Audio Video News

The first THX-certified Blu-ray player is on the way from Lexicon.

The Lexicon BD-30 will handle not only Blu-ray (BD-Live) but also SACD, DVD-Audio, and of course DVD and CD. It boasts five-second disc loading, Anchor Bay video processing, and of course, like all Blu-ray players, onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. You'll need that because the latest firmware upgrade for Lexicon's MC-12 pre-pro still does not include lossless surround decoding. However, it does include LPCM over HDMI, so Lexicon now officially enters the lossless surround era. The price, subject to change, will be approximately $3000.

Among Lexicon's sister brands, there's also some news. Revel has introduced the Ultima Rhythm2, an 18-inch sub with 2400 RMS amp. JBL has taken the wraps off the LS Performance Series, a new speaker line featuring horn-loaded tweeters. And for no-holds-barred theaters, the Mark Levinson amplifier line now boasts one-, two-, and three-channel models.