Clarion Corporation of America, a leading manufacturer of mobile electronics, announces that two of their key mobile multimedia source units now offer SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) direct connection.

Clarion’s MAX385VD double DIN multimedia center offers SIRIUS direct connect where no black box or adapter cable is required. Simply plug in the SIRIUS tuner (SCC1) into these Clarion source units and you’re good to go. The Clarion MAX385VD boasts a 6.5 inch monitor with touch panel control, MP3/ WMA playback, iPod® audio control and iPod video playback with Clarion’s USB iPod cable (CUIPOD1).

The Clarion MAX385VD’s sleek 2-DIN design also features rear AUX input and 6 channel 2 volt RCA output to round off its already awesome system capabilities.

“We are very exicted to introduce this new feature in 2008,” says Ralf Engelbrecht, Senior Vice President of Retail Sales at Clarion Corporation of America. “The new Sirius direct connect feature increases the value of our products to customers by eliminating the need for for a translator box.”

The Clarion VRX485VD 1-DIN AV Center has stylish cosmetics with intuitive user-friendly controls. It features a 7 inch flip-out monitor with touch panel control, MP3/ WMA and DivX video playback. It is iPod audio and video ready with Clarion’s CUIPOD1 cable. The SIRIUS direct connect feature is achieved by simply connecting the SIRIUS SCC1 tuner and antenna with no additional cables or translator boxes required. It is that easy.

The Clarion MAX385VD and Clarion VRX485VD are both full-featured multimedia source units with similar cosmetic styling and comparable pricing, but the determining factor is single or double DIN preference.

A February 2008 consumer launch is planned for both the Clarion MAX385VD and VRX485VD multimedia systems.

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Do more with Pioneer “uBus” USB Control - not just iPod® direct control*, “uBus” also controls many MP3 players** and USB memory devices (”Jump Drives”) as well. Access, control and high-resolution playback are supremely fast and straightforward. Simply plug in USB-compatible equipment (such as an iPod® nano, iPod® Video, or another portable digital player or USB memory device) into the included USB connector. This direct, high-speed (USB 2.0), adapter-free connection plus built-in 24-bit Delta Sigma D/A Converter assures extraordinary sound quality as well as convenience.

Control and operation is extremely intuitive and responsive with the 7-Way Rotary Commander, which works similar in all respects to an actual iPod. You can easily select from Artists, Albums, Genres, Playlists and more, and then quickly use the rotary action to sort through the selections. MP3 CD’s, MP3 portable players and USB memory devices are all also very similar and easy to use.

Pioneer “uBus” USB Direct Control is available on the following models:

Pioneer DEH-P6900UB, Pioneer DEH-P690UB, Add-on USB capability to many additional headunits using the CD-UB100 USB Adapter. Compatible with the following 2007 models: Pioneer DEH-P4900IB, Premier DEH-P490IB, Pioneer DEH-P5900IB, Premier DEH-P590IB, DEH-P7900BT, and Premier DEH-P790BT.

More information: PioneerElectronics.com