In an interesting twist on some traditional AV gear, Sherwood today announced its Netbox R-904N Internet AV receiver.  Unlike other AV receivers that simply serve as video switches in addition to routing power and signal to your home theater speakers, the 904N incorporates some digital media player functionality via its inbuilt network connection.

At 2.5″ tall, an almost unthinkable dimension for typically large, heavy AV receivers, the R-904N uses Class D digital amplifiers from Texas Instruments to efficiently power its seven 100Watt RMS channels with the latest audio formats, including Dolby Volume, Dolby TruHD, and DTS-HD Master high-resolution audio.  With support for the latest HDMI 1.3 specification, the R-904N accepts three HDMI inputs passing to its single HDMI output.  And as is typical of AV recievers, various other audio and video inputs are also available.

But what really adds to the R-904N’s uniqueness is its digital media player capabilities.  When connected to a wired network or USB storage device, the receiver can access locally stored media files or Internet based media outlets such as “Hulu, Netflix, CBS, CNN, ESPN and Amazon Video On Demand via MediaMall Technologies’ PlayOn media server.”

Short of an integrated Blu-ray player and with an MSRP of $650, this thing almost has everything needed for all-inclusive home theater solution.

[Via:  Engadget]