Sony HT-G700 Soundbar With Audio Upscaling Is Made For Home Theaters

Sony has introduced its new HT-G700 soundbar featuring up to 7.1.2-channel surround sound, three front speakers, and Sony's technology for 'vertical' audio reproduction. Sony has packed a large number of features targeting home theater setups into its new soundbar, including a center speaker that aids viewers in hearing video dialog without diminishing other audio.

The Sony HT-G700 soundbar features a classic design that can be placed beneath most televisions; the bar works with a related wireless soundbar for more bass from whatever part of the room the user wants. The soundbar comes with multiple modes, including a theater mode for home cinemas, a music mode for listening to tunes, a night mode for hearing things clearly at low volume, and a voice mode for things like watching the news.

As expected for a soundbar, the HT-G700 features HDMI-in and HDMI-out, plus there's a TV IN optical port and Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The hardware offers 3.1ch audio; Sony's Immersive AE 'upscales' the audio to 'close to' 7.1.2-channel audio, according to the company. The speaker has 400 watts of power and measures nearly 40-inches in length.

The audio-upscaling feature is triggered using the Immersive Audio Enhancement button. The speaker packs Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Vertical Surround Engine, and S-Force Pro Front Surround technologies. The soundbar has a digital amplifier and S-Master amp; it weighs a bit under 8lbs, which is around half the weight of the companion subwoofer.

Finally, the soundbar features 4K HDR 18Gbps pass-through, as well as HDCP2.2/HDCP2.3, HDR10, Hybrid Log Gamma, and Dolby Vision. The soundbar is available from Sony now for $599.99 USD, which includes the subwoofer.