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Yamaha Japan announces new digital sound projector for home theater systems

Serkan Toto — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:01:32 +0000

Yamaha Japan today announced the YSP-5100 [JP], a digital sound projector for your home theater. Sized at 1,200×90×212mm and weighing 11kg, Yamaha says the device is suitable for 50-inch TVs or video projectors. It supports 7.1 surround sound and is compatible with dts-HD, dts ES and Dolby TruHD/Digital Plus/Digital/ Digital EX/Pro Logic and Pro LogicⅡ/x.

The 120W（2W×40＋20W×2) projector sports five HDMI interfaces, an iPod port and an additional sub woofer connection.

It will be out at the end of this month in Japan (price: $2,280). The projector has both Japanese and English menus so we can expect it to hit international markets soon, too.

Yamaha’s new wireless iPod Dock

Jimin Brelsford — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:30:52 +0000

A new day, a new iPod dock hits the market. But unlike the rest, this one has something new to offer. The PDX-60 introduces a new form of wireless audio transmission from Yamaha, yAired. I imagine for those consumers who are too lazy to walk all the way across the room to their stereo, just to change the song.

You set up the dock unit wherever you like, and attach a small transmitter to your iPhone or iPod, and voila! You’re connected to those speakers like it’s nobody’s business! The big selling point behind yAired is that it uses Linear PCM encoding. So unlike Bluetooth, it doesn’t compress the audio stream before flying it through the air. So you get to hear your compressed MP3s uncompressed. Yay.

The woofer is only rated to 60 Hz, so don’t expect a booming bass response. It supports all flavors of iPod (Phone, nano, classic, etc.). It’ll charge, playback, even let you control them with the included remote. My stereo system is centered around my computer, so listening from my iPod is something I only do on the subway. But if you really want one, you can pick it up at your local consumer electronics retailer in any of four fantastic colors for $299.95.

Augmented Reality example at CEATEC

Scott Merrill — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:30:01 +0000

Augmented reality is all the new buzz, I guess. I don’t know, because I only have an iPhone 3G — mine’s missing that important “S” indicating it’s the new model on which augmented reality can actually execute. But at CEATEC today I saw some Sekai Camera examples in the real world.

Yamaha has support for air tags in their new disklavier. This means that you can play a song on your Yamaha disklavier and tag the whole thing. When you look at the area using Sekai Camera, you can see the tag for the song you recorded. Click it, and FingerPiano Share can execute to show you the fingering for that song, allowing you to practice it or play along on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

The demonstration I saw was really neat, and I think this is a really exciting new technology. It introduces a whole lot of wonderful new ways in which we can interact with our world over time (and hopefully paves the way toward the technology that Vernor Vinge posits in his novel Rainbows End). Unfortunately, my experience trying the live demo was less than stellar:

If air tagging really takes off, I can see augmented reality failing before it even starts, as locations get filled up with the augmented versions of “Kilroy was here” graffiti and countless iterations of Chopsticks.

Yamaha’s BODiBEAT player lets you jog to the music

Serkan Toto — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:40:07 +0000

In case you are an avid runner and don’t like to carry an iPod with you during your exercise, Yamaha Japan might have developed the right device for you. The so-called BODiBEAT (notice the small “i”) portable music player is specifically geared towards joggers.

Yamaha says the player tracks how fast you move and changes the pace and rhythm of the music stored in it accordingly (the tagline of the device is “Body. Music. In sync.” for a reason). It can show you for how long you have been running, how many kilometers you still need to run and how many calories you have burnt.

The problem is the size of the internal memory. 512MB is close to nothing. The battery life stands at 9 hours. Sized at 75.7×38×20.1mm, the BODiBEAT weighs 65g.

The device was first shown back in January and has now been announced by Yamaha for the Japanese market [JP]. It will go on sale in this country within this week and costs $300. Plans for overseas markets haven’t been announced yet.

If you are impatient and ready to deal with a Japanese device, contact specialized online stores Japan Trend Shop, Gizmine or Geek Stuff 4 U to get one for you.

Watch the video below for a quick demo.

Yamaha Japan rolls out another three electric bikes

Serkan Toto — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:37:42 +0000

It seems that electric bikes have gained significant momentum in the last few months on the market for “green” products, especially in Japan where Yamaha just announced a total of three new models [JP].

The company already offers a number of Japan-only electric bikes and is now to release the PAS Lithium S (pictured above), the PAS CITY-S and the PAS CITY-F on February 5.

All bikes will come with the same price tag: $1,200 and the differences between the different models are miniscule. For example, there will be slight differences in the colors the bikes are available in, sizes (versions from 24 to 27 inches are planned) and weight. All models are powered by a lithium-ion battery (25.2V / 4Ah).

With one charge, the assisted travel range can reach up to 39km when riding in standard mode, 21km in power mode and 67 km in auto-eco plus mode.

Yamaha Japan sells portable rooms to be set up in bigger rooms

Serkan Toto — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:15:12 +0000

It may sound bizarre at first but Yamaha’s portable rooms, dubbed myroomII [JP], do make sense. Yamaha says it’s the perfect product for all people wanting some alone time without having to move into apartments with more rooms.

In the product catalogue [JP, PDF], the company suggests watching movies, working on your PC, reading, studying, Karaoke, listening to music and playing instruments as the main examples for use. The room could be especially useful in Japan (where it’s available exclusively at this point), where apartment buildings with super-thin walls are not really rare.

The myroomII is made of dark wood, soundproof, air-conditioned, pretty heavy (340kg) and quite big (1385×1826×2065mm). One room costs $7,000.

Via Digital World Tokyo

Yamaha Japan presents new electric-hybrid bicycle (limited edition)

Serkan Toto — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:32:29 +0000

Yamaha started selling a lithium-ion battery-powered electric bike in Japan in August (Panasonic followed up with its Vivi RX 10-S soon thereafter) and now presents the PAS CITY-C [JP].

The new Yamaha bike, which was manufactured in cooperation with Tokyo-based design company Plus Minus Zero, bike will be Japan-only.

Yamaha claims the bike can reach an assisted travel range of up to 65km with a single battery charge (that takes around 2 hours). Aimed mainly at Japanese homemakers, the PAS CITY-C comes equipped with an extra-large shopping basket that can be attached above the front wheel.

The bicycle measures 590×1540×715～850mm and weighs 21.8kg. Yamaha says it’s limited to 20 units and will cost $2,000 (colors available: green and grey). It can be pre-ordered in Nippon starting November 28 and will be delivered to buyers at the beginning of next year.

I am just wondering why no Japanese company seems to plan to export electric bikes to foreign markets.

Integra rolls out the surprisingly affordable DBS-6.9 Blu-ray player

Matt Burns — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:35:40 +0000

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.

CEDIAcrunch: live pics of the $1,199 Profile 1.1 Yamaha Blu-ray player

Matt Burns — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:50:13 +0000

I don’t get it. A ‘new’ $1,199 Blu-ray player that doesn’t support the latest Blu-ray standard. The player leaked out a few weeks ago, so there really isn’t anything here but some gadget pr0n. It might look nice, but without BD Live, who in their right mind will buy it?

Yamaha BD2900 Blu-ray player leaked

Matt Burns — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:51:41 +0000

CEDIA is right around the corner, so AV heads can count on a slew of new high-def gear dropping and Yamaha isn’t disappointing. Word is that their latest Blu-ray player — the BD2900 — should drop in November, packed to the chassis full of goodies. 1080p/24fps-compatible HDMI, 12-bit Deep Colour, BONUSVIEW, and other standard fair for high-end equipment. In fact, there might not be anything that Yamaha left out of this $1,199 puppy. The unit might just become a reference player for some, but then again, CEDIA is sure to be full of other uber-high players. After all, the event does house $110K Runco projectors and 10-foot tall CAT speakers.

via EngadgetHD

Light speakers from Yamaha

Serkan Toto — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:00:03 +0000

Yamaha collaborated with lighting company Koizumi to release the YST001 [JP], a set of speakers with built-in lighting. Koizumi developed 3 Halogen lights (with 25W power each), the brightness of which can be adjusted via a remote control.

The speakers are 47 inches high and come in black. They feature a frequency response of 70Hz-35,000Hz, an impedance of 6Ω and a maximum output of 120W.

The companies say they wanted to cross sound and light with the YST001 (”Koizumi-Yamaha Versus Project”). Placed next to a TV set, the light coming from the speakers is supposed to “soften” the TV picture during night time.

The light speaker set is already available in Japan and costs $1,240.

Bodibeat lets you rock out in time to your necrotic heart

John Biggs — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:02:35 +0000

I’m kind of weaning myself off of music while I run. It lets me concentrate a bit more on, say, finishing a race in less than 6 hours. However, the Bodibeat by Yamaha might be just what the doctor ordered. It is a music player that senses your current heart rate and changes the music depending on your effort level. Strolling casually away from a murder scene? NIN. Running from creditors? Black Sabbath. Sleeping? Maybe whale song.

I doubt Yamaha will be able to sell this thing but it’s interesting to see them move into the music player market, however small a share of said market they currently own. Who knows? Maybe I’ll pick one up and, given my current state of health, rock out to “The Chicken Dance” while walking to to the fridge. It should be available in the next few months.

Product Page [Warning: Horrible Flash Ahead]

THX’s Loudness Plus, Yamaha’s RX-Z11 Receiver Make Listening In Quiet Environments Easier

Nicholas Deleon — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:05:59 +0000

THX Loudness Plus, an audio technology to be built into various AV receivers, including Yamaha’s upcoming RX-Z11 (more on that later), should help those of you who have to watch TV and movies *extra quiet* for whatever reason: baby in the next room, having a fight with the wife… The technology boosts bass, surround and ambient sounds so that you don’t have to turn the volume up of your entire rig. In other words, you’ll get surround sound, but without having to violate local noise ordinances.

Speaking of that Yamaha…

Yamaha’s latest receiver goes to 11. That is, it has 11.2 channels of sounds, a number I can’t even wrap my head around. I remember when 5.1 made you the Man. It supports just about every AV format out there, with a special focus on HD—both audio and video, though calling audio “HD” is still a little strange to me—including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. A rear USB port allows for connection to various DAPs.

It’s really kinda silly to try to talk about all of its features in a quick blog post. Let me put it this way: if you can imagine the technology, it’s probably compatible with the RX-Z11. It better be, what with its $5,500 price tag.

THX Loudness Plus Delivers Reference-Level Sounds at Lower Volumes [Electronic House]

Holidays 2006: The Season’s Best Home-Theater-In-A-Box Systems

Josh Goldman — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 20:14:41 +0000

With all the talk about screen resolutions on HDTV sets, people tend to forget about the other important part of the high-def experience: 5.1-channel surround sound. So if you’ve got yourself a sweet plasma, LCD, projector, or rear-projection HDTV and you’re rocking the built-in speakers (though we know there are some good ones out there) you’re doing you and your loved ones a serious disservice by using them.

To help you out, ‘cause that’s how we do, we put together this run down of eight of our favorite home-theater-in-a-box systems (HTIB, pronounced “HTIB”). Are they as good as buying individual components to handle your media needs? No, probably not. True audiophiles and film freaks will probably want to go with individual specialized components, especially if you’re trying to fill a large room with mind-blowing, bone-rattling sound. Will they pump out satisfying surround sound for the average music-and-movie enthusiast? Absolutely.

To make things easier, we broke them down by a single, unique feature—be it price point, looks, size, or connections/options. They’ll all provide good sound for movies and music, but as always, some perform better than others. Also, we didn’t load this feature up with products that are so new you won’t be able to find a deal on them come next week when Black Friday rolls around.

The well-rounded one: Yamaha YHT-670
There always has to be that one system that does a little bit of everything at a decent price with no sacrifices in quality and sound. The Yamaha YHT-670 is it. The package includes a 5.1-channel speaker setup, but the receiver can handle an additional rear, center-channel speaker for 660 watts of 6.1 surround sound.

Along with having plenty of I/O options, though HDMI is unfortunately absent, the receiver is XM Ready and there’s an iPod dock available for a direct connection to your MP3 collection. Oh, and you get a five-disc DVD changer as well that’s compatible with DVD video, VCD, SVCD, Picture CD, Audio CD, MP3, JPEG, and WMA discs. $599 yamaha.com

The budget one: Panasonic SC-HT940
A home theater system for less than $500 that’s actually worth buying? Yep, and a quick Internet search will net you one for as low as $350. The SC-HT940 features two wall-mountable tall-boy speakers, a center-channel, a subwoofer with a 6.75-inch speaker, and two rear satellites that can be connected wirelessly with Panasonic’s $100 SH-FX60 wireless radio receiver.

The five-disc DVD player/receiver combo is light on inputs and outputs, but does have an HDMI out that supports upconversion of 480p content to 1080i/720p. And while you shouldn’t expect super sound quality at this price, this set shouldn’t disappoint the average listener. $449 panasonic.com

The high-end one: Onkyo HT-S990THX
If you’re looking for the best sound, stop here. The speakers are bigger than most satellites you’ll find in HTIB sets, but if you don’t care, neither do we. You don’t get a DVD player, but that just means Onkyo put the money towards better things.

For instance the 7.1-channel speakers and full THX processing capabilities (THX Cinema2, THX Music Mode, THX Games Mode). And while other receivers might not have the punch to support four surrounds, rear and front center channels, and a 12-inch cone subwoofer, this one does. Even at high volumes.

Connections are plentiful, but sadly HDMI is nowhere to be found. It is XM ready however, and can be used with an optional iPod dock. $1,099 onkyousa.com

The next-gen one: Samsung HT-TQ85
Samsung’s got a real winner with the HT-TQ85: Lots of features (XM ready, five-disc DVD changer, USB port for connecting an MP3 player), good looks, and, as far as we know, the only HTIB with HDMI output and input.

The HDMI output allows the DVD player to upscale standard DVDs to 1080i/720p and supports all manner of discs including DVD-Audio and DivX discs. The input means you can connect your PS3 or high-def cable box directly to the unit for single-cord throughput of video and audio. $699 samsung.com

The single-speaker one: SoundMatters FULLstageHD
There is a handful of good, single-speaker, virtual 5.1 surround sound units on the market, but SoundMatters’ is one of the smallest. The set combines the company’s MAINstage speaker/amplifier combined with its low-profile SUBstage 100 subwoofer.

It has two digital inputs (coaxial and optical), one analog stereo input, and one 3.5mm input jack for connecting an MP3 player or other audio device. The virtual surround works remarkably well, especially in a small room where the sound can accurately bounce off walls. But if you decide you want to add more of an actual surround sound, you can connect another MAINstage and SUBstage. $599 soundmatters.com

The tiny-but-full-featured one: Denon S-301
If you’re really tight on space and looking for a solid, if expensive, solution to most every media need, the Denon S-301 is what you want. The compact DVD player/receiver is combined with a sweet-sounding set of stereo speakers and a 7-inch subwoofer. You won’t get full surround sound, but it does a convincing job of creating virtual surround.

You can output video and audio via HDMI and the player will upconvert to HD resolutions. There is a nice selection of other I/O ports, including a USB connector for digital audio players and when used with an iPod, you can view your collection on screen, and control it with the included remote. $1,399 usa.denon.com

The sexy one: Philips HTS9800W/37
A setup that’ll make people ohh and ahh when they walk in the room, the Philips HTS9800W/37 combines unique design, a good feature set, and 6.1-channel Dolby Digital EX sound.

The speakers are wall-mountable and the rear speakers are wireless, so there’s fewer cables running across the room. You’ll find many of the same features as the other systems here (HDMI out with 1080i upscaling, support for multiple disc types including SACD), but they’re packed into a slim, streamlined component that can also be mounted to a wall. $799 usa.philips.com

The wireless one: Sony DAV-FX900W
Yes, we know there are other sets here with wireless rear speakers, but the Sony DAV-FX900W is the only one that doesn’t use radio signals to handle the task. Radio signals can pick up interference and potentially suffer from audio degradation. Not so with Sony’s Digital Infrared Audio Transmission (DIAT) technology.

DIAT uses infrared, and although the speakers rely on line-of-sight to work, signal integrity of HDTV and SACD audio remains intact. This HTIB doesn’t skimp in other areas either, and looks pretty great to boot. $899 sonystyle.com

Yamaha Miburi Wearable Instrument

Vince Veneziani — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 18:21:10 +0000

So yesterday we told you about that crazy wearable air guitar, right? Turns out the Aussies copied the Japanese (isn’t that always the case?) version of the same shit from the 1990s. Dubbed “Miburi” and released by Yamaha in the 1990s, this wearable instrument allows for 1980s-style outlandish and synthesized performance. Just check out the video of some chicks and dudes playing a virtual drum kit by moving their body around. Very hot stuff. Same concept, sort of different implementation.

Yamaha’s Fuel Cell Scooter Ready To Roll

Matt Hickey — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 23:44:32 +0000

Yamaha is set to debut a new pseudo-125cc fuel cell-powered scooter at this week’s International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exposition in Yokohama. The scooter has a secondary Lithium Ion battery that charges from the main Hydrogen fuel cell.

If Yamaha puts the little bike into production, it would be the first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle on the planet. Currently, Fuel Cell technology is not efficient enough for full-sized automobiles, but by proving the technology can work at a slightly smaller scale, that could change.

Now all we need is some Hydrogen-powered motorcycles for some full on Nerdrophenia Tom-Foolery, with soundtrack courtesy of The Who.

Yamaha Motor Develops Fuel Cell Scooter [Tech On]

Yamaha YSP-1100

Raj Patel — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 20:30:10 +0000

The Yamaha YSP-1100 is a great looking system that features 40 individually-amped 1-inch drivers that simulate a surround sound experience. The unit supports Dolby and DTS formats for maximum versatility. It seems to offer all the goods without the the trouble of cables, speaker mounting or clutter in our living room.

Another great feature of the Yamaha YSP-1100 is its Night Listening Enhancer mode, which allows quiet sounds (especially dialogue) to be heard crystal clear without the volume. And just in case you were wondering if this thing can project surround sound anywhere int the room, check this out:

There are five selectable sound settings that allow users to choose between 5-Beam Mode, Stereo Mode, 3-Beam Mode, Stereo+3-Beam Mode and My Beam Mode. The YSP-1100 has a wider soundstage than its predecessors, affording more optimum listening positions within a room. My Beam mode allows users to focus sound to a specific position in their room at the touch of a button to avoid disturbing others.

The Yamaha YSP-1100 is a sexy and load, but kinda pricey–she’ll be on the shelves for $1700. I guess it’s not too bad if you think of what the product features.

Yamaha YSP-1100 [gizmodo]