Sony Audio Gets Connected

Sony announced a new range of home and portable audio devices today at the Sydney Home Show, including a DVD Walkman the size of a DVD case.The company also announced its new range of components and home-cinema-in-a-boxes would include HDMI connections, and auto-setup via Sony’s new Digital Cinema Auto Calibration (DCAC), with a calibrating microphone.
Sony’s new DVD Walkman, the DVE-7000S, is a compact portable DVD player which supports DiVX and MP3, has a battery life of three hours for video, and comes with a docking station. It will be available in June for $429.
Sony’s new home cinema range with DCAC setup includes receivers starting at $499 for the 100W x 5 STRDE400 and culminating in the 100W x 6 STRDG700 with HDMI switching for $899. The HTiB (home theatre in a box) range includes Sony’s unusual new 6.2 channel system, the HTDDW12, with dual subwoofers for $1199.
The NW003 (1GB) and NWE005 (2GB) are replacements for Sony’s ‘bean’ range, and come with an integrated USB connector, so can also double as a USB key. The players offer MP3, WMA and ATRAC support as well as FM radio. The next version of SonicStage due in late May – SonicStage CP – will also allow the player to support AAC support. The NW003 is $159, while the NWE005 is $199, and will be available in June 2006.
David Allen, Sony’s HiFi and DVD Product Manager, said the feature-rich new player should help the company make ground on competitors like Apple. “We hope to get back some of this exciting market with a player that’s nice and portable, and also aggressively priced.”
The company also unveiled the MZ-RH1MiniDisc player which is designed to appeal to users needing a digital recorder with professional features.  It features Linear PCM recording, and comes in a compact and sleek black case. It will be available in June.