Yamaha HTR-5740 6.1 Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver

When hooked up with the digital-audio output from a DVD-Video player or digital satellite receiver, the 85-watts-per-channel HTR-5740 handles 5.1-channel surround decoding for both major formats, Dolby Digital and DTS. In addition, the receiver processes Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS Neo:6, DTS-ES Matrix 6.1, and DTS-EX Discrete 6.1. The extended-surround formats create even more expansive soundfields through a center-rear channel, resulting in six discrete, full-range signals in addition to the LFE (low-frequency effects) channel: front left/right, surround left/right, and front/rear center channels.

A key benefit from a Yamaha receiver, of course, is Yamaha's proprietary signal processing, including Cinema DSP (digital soundfield processing), which creates aural "imaging" that not only makes your home sound like a theater, but also sounds better than most movie theaters. Based on a wealth of measured data in real studios and halls, Cinema DSP is designed to bring out the full potential of movie sound mixes, reproducing them the way directors and sound engineers intended.

Non-Dolby Digital and DTS sources can benefit from surround processing, too. With enhanced directional steering over standard four-channel Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Pro Logic II provides 5.1 channels of surround processing from any stereo source--whether that's a TV broadcast, VHS tapes, or your favorite CDs, cassettes, and LPs.

And, when you're listening to multichannel presentations late at night, you'll appreciate Silent Cinema, which simulates 5.1-channel listening through a pair of ordinary 2-channel headphones (not included). Silent Cinema uses unique parameters for each soundfield to ensure accurate headphone representations of each soundfield.

Then there's the six-channel DVD-Audio/SACD-ready inputs mentioned above. Due to anti-piracy measures, DVD-Audio and SACD players perform their own digital-to-analog conversion, passing high-resolution analog signals on to your amplifier. (And analog, after all, is what your amp feeds your speakers.)

DVD-Audio and SACD can each deliver up to six channels of discrete, full-frequency sound at greater-than-CD resolution (in the case of DVD-A, that means 24 bits, 96 kHz sampling rate versus 16 bits, 44.1 kHz for CD). In stereo or surround, the sound from DVD-Audio and SACD is packed with detail, yet smoother and sweeter from than the sound from even the best standard CD players. The HTR-5740 accommodates decoded DVD-A/SACD signals and routes them to the appropriate speakers in your surround system.

The receiver offers four audio/video input connections (all with composite-/S-video, two with component-video), two fixed and assignable digital-audio inputs (great for DSS, CD, laserdisc, gaming consoles, or minidisc), and front-panel input connections for your camcorder or other spontaneous hookup. The receiver's video circuitry is high-definition ready, too (60 MHz bandwidth), and it will upconvert composite-video to an S-video signal to simplify TV hookup.

Last, but certainly not least, the HTR-5740 benefits from Yamaha's Digital ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology) build philosophy. The culmination of the best digital engineering and design possible, it brings together several key elements to create the best-sounding, easiest-to-use A/V components available.

What's in the Box
Receiver, remote control, four AAA batteries, an AM loop antenna, an indoor FM antenna, a warranty card, and a user's manual.