Sony slims component HTIB system
The Sony HT-SS360 is a mainstream component-based home-theater system with a slim design.
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
When seemingly every home theater system is shrinking its number of speakers or doing away with rear speakers altogether, full component systems like the Sony HT-SS360 are getting ever more rare. But full in terms of speaker complement doesn't have to mean bulky.
With all all six speakers--slim center, left front, right front, surround right, surround left, and subwoofer--joining a central AV receiver, the HT-SS360 is aimed squarely at the mainstream, selling for $350 when it hits shelves in May. Styling is reminiscent of the company's BDP-S360 and BDP-S560 Blu-ray players, also announced at the show. The slim A/V receiver is a nice departure from the fatter units in current Sony component HTIBs like the
The new HT-SS360, rated at 1,000 total watts, can handle the video capabilities of Blu-ray players since its three HDMI inputs are compatible with both 1080p/60 and 1080p/24 sources. Its audio is limited to LPCM for Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master soundtracks, so your BD player must decode those high-resolution formats itself if you want to hear them via the system.
Sony also throws in a calibration routine, a nice touch on an HTIB at this level, as well as a DM port, which allows you to connect one of four proprietary accessories, which range in price from $80 to $200: the