Kenwood Debuts First Network-Ready Home Theater System;

Seven Speaker, 6.1-Channel System, With Progressive Scan DVD Player, Plays Streaming A/V Media and Still Photo Files

Breaking down technology barriers that have prevented home PCs and game platforms from working with everyday home entertainment systems, Kenwood today introduced its first 6.1-channel home theater system featuring an audio/video receiver equipped with an Ethernet connection, PCMCIA card slot, and special features for video gamers.

The new NHT-815DV includes front-panel game system inputs, Dual-Source/Single-Zone audio, and Dolby Headphone for simulating 5.1 channel surround sound in standard stereo headphones. A separate, single-disc progressive scan DVD player with MP3/WMA audio, DVD video, and JPEG photo CD playback is also included.
The new Kenwood NHT-815DV is the first network-ready “home theater in a box” system from Kenwood. The sleek new Kenwood Fineline receiver has an Ethernet connection that allows it to stream audio and video media files in real time from a PC via a wired network. The types of audio and video files that can be streamed include MP3, WMA, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, MPEG1, MPEG2, and XviD. The receiver will also display still images that are stored on a PC (in JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP formats) or on flash memory cards inserted in its PCMCIA card slot.

“This home theater system is designed to work smoothly with the digital media people are already enjoying around the house, while offering audio performance that simply isn’t available from a computer” said Dan Petersen, Executive Vice President of Kenwood’s Consumer Electronics Sector. “With the Kenwood Fineline series, Kenwood continues to develop products that offer cutting edge technology, are visually distinctive, and fulfill our goal of being ‘Future Ready/Already’.”

Beneath a high-styled, low-profile appearance, the NHT-815DV has plenty of power to provide great performance. Pumping-out 780 watts of total power from a new advanced digital amplifier that delivers efficient, stable high-power performance with minimal heat generation, the system comes equipped with cutting-edge features such as 6.1-channel decoding by Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES and 7.1 channel decoding by new Dolby Pro Logic IIx. The receiver uses a large bright four-line fluorescent display for easy readability. The system includes receiver, single-disc DVD player, seven slim-design Kenwood speakers (including tower front left & right speakers and a 100-watt powered subwoofer), color-coded speaker cables, and easy-to-follow instructions.

New Audio Features for Video Gaming and DSP
The receiver is versatile, with easy-access game system inputs on the front panel and a dual-source listening mode that allows someone on headphones to listen to one source — a video game for example — at the same time others listen to music over the system’s speakers. Audio processing is handled by an ADI SHARC 32-bit Floating Point DSP, which provides high-resolution processing of both high level and low level audio signals. The full-featured single-disc DVD player can handle the latest formats, including DVD-R/-RW/+R/+RW, as well as JPEG photo CDs. In addition it plays conventional CDs and CD-R/RWs and decodes MP3/WMA music files recorded on CD-R/RW discs.

New Dolby Headphone Technology
The NHT-815DV incorporates new Dolby Headphone technology, which simulates a 5-channel surround sound environment to someone wearing any type of ordinary stereo headphones. With Dolby Headphone, listeners sense that, rather than the sound coming from inside one’s head (a common complaint of headphone users), they hear sound around and outside themselves. Dolby Headphone is recommended for gaming, movies, and music.

Seven speakers, including six new slim-design speakers and a 100-watt 6.5-inch powered subwoofer, are provided. The front left and right channel tower speakers use four 2¾-inch woofers and ¾-inch tweeter, while the center and three surround channel speakers use dual 2¾-inch woofers and a ¾-inch tweeter

All components and speakers are finished in a metallic silver, matching the styling of most TV monitors, including the increasingly popular flat panel video displays.

Pricing and Availability
The NHT-815DV is available in June at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,200.00.