Pioneer Releases $500 Home-Theater-in-a-Box System

Pioneer bowed a $499 starter home theater system Wednesday combining an 80-watt-per-channel AV receiver, five speakers and a subwoofer. The receiver supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive sound, and the system is compatible with a 3.1.2-channel setup to create a “convincing” 3D sound field without having to install ceiling speakers, said the company. A future software update will allow Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer and DTS Virtual:X to simulate the output from virtual height and surround speakers, it said. DTS Neural:X and Dolby Surround up-mix stereo soundtracks to simulate surround sound, and the system supports pass-through for HDR10, Hybrid Log Gamma and Dolby Vision, it said. A dialogue enhancement feature allows users to independently adjust the volume of midrange signals when listening to soundtracks, it said.