Yamaha has developed the YSP-500, one of an increasing number of speaker bars designed to simulate surround-sound without occupying the space of a 5.1 system. While the 500 does not come with a subwoofer, it has two 15W main channels, and a sizable 16 2W microchannels, these meant to bounce sound around a room for a proper dimensional effect. Supported codecs include Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS and DTS Neo:6. To produce ideal sound, owners must calibrate the bar using the automatic IntelliBeam feature; reports suggest however that this works best in an uncluttered room. The 500 should ship to Japan later this month for 75,000 yen ($642). [via Technabob]