The world’s most advanced player piano just took an evolutionary leap forward. The Yamaha Disklavier, the piano that can play itself, teach you to play melodies and perform in sync with many of your favorite CDs, is now available in the all-new Mark IV series, which continues Yamaha’s 20-year tradition of performance reproducing player piano innovation with a range of 21st-century twists.

The Mark IV series takes the Disklavier’s remote control functions to the next level: all Mark IV models include the PDA-type Pocket Remote Controller, a wireless remote with dedicated buttons and a full-color LCD touch screen. In addition to the Pocket Remote, select models also feature the tablet-PC type Tablet Remote Controller, a portable 10.4” touch-screen LCD color control panel that offers different animated, customizable visual environments to operate from. Both remote controllers use the 802.11b wireless specification to communicate with the piano over long distances, enabling full-function control of the Disklavier through walls and with a flexibility never before possible.

The Yamaha Mark IV line features new, open-ended software-based architecture built on a rock-solid Linux Operating System that will facilitate future upgrades and expansions, thus offering outstanding investment protection. Another first for the Mark IV series is the inclusion of a built-in, high-capacity hard drive for easy, high-volume storage of MIDI, CD-audio and graphic data. The Mark IV’s 80-gigabyte hard drive replaces the 16-megabyte flash memory found in previous models, which were only capable of storing MIDI files.

The new Disklavier also incorporates several new family entertainment features, including karaoke-file compatibility, microphone input and vocal harmony heard via either the piano’s built-in speakers or an external sound system. Lyric data is displayed either via the composite video output found on all Mark IV models, or on the higher-end Tablet Remote Control. The current OS is compatible with Tune-1000 karaoke files available at www.yamahamusicsoft.com, but other formats will be supported.

Beyond its many new features, the Mark IV series also includes capabilities that have made its predecessors so popular. Users of Yamaha’s PianoSmart® technology already know how current Disklavier models can synchronize the piano’s playback with other instrument and vocal tracks from a standard audio CD for a fully orchestrated performance. They simply buy the piano MIDI files that correspond to CDs they probably already own. Once the data is loaded onto the internal hard drive, users simply select song names and the piano plays the appropriate MIDI and Audio files together.

New touches abound in the Mark IV. The Disklavier’s Media Center, where basic playback controls and the motorized CD tray are located, has a new low-profile configuration with a retractable glossy cover. The piano integrates seamlessly with standard or whole-house sound systems, enabling the piano’s outputs to be configured so that home speakers near the piano produce only the backup orchestration, while speakers in another part of the house add a digital piano sound. This lets users hear the piano’s performance in any room in the house with speakers. An SP/DIF digital audio output is also featured.

The Mark IV adds a unique video synchronization capability that lets users videotape their own performances and play them back later with the Disklavier in perfect step with the image. The only extra hardware required is a video capture device with audio inputs, and a playback device with audio outputs, such as a typical camcorder.


Yamaha Disklavier Mark IV piano

“The Disklavier Mark IV represents the most advanced player piano technology available to the consumer today,” says Paul Calvin, general manager, Yamaha Piano Division. “Its wide range of technological enhancements reinforces Yamaha’s leadership position in the player piano market and underscores our commitment to deliver the very best instruments to our customers.”

The Disklavier also includes the revolutionary SmartKey software, which guides beginners through simple melodies while the instrument provides professional-sounding accompaniment. It does this by moving the correct keys slightly, cueing the user to strike them, and waiting until they do.

The experience of playing the piano for pleasure takes on a new dimension with Yamaha CueTIME™ software, which offers orchestrated arrangements that automatically follow the user’s pace. For privacy, courtesy or stress-free practice, the Disklavier includes a Quiet Mode that replaces the acoustic piano action with a digital piano users can hear through headphones.

Disklavier pianos are available in a variety of models and configurations starting at about $11,000. For more information on Yamaha Disklavier pianos, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com/disklavier.

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