Yamaha is on a roll with its one-speaker surround systems, today launching a new model to its already impressive line-up. Just a few months after the arrival of the YSP-600, we have the YSP-3050 which beefs up the video capabilities as well as the sound. Inside the chassis are 21 beam drivers, a couple of subwoofers and 23 digital amplifiers, all designed to fire 83Watts of sound around the room to create a surround sound field without the usual 5 or 7 speaker set-up and associated cable spaghetti. That said, you're still getting pseudo-surround here and while the YSP series have proved to be very impressive they will not match the performance of a half-decent dedicated surround sound system. The new YSP-3050 comes with two 1080p capable HDMI slots (and 1 Out), analog-to-video upscaling and HD upscaling up to 1080i. There are composite and component video hook ups to so that you can connect a variety of DVD and gaming devices to the speaker and have it connected via a single HDMI cable to your TV. It also features integrated FM radio and is iPod compatible. The one downside to this neat solution for stylish living room surround is the price tag of around £650 [US pricing so even higher here].-Martin Lynch [Yamaha] audio movies speaker home cinema

from mlynch * Gizmodo UK