An Audio Lover’s Video Player.

Over the past year, Denon has quietly assembled an interesting array of Blu-ray players designed to suit a host of budgets and systems—from the digital-only DVD-2500BTCI transport ($999) to the recently announced “entry-level” DVD-1800BD ($749).

Residing at the top of the chain is the reference DVD-3800BDCI ($1,999), a beefy unit whose build quality and high-end components befit that higher price tag.

All three models are Profile 1.1/BonusView players that support picture-in-picture playback and pass high-resolution audio in bitstream form over HDMI, but the DVD-3800BDCI distinguishes itself with higher-end video processing and more audio features and flexibility.

The DVD-3800BDCI supports Blu-ray, DVD, CD, MP3, WMA, JPEG, and Divx playback through its disc drive, and the front-panel SD card reader plays MP3, WMA, and JPEG files and allows you to view additional Blu-ray features downloaded from the Internet.

Unfortunately, since this is a Profile 1.1 player, it lacks an Ethernet port through which to directly access the BD-Live Web features offered on some Blu-ray discs.

The DVD-3800BDCI can pass a native 1080p/24 signal over its HDMI 1.3a output, and the picture quality in this format is outstanding, with great detail, color reproduction, and black/white detail.

This model features Silicon Optix’s highest-end 10-bit Realta video processing chip; so, if your TV doesn’t accept 1080p/24, you can rest assured that the DVD-3800BDCI won’t introduce digital artifacts when outputting 1080p/60 instead.

It passed all of the 1080i/1080p processing tests I sent its way, and it also does an excellent job upconverting standard-definition DVDs to 1080p, with good detail, minimal deinterlacing artifacts, and effective noise reduction if needed.

The deinterlacing holds up well through the component video outputs, but I did feel that Blu-ray discs looked more detailed when output at 1080i than 720p (as with most Blu-ray players, you can’t output 1080p over component).

On the audio side, the DVD-3800BDCI delivers all the options you want in a Blu-ray player…and then some.

As I mentioned, the player passes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bitstream form over HDMI, which is a great option if your receiver can decode these formats.

However, the DVD-3800BDCI can also decode these formats itself, to be passed as multichannel LPCM over HDMI or the 7.1-channel analog audio outputs, so you can easily incorporate this product into older audio systems (you know, from way back in the year 2000).

The setup menu includes the full complement of bass-management controls for these PCM signals, with the ability to set speaker size, crossover, level, and delay.

Denon incorporates proprietary audio technologies like DDSC-HD audio decoding and Advanced AL24 audio processing to ensure optimal sound reproduction.

For two-channel purists, there’s even an extra set of stereo analog outputs and a Pure Direct mode that shuts down unnecessary video circuits to improve audio-only performance.

In terms of disc load times and navigation, the DVD-3800BDCI’s speed is about average —not as good as the fastest Blu-ray players I’ve tested but better than that of early generation players, especially when dealing with Blu-ray discs that utilize a lot of BD-Java menus and interactive features.

Operation was consistently reliable and glitch-free, with no freezes, stutters, or other issues.

The remote has a clean, intuitive layout with glow-in-the-dark buttons.

The only button I missed was a PIP button to quickly enable a BD’s picture-in-picture features, when available.

On the subject of PIP, like all Profile 1.1 players I’ve tested, the DVD-3800BDCI gives you the option to enable secondary audio or not.

When enabled, you can hear the audio track in PIP commentaries, as well as other secondary audio cues in menus; however, all soundtracks are output as multichannel PCM.

You must disable the secondary audio feature in order to listen to a soundtrack in its native form, be that Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby TrueHD, or DTS-HD.

Denon makes it easy to enable or disable this feature on a disc-by-disc basis, using the remote’s Mode button.

AVR-4308CI

Denon also sent along the 7.1-channel AVR-4308CI receiver ($2,699), which is a logical price mate for the DVD-3800BDCI and an excellent choice for the person who wants a powerful, full-featured receiver that can accommodate plenty of new and legacy sources.

It can send an independent HD signal to a second zone via component, and has second-zone A/V and third-zone audio outputs, eight-channel analog audio inputs, RS-232, and XM and iPod inputs.

This unit can convert all analog and digital input sources to 1080p/60 HDMI output, it has Ethernet and WiFi connectivity for media streaming, and—naturally—it has the newest audio decoders, like Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD.

The newly redesigned onscreen menu and the Audyssey MultEQ XT automatic calibration tool make setup a breeze, and the receiver exhibited no issues with HDMI switching or conversion of component video to 1080p HDMI.

Not surprisingly, these two Denon components played nicely with one another. Audio quality was excellent, with BD, DVD, and CD sources through both the HDMI and analog connections.

The LFE level is a little low when you let the player handle high-resolution decoding, but otherwise the sound quality was first-rate.

The AVR-4308CI had ample power to drive my RBH tower speakers and possessed a generally neutral character that may veer just slightly warm, which is how I prefer it.

Whether you opt for the player/receiver combo or just add the DVD-3800BDCI to your existing high-end entertainment system, you’ll be treated to a great Blu-ray experience.

It’s disappointing that this $2,000 player isn’t at least BD live-ready, with an Ethernet port; so, if the ability to access Web features on Blu-ray discs is important to you, you’ll want to look elsewhere.

However, if outstanding video, audio, and build quality top your list of priorities, the DVD-3800BDCI delivers.

DESCRIPTION
Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player and 7.1-channel A/V receiver

CONNECTIONS
DVD-3800BDCI: HDMI out, component video out (RCA and BNC connectors), s-video out, composite video out, optical and coaxial digital audio outs, 7.1- and 2-channel analog audio outs, RS-232, IR in/out

AVR-4308CI: 4 HDMI ins/2 outs, 3 component video ins/3 outs (one 2nd zone), 3 coaxial digital audio ins, 4 optical digital audio ins/2 outs, 7 A/V ins/2 outs, 1 s-video/composite monitor out, Zone 2 A/V out, Zone 3 stereo audio out, 2 stereo analog ins, 8-channel analog ins, 8-channel pre outs, 2 USB ins, Ethernet, WiFi Antenna, DenonLink, iPod port, XM in, HD Radio/AM/FM tuners, RS-232, IR in/out, 2 trigger outs, 11 pairs of speaker binding posts,

POWER OUTPUT:
AVR-4308CI: 140 watts x 7

DIMENSIONS
DVD-3800BDCI: 5.5 x 17.13 x 15.75; 22.8 pounds

AVR-4308CI: 7.7 x 17.1 x 17.9; 41.6 pounds

PRICE/CONTACT
PRICE: DVD-3800BDCI, $1,999; AVR-4308CI, $2,699
CONTACT: 201.762.6500, denon.com