Sony launches virtual surround home theater

Sony's European division today announced the DAV-X10, a compact home receiver for budget home theaters or those with tight spaces. An internally developed virtual surround technique known as S-Force PRO generates the immersive audio effect while using only two satellite speakers and a central subwoofer, producing a combined 480W of power. HDMI routing ensures that the device can both accept surround sound built into HD sources and upscale video from lower-resolution DVD and TV sources up to either 720p or 1080i. Owners of Sony's Bravia TV sets can also use the HDMI linkup to control the receiver through their main remote control.

The system is also unintrusive, Sony boasts; features are controlled through stealthed touch-sensitive buttons on the main body, and a Bluetooth adapter will discreetly stream audio from a cellphone or a PC. A price for the X10 was left out of Sony's unveiling, but the complete system should be available in Europe in September. Releases in North America and other territories are probable but not confirmed.