Technology

Receivers

Audio

Adaptive DRC

Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control) is a new volume control technology that is effective for low-volume listening, such as at night or with headphones. It applies DRC processing to eliminate the volume differences between loud commercials and ordinary programming and to take into account our ears' loss of sensitivity as volume decreases. The compensation is performed automatically, so all dialogue is heard clearly even at low levels, and there are no sudden loud bursts of sound.

Air Surround Extreme

Yamaha’s exclusive AIR SURROUND XTREME achieves surround sound with clarity and sound imaging unlike any other one-speaker system. You hear clear dialogue from the front, with distinctly separate surround sounds and smooth sound movement around the sound field.

Audio Master Quality Recording

With Yamaha's Audio Master Quality Recording (AMQR) you have the power to create studio-quality audio masters that not only sound better, but can also increase the life span of your valuable recordings. Learn More

Burr-Brown 192 kHz/24-bit DACs

High quality, audio-grade digital-to-analog converters for all channels to maximize sound quality.

CINEMA DSP

Conventional 5.1 and 6.1 channel audio reproduction systems base their sound on Dolby Digital and DTS decoding, using matrix and steering technologies to create surround sound effects.

Yamaha CINEMA DSP is much more advanced, actually creating richly realized independent sound fields that merge to envelop you in an unmatched surround sound experience. With dialogue, music and effects from the presence (front) and rear sound fields (plus rear center with 6.1-channel Quad-Field CINEMA DSP), it will seem as if the walls of your room have disappeared and you are in the middle of your own immense theater. Learn More

Cinema DSP 3D

By using two presence speakers in addition to the four FL/FR and SL/SR speakers, the sound field is given an extra vertical dimension. Pressing the 3D DSP button provides a sound field that expands both upward and downward.

Compressed Music Enhancer

Yamaha's Compressed Music Enhancer is a popular feature that restores the sound of the original music from digitally compressed formats such as MP3. The receivers offer an upgraded version that processes multi-channel signals with a DSP algorithm, so all channels (rather than just two) are enhanced. This provides more accurate reproduction and a more expansive sound.

DCDi™ by Faroudja

DCDi™ (Directional Correlational Deinterlacing) eliminates the jagged edges (also known as “jaggies” or “the staircasing effect”) that appear when standard interlaced video is de-interlaced and viewed on a progressive scan display. Learn More

Digital ToP-ART

Digital ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology) is the name Yamaha has given to a design philosophy whose goal is to maximize digital quality while minimizing analog circuitry. The culmination of the best digital engineering and design possible today, it brings together several key elements to create the best-sounding, easiest-to-use A/V components available. Learn More

Direct Mode

Direct Mode causes the input stereo signal to bypass the DSP circuitry so the pure signal is output without any processing or data loss whatsoever.

HiFi DSP for Music

With Yamaha Digital Sound Field Processing it is thus possible to recreate the actual sound of a venue. When one of the "Jazz Club" modes is selected, for instance, you are listening to the acoustical characteristics of a real jazz club. You can select from multiple clubs, for instance: Village Gate Club or the Cellar Club; both in New York City. Select "Stadium" and enjoy your favorite rock group in Anaheim Stadium. Yamaha Digital Sound Field Processing makes it possible to hear your favorite artist perform in the venue of your choice. Learn More

Night Listening Enhancer

During low-volume listening, such as late at night, dynamic range suffers and you may miss some sounds. The Night Listening Enhancer offers two modes, Cinema and Music, with three-level select ability, which will ensure that you don't miss movie dialogue or quiet passages, or lose overall surround spaciousness. It works for all surround programs, including Dolby Pro Logic IIx.

Pure Direct

Pure Direct is a special mode that causes the signal to bypass all but the most basic audio circuitry, and even turns off the display to prevent any chance of noise interference. It provides the purest possible high-fidelity sound for your music sources.

Quad-Field and Tri-Field Cinema DSP

Tri-Field CINEMA DSP projects three sound fields into the home theater: a Presence sound field in the front and two Surround sound fields in the left surround and right surround, resulting in a powerfully realistic three-dimensional soundscape. Quad-Field CINEMA DSP adds an additional surround back sound field to the Tri-Field system, in order to enjoy the new 6.1-channel formats, Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES.

Silent CINEMA

The SILENT CINEMA mode allows private listening enjoyment of multi-channel music or movie sound, including Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround, through ordinary headphones. Yamaha DSP and HRTF technology (explained below) make it possible. Learn More

Subwoofer phase select

A feature for optimum bass sound. If bass is weak or muddy, switching the phase of the subwoofer will often improve performance.

Virtual CINEMA DSP

Virtual CINEMA DSP, like SILENT CINEMA, is based on HRTF technology, and also employs aggressive crosstalk cancellation technology. With just two left and right speakers, Virtual CINEMA DSP will create virtual rear left/center/right speakers, giving listeners the sense of being in a full-scale surround sound field. So even in rooms with no space for rear speakers, they can enjoy the full effects of Dolby Digital and DTS movie sound formats. If the system includes a center speaker, Virtual CINEMA DSP will provide the rear channel sound. Learn More

Yamaha High Current Amplification

Yamaha High Current Amplification achieves low impedance, high current power from input (power supply circuit) to output (speaker terminals). This drives the speakers much more smoothly and dynamically, for better sound from all sources, including 2-channel audio.

Video

HDMI

High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is the first and only digital interface to combine uncompressed high-definition video, multi-channel audio and intelligent format and command data in a single digital interface. HDMI switching, providing the most advanced method of delivering high quality video signals to a home theater system to enable the reproduction of DVD and satellite TV sources with HD quality. HDMI can also send the digital audio signals from sources such as DVD Audio, CD, Dolby Digital and DTS to provide simple components connections.

HDMI CEC (Consumer Electronics Control)

One of the channels in an HDMI connection is dedicated to a set of advanced control functions, collectively known as CEC. When enabled by the manufacturer, CEC functionality allows connected devices to control each other in useful ways. For instance, a single command on a remote control can be used to play a DVD, or to launch other complex activities across multiple devices in a home theater system.

Deep Colour (30/36 bit)

The expanded bandwidth of HDMI 1.3 is allowing manufacturers to design displays with much greater Color Depth. These new “Deep Color” monitors will be capable of rendering many more distinct hues than current displays – up to trillions of colors rather than thousands or millions.

x.v.Colour

A new standard for an expanded, “wder” color space or gamut, enabled by HDMI 1.3 and being developed by Sony and Mitsubishi, among others. The xv color space (also known as xvYCC color) incorporates a much larger portion of the visible color spectrum than the older RGB color model.

Auto Lip-Sync compensation

One of the new features enabled in HDMI 1.3, Lip Sync functionality enables the automatic synchronization of video and audio signals, correcting for processor lags that can force audio and video timing out of proper alignment.

Time Based Correction (TBC)

By replacing the video signal with a clear sync pulse, timing errors that are commonly seen as jitter in home videos, VHS and other tape sources are corrected.

ABT

Anchor Bay Technologies' scaler engine that can independently scale an image horizontally and vertically to further improve the picture quality on high resolution displays (to 1080i/720p with HDMI output).

VRS Technology

Anchor Bay Technologies designs and manufactures advanced digital semiconductor and system-level solutions for next-generation digital television and high-definition digital video products. The company's proprietary Video Reference Series™ (VRS™) technologies allow Anchor Bay to offer a wide range of advanced video processing solutions that greatly improve image quality on large-screen HDTV home theater systems and other video displays.

"Natural Black" Concept

To provide superior contrast, Yamaha developed the Natural Black concept, combining advanced technologies, parts and functions to achieve truer, deeper levels of black than ever before.

Additional Features

Versatile Zone Control Functions

The home theatre amplifiers and receivers provide various zone control functions, depending on the unit. The basic function is to allow the creation of separate zones, so people in different rooms of the home can enjoy music or movies. Zone speaker Assign lets you use amp channels that are not used for the Main Zone to power speakers in the other zones. Zone mono outputs monaural sound in the zone, for those places where stereo is not necessary or desirable, such as bathroom or ceiling installations.

YPAO

With all the recent advancements in technology, home theatre receivers have made leaps and bounds in intelligence and user-friendliness. YPAO is one of the most exciting advancements in receiver design - a complete room-accoustic optimizer. Activating the function causes test tones to be emitted, which are then captured by the YPAO microphone (included with YPAO compliant receivers). Learn More

Front Presence

The presence speakers supplement the sound from the front speakers with extra ambient effects produced by Cinema DSP. These effects include sounds that the filmmakers intended to locate a little farther back behind the screen in order to create more theater-like ambience.

Dialogue Lift

When Presence speakers are in use, you can activate the Dialog Lift feature, which assigns some of the front and center channel elements to the presence speakers to "lift" the dialog to a higher position. The effect of the Dialog Lift can be set between 0 and 5, with the higher adjustments reflecting a higher position of the front/center channel sound.

GUI on-screen display with album art

Some Yamaha receivers feature a graphical user interface that allows you to view song title, artist, and album name as well as album art information stored on your digital music file's ID3 tag on the attached TV screen.

SCENE Buttons

Some Yamaha receivers feature four SCENE buttons on the front panel and remote to make operating the receiver easier. These buttons are initially set to default settings for DVD viewing, Disc listening, TV viewing, and Radio listening. You can also program a SCENE button for iPod listening, XM listening, TV sports viewing, or Action Game playing.

Connectivity

Network Receiver

Network Receivers offer the most connection options in the Yamaha Receiver lineup. Using a local area network (LAN) connection and Windows Media Connect technology, Yamaha Network enabled receivers allow you to play MP3, WMA and WAV music from up to four PC’s. Network receivers can also be used as a client for Yamaha’s MusicCAST home music server, access Internet Radio, and makes fast friends with audio files stored on your portable USB key! Learn More

YBA10 Bluetooth Dock

The YBA10 Bluetooth audio receiver docks to the receiver and supports A2DP* audio streaming, so users can enjoy music wirelessly from Bluetooth enabled mobile phones, Windows PCs and Macs. Learn More

YDS11 iPod Dock

Yamaha's iPod Ready Home Theatre Receivers come equipped with a rear panel port that easily connects the YDS11 iPod Dock directly to your receiver.

Listen to iPod music, watch iPod image slide shows, and play iPod videos on the best system in your house. Learn More

XM Ready

Yamaha brings over 80 channels of superior digital audio into your home

Get originally produced programming along with commercial-free music, news, sports, children's programs, talk & entertainment beamed directly to the best system in your house. Learn More

Sirius Ready

A Sirius-Ready audio system lets you access your favorite SIRIUS Satellite Radio entertainment, including 100% commercial-free music, plus sports, uncensored talk, comedy, exclusive entertainment, world-class news and more, directly through your audio system with the use of an optional SIRIUS ConnectT Home Tuner kit. This product has a simple connector that allows you to plug the SIRIUS ConnectT kit and use the controls of this system to access all the content you want. Subscription and SIRIUS ConnectT Home Tuner (SC-H1) are required and sold separately.

USB

Some Yamaha receivers are equipped with a USB port that allows you to enjoy WAV (PCM format only), MP3 and WMA audio files from a USB memory device (USB flash drive).

Speakers

HX Speakers Technology

Yamaha’s goal in developing the HX Series speakers was to achieve the three key elements of accuracy, speed and depth thereby creating a home theatre audio experience comparable to a real movie theatre or concert hall. This goal has been brilliantly realized with the HX Series, assuring superb reproduction that expresses every nuance of the soundtrack designer's or concert-recording engineer’s intentions. Learn More

QD-Bass Technology

QD-Bass (Quatre Dispersion Bass) technology uses down-firing drivers with square, pyramid-shaped reflective plates to radiate the sound efficiently in four horizontal directions. This unique reflective plate diminishes adverse effects caused by the floor surface and reduces resonance between sound waves reflected from the floor and the unit. QD-Bass also minimizes turbulence caused by reflection from the leg. Changing the height of the square pyramid varies the acoustic load, permitting relatively simple high-cut adjustment and improved bandpass properties. Learn More

Advanced YST

Advanced Yamaha Active Servo Technology (Advanced YST) is a unique system in which the speaker and amplifier work together to cancel out impedance so as to achieve perfectly linear motion in the speaker unit. Advanced YST helps to ensure the highest levels of sound pressure and overall performance. Learn More

Advanced YST II

Yamaha's newly developed Advanced YST II (Yamaha Active Servo Technology II) builds on the original Advanced YST concept by combining negative-impedance and constantcurrent principles to drive the speaker cone with even tighter control.

Using Advanced Negative Impedance Converter (ANIC) circuits, this system dynamically optimizes effective speaker impedance to maintain excellent linearity. This means more stable and accurate low range response, not to mention higher sound pressure levels, for more natural and energetic bass reproduction. Learn More

VCCS (Vibration Control Cabinet Structure) Technology

No matter how good the music source, amplifier and speakers are, speaker cabinet vibration will affect the sound, usually for the worse and sometimes quite a lot. Limiting this vibration, especially on the long side of the cabinet, is thus very important. Adding internal reinforcements haphazardly does no good and using conventional rubber and other damping materials has a shortcoming: it is effective across all frequency bands, while the vibration only affects a narrow band (generally around 500Hz).

The Yamaha speaker team attacked this problem in two ways. The first is an internal structure called VCCS (Vibration Control Cabinet Structure). It consists of several strategically placed pieces of wood, whose shapes, positions and angles were arrived at after a long process of experimentation. The second is the use of a new material that provides excellent vibration isolation performance.

The result is that unwanted cabinet vibration has been greatly reduced. The sound you hear from the 10cm woofers and balanced dome tweeters is not negatively affected by the cabinet, putting these system speakers truly in a class of their own, with clear, powerful sound that will first surprise you and then delight you.

PianoCraft

Yamaha pianos – the choice of many top pianists around the globe – are built with superior quality and leading edge technology. With over a century of expertise, Yamaha’s piano-finishing philosophy now stands as an uncompromising wood-refining standard of excellence.

PianoCraft Speakers combine classic and innovative technology. Elegant, dignified and environmentally friendly Yamaha High-Gloss Piano finish provides a luxurious look and a connection to the latest trends in home audio. The Cabinet made from carefully selected, well-seasoned wood provides excellent fundamental sound characteristics.

Mini Systems

VCCS (Vibration Control Cabinet Structure) Technology

DVD/CD Player

PlayXchange

The key benefit to Yamaha’s innovative design involves the way the playing disc is isolated from the tray. The superior isolation achieved with PlayXchange makes it perform like an audiophile-quality, single-disc player. The CD transport is mechanically separated from the rest of the chassis so that vibration and resonance do not affect playback. The playing disc is lifted off the tray by a magnetic clamp, suspending it away from the carousel assembly during playback. Learn More

Chips

Proprietary LSIs

Many associate Yamaha with musical instruments, audio components and even motor products, not necessarily with computer chips and microprocessors. However, Yamaha is a leading manufacturers of microprocessors. It was Yamaha’s commitment to excellence in audio and home cinema applications that motivated us to enter the high-tech manufacturing business. To date, Yamaha has designed, patented, and manufactured some of the world’s most sophisticated Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC). Learn More

Audio/Video Formats

High Definition Audio Formats

Dolby TRUE HD

Dolby® TrueHD is Dolby’s next-generation lossless technology developed for high-definition disc-based media. Dolby TrueHD delivers tantalizing sound that is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master, unlocking the true high-definition entertainment experience on next-generation discs. When coupled with high-definition video, Dolby TrueHD offers an unprecedented home theater experience that lets you enjoy sound as stunning as the high-definition picture.

DTS-HD Advanced Digital Out

You can enjoy DTS-HD Master audio by upgrading to a Blu-ray Disc player with DTS-HD Advanced Digital Out and new AV Receiver with DTS-HD Master Audio decoding. Both player and AV receiver will need to be equipped with new HDMI Version 1.3 outputs and inputs. Connect the player and receiver with an HDMI cable. The DTS-HD bit stream will pass through the player and HDMI cable to be decoded by the AV receiver. This way you can enjoy DTS-HD Master Audio at up to 7.1 channels at 96 kHz/24 bit sound that is bit-for-bit identical to the studio master.

DTS HD Master Audio

DTS HD-Master Audio: DTS-HD Audio delivers sound quality that matches the clear and vivid images of high-definition video. Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs deliver five times the video resolution of standard DVD and produce images with stunning realism. But that's only half of the story. You need incredible sound to complete the high definition experience and DTS-HD Audio provides the highest quality multi-channel sound possible. Movies come alive with sound as lifelike as the picture, and music becomes as real as a live performance.

Dolby Digital Plus

Dolby Digital Plus: Dolby® Digital Plus is the next-generation audio technology for all high-definition programming and media. It combines the efficiency to meet future broadcast demands with the power and flexibility to realize the full audio potential of the upcoming high-definition experience. Built on Dolby Digital, the multichannel audio standard for DVD and HD broadcasts worldwide, Dolby Digital Plus was designed for the delivery formats of the future, but remains fully compatible with all current A/V receivers. With Dolby Digital Plus, you get even higher-quality audio, more channels, and greater flexibility. Amaze your ears.

Neural Surround

Neural Surround™, a proprietary audio format that embeds the rich envelopment and discrete image detail of surround sound and is 100% compatible with stereo content. Chosen by XM Satellite Radio as the format for their 24/7 XM HD Surround programming.

Surround Audio Formats

Dolby Digital

The most popular 5.1-channel home theater sound system. An improvement over Dolby Pro-Logic in that it offers: 1) Full frequency response in all channels (3Hz — 20kHz), 2) discrete surround channels, and 3) a separate track for bass only, called the Low Frequency Effects channel.

Dolby Pro Logic II

Improved version of Dolby Pro-Logic for music and movies. With a more intelligent matrix decoder, it is suitable for both stereo and surround-encoded sources. It offers “bass management” as well as the option of incorporating “width,” “dimension” and “panorama” controls.

Dolby Digital EX

This surround format from Dolby Digital includes an added center rear channel. The rear center channel is actually matrixed into the two rear channels, and is extracted upon playback. (Formerly called Dolby Digital Surround EX, or Dolby Digital Matrix 6.1.)

Dolby Pro Logic IIx

Dolby Pro Logic IIx is an extension of Dolby Pro Logic II. This algorithm processes native stereo and 5.1-channel content to produce 6.1 or 7.1 output channels. Dolby Pro Logic IIx expands choice in playback system configuration (allowing 5.1, 6.1 or 7.1 playback channels) and, when incorporated into an A/V amplifier or receiver, allows a convenient upgrade path from a traditional 5.1-channel sound system to 7.1 output channels.

DTS Digital Surround

The basic DTS 5.1 channel sound format. Uses a higher data rate than Dolby Digital.

DTS Neo:6

Provides 5.1 or 6.1 channels of matrix decoding from stereo matrix material. Also decodes Extended Surround matrix sound tracks and has a Music mode to expand stereo non-matrix recordings to 5.1 or 6.1 channels.

DTS NEO: 6 | 96/24 | ES*

In this format, the back surround channel is matrix encoded into the left and right surround channels. For playback, the three channels are separately decoded.

DTS-ES Discrete 6.1

In this format, the back surround channel is matrix encoded into the left and right surround channels. For playback, the three channels are separately decoded.

DTS Digital Out

DVD players equipped with dts surround will output the digital surround sound bitstream either via optical and/or coaxial digital outputs. See specifications for inputs available on each DVD player.

THX Select

Created by Lucasfilm, THX is a certification standard designed to determine the audio components and acoustics needed to accomplish the most accurate movie audio play back. For full effect in a home theater, the THX decoding process requires a 7.1 speaker configuration with two back-surround speakers.

THX Select Certified Products are engineered and designed for superior performance and complement the presentation of THX Select2 Certified Receivers.

THX Select 2

THX Select2 Certified Products are engineered and designed for small to medium sized home theaters. Viewing distance of approximately 10 feet / 3 meters from the display to the listening position.

THX Ultra2

THX Ultra2 Certified Products are engineered and designed for large home theaters. Viewing distance of approximately 12 feet / 4 meters from the display to the listening position.

THX Ultra2 Plus

THX Ultra2 Plus is the ultimate benchmark for audio performance in the home. THX Ultra2 Plus certification is reserved for receivers that have the power to deliver sound to a wide viewing area in large home theaters and media rooms. The recommended room size for THX Ultra2 Plus Certified AV receivers is 3,000 cubic feet or larger, with a minimum 12-foot viewing distance from the video display to the primary seating positions. THX Ultra2 Plus Certified receivers include a number of proprietary THX technologies, including THX Surround EX and THX Loudness Plus. Each technology is designed to compensate for the acoustical errors that occur when movies, music and games are translated from the professional studio to the home environment.

SRS TruBass

TruBass: uses harmonics to make the bass from small speakers deeper and richer for a more dynamic bass sound.

SRS Circle Surround II

Circle Surround II is an advanced surround sound decoder that enables up to 6 channels of surround sound from surround encoded (Lt/Rt) and Circle Surround encoded material and is backward compatible with mono, stereo and most matrix decoders.

Neural Surround THX Technologies

Neural-THX® Surround makes surround music, radio listening and games more accessible and enjoyable. Neural-THX Surround’s unique encoding process provides the rich envelopment and discrete image detail of surround sound in a format 100% compatible with stereo for use in CD’s, Radios, portable digital music players and digital music downloads. With superior spectral resolution and channel separation, Neural-THX Surround draws the brain’s attention to the sonic details in musical instruments, vocals and ambience that are typically masked by other playback systems. This allows the listener to fully experience the richness and subtleties in recorded performance as never before.

MP3

Short for MPEG-1 layer 3 audio, MP3 is a compression process used to shrink audio files by filtering out all noise that is not detectable to the human ear. MP3 is considered near CD-quality, but the file itself occupies approximately one tenth to one twelfth the space of the original CD format, making it the perfect medium for today’s smaller, memory based portable media players.

High Definition Video Formats

Blu-ray Disc

Blu-ray, also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD) is the name of a next-generation optical disc format. The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition video (HD), as well as storing large amounts of data. The format offers more than five times the storage capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. This extra capacity combined with the use of advanced video and audio codecs will offer consumers an unprecedented HD experience.

Video Formats

DivX

DivX is the video compression codec developed by DivX Networks and based on the MPEG-4 compression format. Its balance of high video quality and low bit rate has made it very popular and quickly established it as the best home video format thus far. The ability to play it on newer DVD models continues to add to its popularity as DivX Networks advances its support to many new household products. This compression technology has the potential for expanding the ways we view video media in much the way MP3 has given us many new ways to listen to music.