New Yamaha ""Personal Receiver"" Treats Computer As Important Audio Source

Yamaha Electronics Corporation has introduced what it says is the worldís first audio receiver to consider the computer as an important audio source. Designated RF-U100, the new ""Personal Receiver"" ushers in a new product category by bringing high quality audio reproduction, surround sound technologies - such as DolbyÆ Digital and Yamaha's Digital Sound Field Processing - and traditional audio receiver functions to the computer via USE connection. The receiverís computer interface is simple and provided by a USE - Universal Serial Bus - cable, which allows it to bypass the sound card and stream digital audio directly from the computer, as well as support Plug-and-Play and hot plugging. Yamaha provides all the needed software. Rather than being a computer peripheral, the new RF-U100 receiver works in conjunction with a computer to realize the sound potential of Net-based music, computer games, and other more traditional audio sources. With Yamahaís new component, a computer user can listen to music from the Net with full fidelity and enjoy games from the Net as well as DVD- and CD-based computer games, and even movies, in surround via Virtual Dolby Digital and Yamaha's Near-Field Cinema DSP. Dolby Digital is the most sophisticated version of surround sound technology to come from Dolby Laboratories. Virtual Dolby Digital provides a credible version of this advanced sound technology for use with computers and other near-field situations using only two speakers. Yamaha has applied the same kind of ""virtual"" technology to its sophisticated Sound Field Processing programs which recreate actually sampled venues - such as concert halls, cathedrals, and jazz clubs - or acoustically ideal models of movie theatres and similar venues. The receiver is one of the most technically sophisticated and easiest to operate products ever offered by Yamaha. Using such perceptual tools as Head Related Transfer Function - HRTF - the new RF-U100 is said to create a realistic surround environment with only two speakers. The soundfield created by ""virtual"" surround technologies is optimized for computer users, since the position of the listener is known and the listening area is relatively narrow. In addition to the receiverís controls, the computer screen provides an easy-to-read display for control and operation of the receiver via a mouse. In addition to Virtual Dolby Digital, the RF-U100 provides six different DSP modes with user adjustable parameters for Effect, Initial Delay, and Room Size. Based on Yamahaís soundfield sampling over more than a decade, three proprietary DSP modes enhance Dolby ProLogicÆ and other full-surround technologies and include: Movie, to recreate the acoustics of a true movie theater; Live, which immerses the listener in a rich sea of sound; and Game, to add immediate impact and greater involvement to game play. Three additional DSP programs add performance venue realism to music. Hall, recreates a medium-sized concert hall; Jazz, is based on an actually sampled jazz club in New York; and Church, provides the spacious sonic ambience of a Gothic cathedral. All are based on Yamaha's on-site testing of various venues - and they all require, according to the company, just two speakers to deliver their impressive effect. While it is a unique component and designed specifically for use with a computer, the RP-U100 provides many features and functions familiar to audio enthusiasts. Four inputs provide source selection. ""PC"" will deliver the audio output of a personal computer connected either to the USE terminal or the signal output connected to the PC In terminals on the rear panel. In addition to the USE terminal, the receiver has PC inputs for analog, optical digital, and coaxial digital. ""AUX 1"" can accept either the digital or analog signal from an outboard audio component such as a CD or portable audio player. ""AUX 2"" accepts the analog output of a component, typically, a cassette deck or mini-disc player, and can output that signal via analog and optical digital terminals. The ""Tuner"" input button activates the RF-U100's on-board AM/FM Stereo radio section, which has a total of 208 presets possible. The presets are stored on the PCís hard drive and activated via software GUI. Stations can be grouped by category - Rock, Classical, Talk, etc. - or each group can be assigned to a family member. Each category can hold up to 8 stations, and the first five categories can be accessed from the receiver as well as from the computer. The Yamaha RF-U100 is USE compatible with Windows 98 installed PCs and will soon be available for Apple Macintosh computers. It carries a suggested retail price of $499. For information on Yamaha Electronics Corporation's products, visit its Web site: www.yamaha.com.