While helping him with his problem I discovered that Sherwood has an RD-7503 Audio/Video Receiver in the works for the same price (MSRP $399.95) that includes full HDMI Audio Repeater functionality and decodes native lossless audio tracks from Blu Ray discs including Dolby Tru HD and DTS Master Audio HD. That means that it can play Blu-Ray content from a single HDMI input and play it back in surround sound mode. If the street price is like that of the RD-7502 this receiver will be a bargain and bring HTPC's to reality for many on a tight budget.
The Sherwood RD-7503 Audio/Video Receiver is said to be coming out next month, so sometime in December 2008.
Here is the Sherwood Press Release on the RD-7503
Sherwood America Inc., one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high performance audio equipment, today introduced the first dual-zone, multi-source receiver in its value-priced Sherwood Home Audio line. Rated at 100 watts RMS for each of its 7 channels, the RD-7503 is an HDMI 1.3 capable receiver with 3 HDMI inputs and one HDMI output. Unlike many of the receivers in its price range, the 7503 has full HDMI Audio Repeater functionality and decodes native lossless audio tracks from Blu Ray discs including Dolby Tru HD and DTS Master Audio HD. In the opinion of Jeffrey Hipps, Sherwood’s Sr. VP for Marketing and Product Planning, “The RD-7503 may be all the receiver most consumers
need. If we imagine a modern system with set-top box, upconverting DVD player and DVR, the 7503 is perfect. The user runs a single HDMI cable from each source to our receiver. The RD-7503 decodes the audio and sends the video on to the display device through a single HDMI cable. It is simplicity incarnate.”
To further insure that RD-7503 users have a top-flight audio experience, the receiver includes Auto-Setup and adds Sherwood’s exclusive SNAPTM Room EQ. “We borrowed SNAPTM directly from our $2000.00 Newcastle R-965 receiver,” adds Hipps. “its 7 bands of parametric EQ per channel with adjustable “Q” and center frequency can improve the sound of any system.”
As expected, the RD-7503 has AM/FM tuner, front panel inputs for convenient playback from portable music players, tape and aux inputs and is Sirius Radio ready. Unexpectedly, the receiver has a front panel receptacle for Sherwood’s optional BT-7 Blue Tooth receiver. When used with the BT-7, users can stream music from a suitably equipped cell phone or music player even with the phone still in their pocket or purse.
MSRP for the RD-7503 is $399.95.
You sir, speak blasphemy!
