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Sony elevates standard for 3D home theatre
MUMBAI: Sony has announced another step to strengthen its 3D home product line with new Elevated Standard (ES) AV receivers including the STR-DA5600ES, STRA-DA4600ES, and STR-DA 3600ES and a Blu-ray 3D player, the BDP-S1700ES.
In addition to Sony’s latest 3D capable Bravia HDTVs, the new ES components represent the best audio and video quality Sony has to offer. Designed with custom installers in mind, ES models integrate seamlessly with multi-room, third-party control systems.
Sony’s home audio and video business VP Brian Siegel says, “By focussing on seamless integration with custom home theater control partners, Sony is working to deliver products that support the custom and specialty retail business like no other manufacturer. Because Sony is involved in every stage of the 3D ecosystem, specialty dealers and installers can rest assured that our AV components leverage that deep expertise to deliver the most technically advanced experience possible.”
Focussing on the needs of custom home theatre installers, Sony’s ES line represents an enthusiast-level AV experience featuring some of the company’s most advanced technology. The value of the products is best demonstrated by dealers and integrators qualified to engage an advanced consumer audience. To that end, the company is focusing its distribution strategy to include only specialty AV retailers and custom installers. ES products will no longer be offered for sale online or through telesales.
AV Receivers with Custom Control : Sony’s 2010 ES AV receivers feature IR input jacks and two-way serial control. They also offer control over IP which allows installers to easily integrate the receivers into the home automation systems including Control4, Crestron, AMX, Savant, Ultimate Remote Control, RTI, and others. Sony has worked with control companies and is a Control4 Certified Partner, an AMX Device Discovery Partner, Crestron Integration Partner, and a Savant Excellence in Audio and Video Partner.
The new models offer 3D pass-through and flexible multi-room features. They can connect to a home broadband network through an Ethernet port offering easy access to digital photos, music and videos from Digital Life Network Alliance (DLNA) sources. They also function as an Ethernet hub featuring four ports that connect other network devices.
Additionally, the Ethernet connection provides access to both Shoutcast Internet Radio and Rhapsody Music Service, and offers easy access to firmware upgrades via the Internet. The STR-DA5600ES model also functions as a DLNA Live Audio Server that can stream music to other DLNA clients.
Users with an iPhone or iPod touch device can control the models using a free app that transforms your mobile device into a full ES receiver remote. The app features zone control, full GUI menu, and Sony’s Quick Click remote function which allows users to control source components (such as Blu-Ray player, set-top box) in the main home theater room to be controlled from a second zone.
The STR-DA5600ES and the STR-DA4600ES offer the ability to distribute audio and video to multiple rooms via the second HDMI output and video to a second zone via CAT5 output. They can both also up-scale all sources to 1080p in the main zone and 1080i in a second zone via the Faroudja chip® ensuring a consistent, sharp picture. The connected video zones feature a high-grade, icon-driven menu system that allows for simple device and content navigation.
All three models feature Digital Cinema Auto Calibration (DCAC) with Automatic Phase Matching (APM). Without changing the front reference speakers, APM corrects for phase differentiation between front, center, and surround speakers, ensuring an ideal sound stage regardless of speaker type.
The receivers also feature Sony’s innovative new HD Digital Cinema Sound® that was developed together with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Incorporating high-mounted front speaker placement, HD DCS was designed to transform and replicate both the sound quality and acoustics of a movie theatre in the home environment.
All of the models support 1080/24p video signals and x.v.Color™ and Deep Color™ video codecs, as well as all advanced audio formats including Dolby Digital Plus, DolbyTrueHD, and dtsMaster HD. They also feature audio return channel allowing network content originating from the television to be played through the receiver without additional cables.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
