A/V receivers don’t really change much from year to year but Pioneer has decided to stack everything it has into the new Elite line of receivers they’ll be releasing over the summer.
The company unveiled the new the VSX-21TXH ($700), VSX-23TXH ($900), SC-25 ($1,700) and SC-27 ($1,900) which will all launch with HDMI 1.3a, 7.1 surround, on-board Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. Each new receiver also incorporates iPod/iPhone connectivity and and control as well as 1080p upscaling on all the video inputs. Oh, and you’ll get multi-zone too.
The VSX-23TXH, SC-25, and SC-27 will include 5 HDMI inputs and 2 outs. That should get everything connected for you. The SC-25 and SC-27 will also feature internet connectivity so you can get internet radio piped out to those multiple zones. XM and Sirius are also thrown in just in case anyone actually still subscribes to those services.
Overall, this looks like the type of receiver I’m hoping to buy in the next year. Something that should be relatively future-proof, at least for 5+ years.