Big Picture Big Sound

New components maximize performance of current home theater standards while supporting future technologies

At CEDIA Expo in Denver last month, electronics manufacturer Integra introduced several new home theater components designed to get the most out of current home theater technologies, while allowing for the inevitable upgrades as new technologies emerge and mature. Their new products include a home theater receiver with HDMI switching and analog video upscaling, a universal disc player that spins DVDs, SACD and DVD-Audio discs, a multi-zone integrated amplifier and a universal tuner module that supports AM, FM, XM Satellite Radio and HD Radio.

The DTR 7.7 Home Theater Receiver ($1200, October) offers 105 Watts/Channel (seven channels driven) and THX Select 2 certification. Inputs include two HDMI (1080p-compatible), three component video, five s-video and five composite video inputs, with upconversion of all analog sources to HDMI. With upconversion and HDMI passthrough, you'll only need one HDMI cable between receiver and display, which should help eliminate cable clutter.


In order to maintain compatibility with the newest generation of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Disc players (as well as other technologies yet to be seen), the receiver also includes a 7.1 channel external analog audio input, with defeatable bass management in case you'd like to do bass management in your player. In addition to its AM/FM radio tuner, the DTR-7.7 is also XM Ready via support for XM's Passport portable tuner and home dock system. The receiver also features control and switching for a second independent zone. If you configure the receiver for 5.1, rather than 7.1-channel output in the main zone, then you can even use the extra two amplifier channels to power your second zone system.

And if two zones aren't enough for you, then have a look at Integra's MZA-4.7 ($1500, October) - a multi-source, multi-zone amplifier which controls and powers the audio portion of up to 4 independent zones or rooms. You can even daisy-chain several of the units together for up to 32 zones of powered control. The unit can be configured and controlled via a PC, optional keypads, or using the front panel LCD display.


To fill these zones with music, consider Integra's TUN-3.7 multi-platform tuner ($250), a modular tuner system that supports multiple, independently controlled tuner modules, ideal for multi-zone applications. Initial tuner modules available include an AM/FM only tuner module for $100, and an AM/FM/XM/HD Radio module for $300.


For music and movie playback duties, Integra is sitting out the first volleys of the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD battle, concentrating instead on releasing a high quality traditional DVD player, the DPS-6.7 ($500, October). The player features an internal scaler that upconverts standard 480p DVD material to 720p or 1080i, output via HDMI. Integra refers to it as a "universal" disc player because it supports CD, DVD, DVD-Audio and SACD discs. In addition to its HDMI video output, the player includes both RCA and BNC component video outputs, as well as two sets of S-video and composite video outputs for concurrent connections to multiple devices and compatibility with virtually any home theater display.


Integra also showed a six-disc carousel-style DVD/CD player, the DPC-7.7 ($500, October), which includes the same HDMI upconversion as the DPS-6.7, but no support for DVD-Audio or SACD.

In all, Integra offered a fairly comprehensive of line-up of products that's sure to please custom installers, and their customers, now and in the future.