Representing nearly two years of cooperation in market research and engineering efforts, Sony Electronics Inc. and Best Buy Co., Inc. today announced the new “ALTUS” audio product line.

Featuring a stylish assortment of wireless music systems, speakers, and home theater products, the ALTUS line offers a variety of simple, easy, and effective solutions for experiencing premium audio throughout the home.

“The ALTUS line is something that both Sony and Best Buy can be proud to call their own” said Mike Fasulo, executive vice president, chief marketing officer and corporate social responsibility officer of Sony Electronics Inc. “We’re breaking new ground in the consumer electronics industry with this unique cooperation between manufacturer and retailer.”

Mike Vitelli, executive vice president of customer operating groups at Best Buy Co., Inc., added:  “By working with Sony throughout the product development process, we were able to focus directly on our customer to better understand their needs and interpret how best to present ALTUS in a retail environment.”

Expand your iPod from Room to Room

Heading up the ALTUS product lineup are two iPod™ docking systems designed to enhance and expand your home listening experience.

The premium ALT-SA31iR multi-room iPod package features three separate components: an iPod/iPhone® docking station and two high-output wireless speakers.

This multi-room package also features an AM/FM tuner and S-AIR remote control with an LCD display. On the display, users are able to see all metadata of the streaming audio, including album, artist, and track information.  Further, the ALT-SA31iR system can be used to transmit audio to all other S-AIR compatible receivers.

Sony’s AIR-SW10Ti iPod dock consists of a compact docking station with two built-in speakers and a wireless subwoofer that can be easily concealed. This powerful new model has a maximum output of 60 watts RMS and includes both an infrared remote control and FM tuner capabilities.  The AIR-SW10Ti system can also be used to transmit wireless audio to compatible ALTUS and S-AIR products.  The ALT-SA31iR system will retail for approximately $700 and the AIR-SA10Ti model will retail for about $400. Each unit is available today for pre-sale on www.sonystyle.com and will be available in September at Best Buy locations nationwide, along with other select retailer partners.

Plug and Play Speakers

For those looking to expand their ALTUS audio system with small, compact and stylish speakers, Sony is introducing the sleek ALT-SA34R Socket Speaker Package.

This ALTUS product is compatible with all S-AIR enabled transmitters and features two small, unobtrusive S-AIR wireless speakers that plug directly into any power outlet in the home. The speaker system also includes an S-AIR remote control highlighted by an LCD display for viewing music metadata.

The ALT-SA34R Socket Speaker Package will retail for about $350 and is available for pre-sale today on www.sonystyle.com.  Next month, the package will hit Best Buy stores nationwide, along with other select retailers, for about $350.

Blu-ray Disc Power

Also included as part of the new ALTUS lineup is Sony’s BDV-E500W 5.1 Channel Blu-ray Disc™ Home Theater System, announced earlier this spring.

The BDV-E500W Blu-ray Disc home theater system features both wireless rear speakers and wireless multi-room audio capability.  With the addition of compatible ALTUS or S-AIR devices (sold separately), audio  the BDV-E500W system can be expanded in up to 10 additional rooms throughout the home.

This Blu-ray Disc system is also BD-Live capable via a rear Ethernet connection. BD-Live allows users to access content including additional scenes, short subjects, trailers, interactive games and more. It also enables easy firmware updates to assist in keeping the player up-to-date with the latest Blu-ray Disc media and features.

The unit also supports the latest advanced audio codecs, including Dolby® TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus, DTS®-HD High Resolution Audio, and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding as well as bit-stream.

Sony’s Digital Media Port, included on the BDV-E500W, allows for easy connection to the included iPod cradle and the ability to connect other portable music players (optional cradles sold separately). The model also features Precision Cinema Upscaling technology for outstanding picture quality, and Sony’s Xross Media Bar (XMB™) graphic user interface for easy menu navigation and operation.

The BDV-E500W is currently available at Sony Style stores, Best Buy and other authorized retailers for approximately $800.