Pioneer intros AV receiver

Pioneer has put out a pair of new AV receivers highlighted mostly by their tight link with Apple's handhelds, reveals iPodnn.com.

At the top of the mix, the VSK-820-K has the iPhone-approved USB connection but expands on it with an iPhone control button: where the receiver's own controls normally take over, the button can force the receiver to hand back control and let the listener pick from the touchscreen of an iPhone or iPod touch.

It and the less costly VSX-520-K both also have support for an optional Bluetooth stereo audio adapter. Most iPhone and iPod touch units, as well as the iPad and any other A2DP device, can stream audio wirelessly to a connected home theatre system.

The Galesburg City Council voted eight to zero to spend almost $150 000 to update video and sound equipment in council chambers, the Erickson Conference Room and City Hall's audio-visual room, reports Galesburg.com.

The successful bidder was Thompson Electronics of Peoria.

City Manager Dane Bragg said the existing cameras, used to televise City Council meetings on Cable-7 TV, were installed in 1991. The $148 825 to be spent will make it possible to televise work sessions, which are held in the Erickson Conference Room. That capability does not now exist.

Micro Peripherals (Micro-P) claims the introduction of its new education division will see it “up its game” in the audio-visual (AV) sector, says ChannelWeb.

The 12-strong team will incorporate the distributor's AV resources but will be led by Richard Bovingdon, who was previously sales director at VAR Lanway where he focused on the Building Schools for the Future market.

Micro-P MD Gerry O'Keefe said the new approach was merely an evolution of its AV strategy.