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Denon is certainly one of the heavy hitters in the AV receiver market, and its full 2007 AV receiver line has now been announced. In general, you can expect Denon's receivers to be pricier than similarly equipped competitors, but in many cases, Denon is trying to justify the price premium with premium features. For example, all the receivers from the AVR-3808CI to the AVR-5308CI feature Denon's new graphical user interface, which replaces the old blocky-text look. Denon is also stressing networking functionality, which is available on the same receivers with the GUI and allows you to you play … Read more

Despite the steep price tag, we liked the Denon S-301 when it came out a couple of years ago, citing its iPod-friendliness and good sound. The company is now following up with a few more high-end home theaters in boxes (HTiBs), so we'll take you through the entire "S series" from the bottom up. For details on the tabletop radios, models S-32 and S-52, click here; the other three will be available in September 2007.

Models (MSRP)

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Logitech Harmony universal remotes not good enough for you? Home Theater Master doesn't quite match your AV receiver? You're in luck, because yesterday Denon announced a high-end universal remote with the same sort of PC programmability as those clickers. With the purchase of a special base station, Denon's remote can use radio frequency (RF) to control components through walls and around the house. Both ship in August 2007.

The RC-7000CI ($299 list) itself does seem a lot like the Home Theater master units (like the MX-800), with a monochrome LCD screen and device-centric design, as opposed to … Read more

If animatronic heads like the "WowWee Alive Elvis" freaked you out, we don't recommend reading on with this post. As if the turban-wearing mannequin in Big weren't bad enough, "Zultan"--an "animated speaking fortune teller"--brings carnival creepiness to an entirely new level.

The baritone-voiced Zultan's head, which bears a remarkable resemblance to Linda Blair's possessed noggin in The Exorcist when it wasn't doing 360-degree pirouettes, remains hidden behind a curtain until it detects sound or senses someone approaching. Then the fortune teller emerges from the shadows as its &… Read more

Denon's new feature-heavy tabletop units outshine every other tabletop unit we've seen. The S-32 and S-52 both include iPod docks for instant music playback, and feature wireless network streaming capabilities. In addition, the units have the ability to decode MP3, WMA, AAC, and WAV formats as well as FLAC-encoded files. The tabletops will even support the Rhapsody music service.

For even more performance, the top-of-the-line S-52 adds an HD radio tuner, a CD player (which can also read and play data CDs), satellite radio support, and a USB port--expanding the realm of connectivity options even further.

Both the … Read more

Denon hopes to attract consumers who want to add virtual surround sound to their flat-panel TVs, with the company's new DHT-FS3. The unit's piano-black finish is meant to seamlessly blend in with most setups.

Using "X-Space Surround" technology, the DHT-FS3 emulates the surround sound normally produced by a 5.1 system. The sound bar also comes with three digital inputs and one analog input in order to satisfy an assortment of additional devices. An included slimly designed subwoofer is provided to round out the overall surround experience.

The DHT-FS3 retails for $1200 and is available now.… Read more

At Denon's 2007 Line Show in Jersey City, NJ, we were introduced to two new networked docks that do more than just play your iPod. The ASD-3N and ASD-3W (same as the ASD-3N, with added wireless connectivity) allow you to play streaming data off your home network through any receiver or device that can take analog RCA audio.

Even more appealing, the docks ship with a newly implemented GUI that has the ability to display album art. This will make use of the S-video output on each of the docks--also allowing you to view videos stored on your iPod. … Read more

Not to be outdone by all the other manufacturers making a mint overcharging for Blu-ray players (PS3 notwithstanding), Denon announced its own Blu-ray player today for the ice-cool price of $1,999. The DVD-3800BDCI will be available this fall.

The at-least-$1,000 premium over current Blu-ray players gets you BD-ROM Profile 1 Version 1.1, which will enable, according to the press release, "simultaneous playback of a secondary audio and video track, which may be used for interactive audio and commentary and for picture-in-picture capability (respectively). Additional information (subtitles, audio streams, camera angles, trailers, games, etc.) can be … Read more

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Anewslady writes - My hard drive in my Toshiba laptop died. I would like to replace it, but don't know where to begin. I have the recovery disks from the original configuration. I'm sure it's not that hard. I've just never done it before. Can you help?"

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