AV Toolbox has introduced to the market a video scaler designed to take both analog and digital video signals and convert them to 1080p. The new AVT-3900 is priced at $635.

The AV Toolbox AVT-3900, currently being distributed in the UK, has specific video inputs which accept “HDMI, DVI (via DVI to HDMI cable), PC generated RGB (up to WUXGA), HD component (YPbPr/YCbCr, 480i up to 1080p), S-video and composite video.” All of these signals are processed via the AVT-3900’s internal scaling engine and the device outputs 1080p with supports for HDMI version 1.2.

Pass Laboratories, an audio equipment specialty company, announced a new integrated amplifier for high end home audio systems. The Pass Labs INT-150 is priced at around $6,500.

The Pass Labs INT-150 is the company’s first integrated amplifier. It is rated at 150 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 300 watts into 4 ohms. It is equipped with a special circuit which reportedly will improve performance by lowering distortion and noise processed by the amplifier. Input, output and AC connectors are on the rear of the device.

Not all home theater systems, especially older ones, have video upscaling as a feature in either the DVD player or A/V receiver. For those people Gefen has announced its new Home Theater Scaler Plus, priced at around $500.

The Gefen Home Theater Scaler Plus scales video signals to high resolutions ranging from 480i to 1080p, converting analog signals to digital. It comes equipped with with inputs for component video with left/right audio, composite/s-video with left/right audio, and two HDMI inputs each with digital TOSlink and S/PDIF audio. There’s also HDMI output and the video scaler is HDCP compliant.

SIM2, a developer of home theater products, is out with a stylish new home media projector which hopefully will match features with its high price. The SIM2 C3X 1080 is awaiting your credit card to be charged for around $32,000.

The SIM2 C3X 1080 is a small 3 chip projector using Texas Instrument’s latest DarkChip 4 chip (you home theater geeks know what this means so I’ll move on). It delivers self-described “benchmark quality” 1080p video display and makes use of special all-glass optics in the company’s proprietary light engine.

APC is not just about doing back up power solutions for your home or small business network. It also has products in other power related categories such as A/V gear. One of its newest offerings is the APC H15 Power Conditioner, priced at around $450. APC has also released a less expensive model, the H10, at around $350.

The APC H15 Power Conditioner is designed to provide what APC says is full power conditioning, including surge protection, noise filtering, and automatic voltage regulation (AVR). Both the H15 and the H10 have 12 filtered, surge protection outlets, with six of these outlets offering noise filtering for digital devices. The power conditioners also offer two analog, two video, and two high-current filtered outlets for amplifiers, subwoofers and the like.

The next logical step once you have a home theater room is to find a way to make it truly unique. Some people do that by having it look like the interior of a real movie theater while others are more interested in turning it into a luxury den. But one home owner in Palm Beach County, FL took their love of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” to its fullest and transformed their home theater into the bridge of the USS Enterprise-D. Geeky? Yes. Something that you are envious of? That too.

The entire Star Trek rec area measuring 70 feet by 22 feet and is actually three rooms: the viewing room, a bar and a lounge area with its own life-sized Robby the Robot model. This Star Trek nerd heaven took six months to build from start to finish and uses one of the largest Kaleidescape …

Word on A/V Street this week is Marantz, a developer of audio-video gear, is out with a new and highly desired A/V receiver. The Marantz SR8002 is priced at around $2,100.

The Marantz SR8002 is a 7.1-channel receiver loaded to the gills with features. Take a look at this laundry list of its most pronounced ones: HDMI 1.3 repeating capability, HD Radio, THX Select2 processing, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and dts HD Master Audio as well as MultEQ room correction and calibration technology from Audyssey Laboratories. You also get multi-room signal distribution.

Onkyo recently announced a new home theater in a box system which is in tune with the HDMI v1.3a standard. The Onkyo HT-SP908 is priced at around $1,100.

The Onkyo HT-SP908 7.1-channel audio system comes with the company’s TX-SR605 A/V receiver. This receiver has two HDMI v1.3a inputs and one output which are “fully compatible with 1080p video, including DeepColor technology.” The receiver also supports the latest high audio codecs as well as being XM and Sirius satellite radio ready. Basic iPod control and audio playback is offered to the A/V receiver via an included S-A1X Remote Interactive (RI) control dock.

It’s about time speaker makers started adding a little color and design to their products. These German engineered speakers from Urban Fidelity(Sounds like an insurance firm, I know) come in some nice neon colors. Those orbs at the top are not just for show either. Yes, they look ultra cool, but the spheres actually create an omni-directional spread of sound.

They are designed to bring 360-degrees of sound to your home theater and in general make you look really cool to your friends.

For notebook or PC users that want to improve their quality of sound emanating from their machine Asus is pleased to bring to you the Xonar U1. This USB audio device looks like it should belong on the head of a member of Devo but in fact it clears up the electromagnetic interference and removes any residue static created by your computer’s circuitry using a digital to analog converter (DAC).

NuVo Technologies, a developer of home audio systems, recently unveiled a new multiple room audio system which is energy efficient. The new NuVo Essentia E6G is priced at around $2,300.

The NuVo Essentia E6G sports six audio source inputs for delivering up to six zones of music throughout the home. It sports an EnergyStar logo due to having low energy consumption during idle times. It also sports connectivity options which consolidate all speaker connections into one connector hub.

San Francisco-based Olive Media Products is known for putting out high end, pricey audio gear. It’s no surprise than to find a $3,000 price tag on its new OPUS No5 networked audio system.

The Olive OPUS No5 is a hard drive based audio storage system which lets its owner store upwards of 2,200 CDs. It makes use of top-end digital and audio technologies to create what Olive feels is an “audiophile-quality sound” experience. This device features a minimalist design, streams Internet radio and offers audio features like a signal/noise ratio of 123dB.

Another big Sony announcement today came in the form of a stylish, standalone home media server. The new HES-V1000 is priced at around $3,500 and should be available next month.

The HES-V1000 comes ready to party, containing both a 1080p 200-disc Blu-ray Disc/DVD/CD changer and a 500GB hard drive. This server will let you also burn content onto Blu-ray Discs as well as standard DVDs. It can connect to the Internet to collect metadata, wirelessly stream music throughout the home with a router to other devices and offers what Sony says is a easy navigation system.

Harman Kardon today unveiled for European markets the Cinespecial 29, a two component home theatre system. It’s priced at €1,299 and should be available in October.

The Cinespecial 29 consists of the Harman Kardon DVD 29 DVD player and the AVR 350 A/V receiver in a new industrial design. The DVD 29 can play DVD Audio, supports HDMI and can upscale to 1080i. The AVR 350 has two HDMI 1.2a inputs, an automatic calibration system and offers expanded iPod integration.

Hmmm…what should accompany the new Onkyo HD DVD player we recently mentioned? How about the company’s new high-end THX Ultra2 certified A/V receiver? That should probably due the ticket!

The Onkyo TX-NR905, priced at around $2,100, is another one of these new mega A/V receivers designed to keep you up with the latest home theater video and audio standards. In this particular device you get HDMI 1.3a, HD Radio reception and onboard decoding for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital HD, and DTS-HD Master Audio.