You have a nice, big TV. You have a big DVD collection. Somehow, something is missing. It's time to stop experiencing your movies through those anemic TV speakers and enjoy sound that will match the great picture you have.

Step 1: You need an AV receiver. The AV receiver is going to be the brain of your home theater. All AV receivers currently being offered will support 7.1 channel sound. Unless your viewing room is 20' or longer, 5.1 channel is plenty for your space. Don't feel like you are giving up anything by not going with 7.1. All cable, satellite, DVD, Blu Ray and HD DVD soundtracks are 5.1.

Pioneer has shipped two new receivers in their Elite series that feature Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding.

Pioneer's two new recievers, the VSX-92TXH and VSX-94TXH, both sport 1080p24 capable HDMI 1.3a connections, with the VSX-92TXH having three inputs and the VSX-94TXH four. The VSX-92TXH's amp section claims 130 watts per each of it's seven channels, while the more expensive VSX-94TXH pumps out 140 watts. Both use the fourth generation of Pioneer's MCACC room tuning technology, and are THX Select2 certified. Suggested retail is $1300 for the VSX-92TXH and $1600 for the VSX-94TXH.

More specs on the original press release.

Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the day the first consumer compact disc was produced.

On August 17, 1982 production began on compact discs intended for delivery to consumers. The first cd produced? ABBA's The Visitors. The compact disc replaced vinyl records (some would argue that point) and cassette tapes. Initially derided as a "rich man's 8 track" (credit Steve Albini for that moniker), compact discs had become the dominant storage medium for audio content by the end of the eighties. Mp3 failed to replace the compact disc. SACD and DVD-Audio failed to gain a significant foothold in the marketplace, even though they offered superior sound. New audio storage mediums loom on the horizon, but it will take a while to convince people they need anything more than what the compact disc offers.

Here's to ten more years of the compact disc.

Danish loudspeaker maker Dynaudio is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a special edition loudspeaker, the Dynaudio Sapphire.

The Sapphire was unveiled this weekend at the 2007 Hong Kong High End Audio Visual Show. What we do know at this time is that it's a floorstanding, 3 way design that will sell in the $16,000.00 ballpark, and that it will be a limited release and not a new addition to the Dynaudio home range of products. The Sapphire will be available sometime this Fall.

Further details on the Sapphire are to be revealed September 1, according to Dynaudio.