New Products

RCAAdding video recording to RCA's Lyra series of portable audio players, the 13-ounce Lyra RD2780 wants to be your all-in-one A/V portable hard disk. The 20 GB of built-in memory can hold about 80 hours of video recorded in MPEG-4 format, watchable on the 3 1/2-inch LCD screen or on an external TV through the composite-video output. The Lyra also plays MP3 and WMA files and can display JPEG photos, too. Transfers of digital media are lightning fast through the USB 2.0 port or the CompactFlash card slot. Dimensions are 5 1/4 x 3 1/8 x 1 inch. Music-management software, an AC adapter, cables, earphones, and a carrying pouch are included. Price: $449. www.rca.com, 800-336-1900

AudioControlDesigned for whole-house custom installations, AudioControl's Architect Model 950 amplifier can power 16 channels - enough for eight zones with stereo sound. It's rated to deliver 55 watts per channel into 8 ohms, and channel pairs can be bridged to 110 watts. Its Class H design continually adjusts power output, making a cooling fan unnecessary, and the amp's LightDrive protection system, which is said to eliminate clipping distortion even during overdrive conditions, protects from overheating as well. Every channel pair has a five-band equalizer as well as a low-frequency cutoff. An optional Ethernet port ($200) lets you control the amp remotely. Price: $3,200. www.audiocontrol.com, 425-775-8461

TributariesSince FireWire (a.k.a. i.Link and IEEE 1394) is becoming more common on A/V gear like camcorders and some HDTVs, this might be a good time to pick up Tributaries' Quad Shielded FireWire cables. They can handle data rates up to 400 megabits per second and have three pairs of internal conductors, two of which transmit data and are shielded with copper and Mylar, while the third, unshielded pair carries DC power. The three pairs are then wrapped in another layer of copper/Mylar to protect from RF interference, and six-pin plugs terminate each end. A four-pin version of the cable includes the data pairs but not the power pair, and a four-pin-to-six-pin cable (shown) is available for data-only connections to a six-pin connector. The cables come in lengths of 3 1/4, 6 1/2, 9 3/4, 13, and 14 3/4 feet. Prices: $26 to $44. www.tributariescable.com, 800-521-1596

Silicon OptixIf you have a front projector, the Silicon Optix Image AnyPlace video scaler will give it a little more freedom to roam. The scaler's keystone correction compensates for positioning the projector off center - up to 40° horizontally and 30° vertically. Of course, whatever your TV may be, the scaler will convert all video input signals to its native resolution. The back panel has DVI, VGA, and component-video/RGB+HV inputs as well as standard component-, composite-, and S-video inputs. Outputs are DVI and VGA. A remote control is supplied, and you can also hook up the scaler to a control system through its RS-232 port. Software for projection on irregular surfaces and curved screens is optional. Price: $2,495; software, $1,495. www.siliconoptix.com, 408-487-9290

MarantzIf you got some new A/V gear for Christmas, chances are you now also have a few extra remote controls lying around. Make a New Year's resolution to get yourself a universal model like Marantz's RC1400. Running on three AAA batteries, the remote comes preprogrammed with codes for many Marantz components, and you can easily enter codes for other-brand gear. The contoured, 9-inch-long controller can also learn commands from your existing remotes, and the keys beside its backlit LCD screen can be customized to let you control specific components in your system. For the ultimate in convenience, the RC1400 can store 20 macro command sequences, with each one executing up to 20 commands. Price: $169. www.marantz.com, 630-741-0300

XMUpgrading your car stereo to receive satellite radio is easy with the XMCommander tuner package. After you've installed the tuner box and antenna - and signed up for a $9.99 monthly subscription - you'll be able to dive right into XM Satellite Radio's 100 channels using the slim controller, which can be mounted on your dash with the supplied Velcro fastener. Its two-line display shows artist names and song titles, and even lets you preview what's on a channel before tuning in. The TuneSelect feature will automatically alert you when a favorite song is playing on any of the other channels. The device connects to your existing stereo via an FM modulator, which essentially broadcasts the XM signal to an open radio frequency; there are also line-level outputs for a direct hookup. You can program up to 30 channel presets, and a compact wireless remote control is included. Price: $160. www.xmradio.com, 202-380-4000

RotelConsolidating a DVD player and a receiver in one chassis, Rotel's RDSX-02 puts you two steps along the path to home theater. The receiver side is rated to deliver 80 watts to each of five channels, with built-in decoding for Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks as well as Dolby Pro Logic II and DTS Neo:6 to process stereo sources for a multichannel sound experience. The player side lets you watch DVD movies, listen to DVD-Audio discs, or play CDs with JPEG or MP3 files. Besides optical and coaxial digital audio inputs, there's a set of wideband component-video connectors that'll pass HDTV signals. The supplied touchscreen remote control is programmable. Price: $1,499. www.rotel.com, 978-664-3820 Canton The leader of eight new models joining Canton's Ergo speaker line is the Model 1002, a ported three-way speaker that stands almost 4 feet tall. It has dual 9-inch woofers, a 7-inch midrange driver, and a 1-inch aluminum-manganese tweeter. The speaker is rated down to 20 Hz and has a proprietary high-pass filter that's said to clarify the bass by eliminating harmonic distortion caused by infrasonic frequencies below 20 Hz. Available finishes include silver lacquer, black, beech, and cherry, and the grille comes in silver or black. The gold-plated binding posts are biwirable. Price: $3,000 a pair. www.cantonusa.com, 612-706-9250