.3a inputs (and one output), built-in decoding for DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby TrueHD, and Dolby Digital Plus lossless, and a Faroudja DCDi chip for de-interlacing 480i signals. Home automaters will adore the range of control options, including a bi-directional RS-232 port, RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) system, three programmable 12-volt triggers, dual IR inputs, and three unique assignable IR code sets. This two-zone, 7.1-channel unit even boasts a 90-watt-per-channel amplifier and XM / Sirius compatibility, but you're looking at a stiff $800 if these luxuries just can't be done without. Click on for a shot of the rear.

Integra's NVS-7.7 Media Center PC


Integra has a nice looking media center PC with the custom install market in mind that just hit the streets. The NVS-7.7 (classy name) is built off of the same stuff the Onkyo HDC-7 is such as Intel's ViiV, a 400 gig hard drive, DVI output, ATSC/NTSC tuners, and a DVD/CD burner. The Integra has to top the Onkyo somehow though and it does thanks to high-end Wolfson DACs and Integra's Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry. The goal of this media center was to improve the user interaction and reliability with the idea to reduce the amount of service that has to be done on the device. It does have RS 232 for integration into the users whole-house system. The system is currently available with a hefty price of $2999.




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