New Onkyo receivers upscale HD video to 4K
updated 12:30 pm EDT, Thu May 12, 2011
New Onkyo TX-NR809 receiver gets 4K upscaling
Home theater audio gear maker Onkyo has just introduced a replacement for its TX-NR808 receiver with the TX-NR809. The new model gets network compatibility, support 7.2 channels and is THX Select2 Plus Certified. Its highlight is Marvell's Qdeo video upscaling and processing circuits, enabling it to upscale 1080p videos to an almost unprecedented 4K (3840x2160) resolution for high-end projectors and future TVs.
IDT's HQV Vida tech, meanwhile, upscales lesser resolutions to 1080p. The company was quick to point out the new receiver has Imaging Science Foundation Video Calibration technology, which is a first for a product in its price range.
Onkyo also added front and rear USB ports for thumb drives and an optional wireless USB adapter. Digital audio files support is broad and includes MP3, WMA, WMA Lossless, FLAC, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, and AAC audio files.
The integrated amplifier distributes 135W per channel. TI Burr-Brown 192 kHz/24-bit DACs are used on each channel for efficient conversion to analog.
For suiting the receiver to a different room's acoustics, there is Audyssey's MultEQ XT room-correction technology. Audyssey Dynamic EQ provides loudness correction and Audyssey Dynamic Volume maintains consistent volumes and dynamic range.
The receiver gets one front HDMI input and seven in the rear. The full complement of connections can be seen in the photo below.
Onkyo's receiver is certified for for media sharing through Windows 7 and DLNA. The included remote control is the first in an Onkyo receiver to be bidirectional, preprogrammed, and customizable. It has four macro presets for starting various activities that include other home theater components.
The TX-NR809 ships this month and costs $1,099.
