Denon intros two new high end Blu-ray players
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Oct 17th 2007 11:02AM
posted Oct 17th 2007 11:02AM
[Via Akihabara News]
posted Oct 17th 2007 11:02AM
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This is stupid. Don't BD manufacturers get that people really want a $99 player. This is totally pointless when you can get an A2 for $200.
Denon has always been High End, similar to Pioneer Elite. Most of their products are not cheap but have great quality.
Is this a Profile 1.1 player?
Dave:
either 1.1 or 2.0, but we won't really know until Jan at CES 2008
BD manufacturers DO want to sell at the lowest possible price, though some BD players do "list" at $499 (and below) right now, but not at the "magic" $199 spot that HD DVD players do...yet.
Denon is a name many higher-end home theater installers have on their "list" of manufacturers they deal with vs. say, Samsung or Phillips for DVD players, much less BD players.
Therefore, if you are an installer or consulting firm doing a HT doing spec for a $20,000+ home theater, for example, the client will want Denon (or the very best in their "mindset") for the BD player and that hasn't happened yet, until now:
So many HT installs never had BD players to install to begin with: No Denon BD player models.
My take on it is, if you are installing a $5-10K 1080p front projector (or even higher price) with all the other high-end AV gear, a BD player delivering an actual HD picture with high def audio will get them to the theater better than even a good upconversion DVD player:
Even if it costs more than a $1K a BD player, who is going to complain if it says Denon on it and the HT setup cost over twenty grand? Nobody.
Sorry joe 6-pack, it's not irrelevant at all, at least, not for people who understand the technology in at least a minimal degree and actually have decent jobs. We'll take the Denons, Pioneers, and Sonys. For the rest of you, yeah, you better wait for that $99 Venturer and Toshiba HD-DUD players.
Sorry HD DUD fans, better stick with the Venturer, Shinco, and cheap, problematic Toshiba players. We blu-ray fans, who understand the superiority of blu-ray and are willing and able to pay for it, will take the Pioneers, Denons, and Sonys. Have a nice day!
Just Go Blu!
Bring the Blu-ray RECORDERS with hard drive to America already. What is the hold up?
For all you people trying to associate low cost with low quality, your technology can't even do PiP. It doesn't even allow you to access Internet extras. What's that about? Why would you pay exorbitant prices for an inferior technology? Is a 1980s cell phone better than the one I got for free via Cingular this year? It cost a whole lot more. I guess it must be better. Why don't you save your money, go back in time, and buy a BetaMax? It must be superior technology--it cost more than a PS3.
Whatever, folks. Transformers and Heroes looks and sounds amazing on my "discount" system. Too bad you can only afford to watch it on DVD.
Denon does charge more but the guts are higher quality as well. Better DAC's (for those choosing to run analog), better video processing...it all adds up. It'll also accept discrete remote commands which installers need for home automation, as well as the RS-232C port for hooking up to systems like Crestron. However, if your receiver or tv has as good or better video processing and you aren't running a control system like Crestron or AMX a Samsung BD player will be just as good.