Keith Hass, Director of Sales for Onkyo,

“We have worked diligently to position the brand where the product’s performance, capabilities, feature set and uncompromising build quality can be effectively and professionally demonstrated.

“The establishment of the relationship and placement of the product with Magnolia Home Theater is the culmination of these efforts.”

Expect to see Onkyo products, and hopefully some Integra items as well, later this year.

Looking for a $600 Blu-ray player? I sure hope not, but if you are then Integra’s DBS-6.9 is now shipping. It dishes up 1080p video at 24fps, an HDMI v1.3 output, supports Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and has a front-panel SD slot, which enables Bonus View PIP.

The latest receivers from Intergra are now available, and wow are they spiffy. Both the DTR-7.9 and the DTR-6.9 sport the heralded THX Loudness Plus certification with the former earning the Ultra2 Plus cert. as well and the later the Select2Plus certification too. The big boy is equiped with five HDMI 1.3a – little guy gets four – and will upscale component video to 1080p through the Faroudja DCDi Cinema chip. The $1,300 DTR-7.9 rocks out at 130 watts-per-channel while the $1,000 6.9 pumps out 100 per channel. Not bad prices for a fully custom installable THX receivers and they are both available now.

UPPER SADDLE RIVER, NJ (9/18/08) — Integra, the first company to build audio-video receivers designed specifically for custom installers, has announced that it is now shipping two new receivers engineered to meet demanding technical requirements of THX’s new Ultra2 Plus and Select2 Plus certification standards. Both have 1080p video upscaling and advanced two-zone capabilities.

The Integra DTR-7.9 is THX Ultra2 Plus certified for large-room applications with a powerful 130 watts-per-channel amplifier, five HDMI inputs, and upscaling for component video inputs. The Integra DTR-6.9 is THX Select2 Plus certified with 100 watts per channel and four HDMI inputs. Both include the new THX Loudness Plus processing which improves the listener’s aural experience at moderate and low volume levels. 

These receivers use Audyssey’s highly regarded MultEQ room correction technology to automatically set optimal speaker levels and time delay for any given room. They also add Audyssey’s new Dynamic EQ circuitry, which corrects the surround channel equalization and level relative to volume levels.

As the audio and video control centers for advanced home theater installations, these receivers are fully compatible with HDMI v. 1.3a, including 1080p and Deep Color™ 36-bit video signals. They include Faroudja DCDi Cinema HDMI upscaling to 1080p, and the DTR-7.9 also includes component video upscaling to 1080i. Both receivers feature onboard decoding for the Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio lossless audio formats specified for Blu-Ray disc formats.

Like all Integra products, the DTR-7.9 and DTR-6.9 include comprehensive packages of features specifically tailored to the needs of custom installers, including Ethernet ports for integration with Network-based control systems such as E-Control™ and AMX Device Discovery™. These two-zone receivers also include bi-directional RS-232, RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) system control integration over HDMI, programmable 12-volt triggers, dual IR inputs, and three unique assignable IR code sets. The back channels can be reconfigured for powered Zone 2 or front-channel bi-amping for large speakers. Because these receivers will frequently be set up by professional installers, the customized dealer settings can be independently stored for easy recall.

The Integra DTR-7.9 and DTR-6.9 are both now available with manufacturer’s suggested retail prices of $1,300 and $1,000 respectively.

Integra designs and manufactures premium Home Theater receivers, processors, amplifiers, and DVD players that are specifically designed to meet the needs of custom audio/video systems installers. Systems integration and convergence technology protocols include RS-232, IR and on-board Ethernet for network connectivity and TCP/IP control. Integra has access to vast technical resources, and bears a proud heritage of 60 years of audio engineering excellence. For more information about Integra and its many fine products, visit www.integrahometheater.com or call 800 225-1946.

Integra tends to put out very nice, abet pricey AV equipment, so the CE companies first Blu-ray players low price surprised the CEDIA out of me. According to one of their product minions, the DBS-6.9 is going to hit all Integra distribution channels for $599. Expect the normal Blu-ray tech of HDMI 1.3a output, bitstream compatibility, and unfortunately Profile 1.1. Sorry, no BD Live here, but it’s only 600 bones, unlike Yamaha’s $1,199 overpriced monster. Available shortly.

More pics after the jump.