Denon DVD-A1UDCI

When Blu-ray players were first launched, many were put off by their expensive price tags. But when high definition televisions started to become more affordable to the average consumer, people started to show interest with the latest high-definition formats. Expectations grew rapidly when the HD-DVD format was finally wiped out. Still Blu-ray players can be quite pricey and the real value of the player is more focused on current Blu-ray technologies and Blu-ray playback performance. Some of the modern players have support for DVD and audio CDs, but some of them lack support for other formats.  However, the Denon DVD-A1UDCI Reference Universal Blu-ray player claims to be the only device that people need as it can play virtually every format except for the obsolete HD-DVD format.

Denon has made an impact in the Blu-ray market early before the competition went serious and now Denon hopes to win the hearts of many that are tired of buying multiple devices just for the sake of compatibility. It also manages to bring all the necessary features that other Blu-ray players have so it should pair well with any television display. This machine hopes to cater to the High-End Home Theater enthusiast and the Hard-Core Audiophile at the same time.

Denon DVD-A1UDCI | Player Details

Design

This player is the companion player for the Denon Flagship AVP/POA Pre-Power combination. With all the features incorporated in the Denon DVD-A1UDCI, the built quality and finishing are exceptional. It maintains a conventional design with the standard Denon products making it a worthy addition to any rack.

Finished with a black or silver exterior, the Denon maintains a clean front panel with the main playback control buttons situated on the right side. The small rectangular door below the playback control buttons hides a SD memory slot for BD View storage and media playback from SD card. In the center lies the thin metal disk tray that pops out and in silently when activated. To the left are 3 feature indication blue LEDs which light up when AL32 processing, Denon Link connection and Denon Link clock control playback are being utilized. Directly below these indicators are the power button and some extra buttons like the HDMI Mode and Disc Layer.

Features

Starting with video, the DVD-A1-UD sports all the features you would want from a Hi-End Blu-ray player. Dedicated video and audio HDMI ports are provided for AV Direct mode, one going directly to the TV or projector and the other directly to the HD Audio decoding processor. The HDMI mode button dictates how both HDMI output ports should behave, 6 configurations in all. 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta processing is incorporated into this player

Audio media formats like, SACD, DVD-Audio, HDCD, Red Book CD and MP3 from SD cards are supported as well. Denon expects this player to be used with Denon Link to derive native full resolution playback. HDMI audio output from SACD disc, unfortunately, is down-sampled. However, Audio CD Digital upsampling to 32 bits is carried out with Denon’s Advanced AL32 processing specification.

For those with legacy Home Theater AV receivers, the DVD-A1UD has 7.1 RCA analogue outputs. With this, any legacy 7.1 receivers without HDMI inputs will be able to playback HD-Audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. Speakers configuration, channel level and speakers distance adjustments are available in the setup GUI. Hard core audio purists would be happy with the two Balanced XLR output.

The Denon DVD-A1UD’s comprehensive connectivity sets the player apart from the masses - comes with 2 HDMI outputs and a 'Denon Link'

One unique feature is the exclusive Denon Flow Control jitter-free playback with Denon Link 4th. As with any standard player, Blu-ray HD-Audio is bitstreamed to the audio processor asynchronously but Denon’s audio processor through Denon Link 4th provides the master clock source to synchronize both Audio and Video digital stream HDMI output from the player. The net result is jitter- free digital output for Blu-ray playback. Currently, Denon link 4th is available for AVP-A1HDCI Processor, AVR-5308CI Receiver and the new AVR-4310CI Receiver.

Performance

Most HD movies encoded in their original 2.40 aspect ratio would benefit from this projector’s Vertical Stretch feature. The picture is stretched to make full use all 1980 x 1920 pixels in a full-HD capable projector. With the use of an anamorphic lens installed in front of projector lens you can get a more complete cinemascope picture.

Video performance is a notch above all the standard Blu-ray players. Background video noise generally very prominent in low-light scenes is significantly reduced by this player. The concept of providing a dedicated Video HDMI directly to the display contributes to the excellent picture quality of this player. It almost feels like the picture quality expected from a blu-ray disc has been taken to a whole other level.

Of all the various audio output options this player offers, the Denon Link 4th seems to be the best, giving wide soundstage, highly detailed and focused sound. Multichannel SACD is a joy to listen to.

The 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta chipset is a major component of the DVD-A1UDCI complex hardware that is responsible for granting the highest possible resolution through a HDMI connection today. It is coupled with dual HD video output scalers so HD quality output is obtained regardless of the output ports used. This means that people without a HDMI cable can still enjoy HD technology with the component cables.

Bottom Line

The Denon DVD-A1UDCI Reference Universal Blu-ray player has a price tag of $4,500 MSRP. It is a heavyweight when it comes to audio capabilities and has a superior set of video features as well. This makes  it  the cream of the crop of all Blu-ray players. There are many connection ports on the back and many different types of discs that it can accept making this the true universal player aimed at hardcore multimedia people that need to utilize every possible format on a single easy-to-use device. This should be a no-brainer buy for anyone who currently owns the companion Denon AVP-A1HDCI audio processor.

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