Denon AVR-3808 A/V receiver

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Features

Key features at a glance:

Connectivity		Audio soundtrack capabilities
HDMI inputs	4	Passes Dolby Digital and DTS via HDMI	Yes
Component-video inputs	3	Passes LPCM via HDMI	Yes
AV inputs w/S-Video	7 (6 rear, 1 front)	Decodes Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master	Yes
Optical inputs	4 (3 rear, 1 front)	Video capabilities
Coaxial inputs	3	HDMI version	1.3
Selectable HD sources	7	1080p via HDMI	Yes
Satellite radio	N/A	1080p via component*	Yes
Network audio	Yes	Upconverts analog sources	Yes
Phono input	Yes	Deinterlaces 480i via HDMI	Yes
Analog multichannel inputs	Yes	Selectable output resolution	Yes

*Note: The AVR-3808 can output only 1080p component video signals over the component video output. It cannot upconvert 1080p component video signals to the HDMI output.

The AVR-3808 is a 7.1-channel receiver, which Denon rates at 130W per channel. Like essentially every other receiver available, it offers a full selection of Dolby and DTS surround-processing modes. In addition, the AVR-3808 also offers decoding for the new high-resolution formats: Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

The logos speak for themselves: Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding.

Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks can be found on both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, and employ lossless compression schemes--meaning there is no audio information thrown away as there is with lossy formats, such as the Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks found on standard DVDs. The AVR-3808 is capable of playing these formats two ways: Either accepting the decoded PCM signal from a high-def disc player with onboard decoding, or accepting an encoded bitstream signal from a high-def disc player. As of the time of this review, high-def disc players' ability to output these soundtracks vary widely, so the fact that the AVR-3808 can handle both types of audio signals is a great plus.

As you'd expect in this price range, the AVR-3808 is packed with connectivity. There are four HDMI inputs, each capable of accepting both 1080p high-def video and high-resolution audio. That's not quite as many as the six available on the competing Sony STR-DA5300ES, but you can always pick up an HDMI switcher if you need more HDMI ports. For analog high-def video, there are also three component-video inputs capable of receiving 1080p signals. The rest of the analog video connectivity suite is rounded out by seven A/V inputs with S-video (one on the front panel). Audio connections are also well-covered, with seven total digital audio inputs (three optical and two coaxial on the rear panel, plus an additional optical upfront). Analog audio is supported by two audio-only stereo RCA inputs, including a phono jack, plus a 7.1 multichannel analog input. Rounding out the rest of the features are a Denon link port, a USB port (for music and photos), a serial port (for home automation systems), and pre-outs (for those with dedicated external amps).

Denon includes plenty of bonus connectivity, enabling digital music streaming and easy connection to other Denon link gear.

All that connectivity can't be fully utilized unless there are enough input labels to go around. The AVR-3808 has this fully covered on the high-def side, with seven labels that can have either an HDMI or component-video input assigned to them. That means you can have seven high-def components connected to the AVR-3808 at one time. We were a little disappointed to see that seven is actually the total number of video labels available. So if you have more than seven video-components, you're out of luck (the competing STR-DA5300ES has nine high-def labels and 11 total video labels). There are also two additional audio-only labels, Phono and CD.

Denon packed plenty of multizone features in the AVR-3808 as well. It supports three zone/three source functionality, meaning you can play a different source in each of the three zones, plus the GUI works in a second zone as well. Second zone video is made possible with a second component-video output, although it will work with only S-video and standard composite-video sources.

Network/USB
The AVR-3808 comes equipped with a network port and two USB ports, both of which can be used with Denon's built-in digital music player. Simply by connecting the receiver to our home network, we were able to access digital music stored on our PC. The AVR-3808 is capable of playing back MP3, WMA, WMA files with DRM (if Windows Media Player 11 is running), WAV, AAC, and FLAC files--although it cannot handle songs purchased from iTunes or subscription-based songs from Rhapsody or Napster. Audiophiles will definitely appreciate support for both FLAC and WAV formats as they are both lossless, which means you'll get the full resolution from your ripped CDs. Denon claims it's also possible to view album art, although we could not get it working with our setup. As we expected from a wired connection, we did not experience any hiccups even when streaming large WAV and FLAC files. It's also possible to stream music and photos off a USB drive, but keep in mind that the drive needs to be FAT32 formatted.

In addition to streaming files off your PC, the Ethernet connection can be used to access Internet radio stations and podcasts. When you first jump into the Internet radio section, you are likely to be overwhelmed--there are thousands of stations from all over the world and the sluggishness of the interface makes it very tedious to truly browse. Luckily, you can circumvent the process by registering online at RadioDenon, where you can browse and select your favorite Internet radio stations (and even add your own). The nice part is that after you choose your favorites your Internet-connected AVR-3808 will download them so you can navigate a much more manageable list of your favorite Internet radio stations. The site says it will take a day to update, but it happened nearly immediately for us.

While we certainly enjoyed this functionality, it should be pointed out that there are other products which stream music better than the AVR-3808, such as the Sonos, the Roku SoundBridge, and the Logitech Squeezebox. As mentioned above, the interface itself is frustrating to use and you're stuck with the lackluster remote (unless you get a universal model). So while the network streaming function is an added bonus, remember that dedicated music streamers can be integrated with any A/V receiver and will probably do a better job.

Control via PC

Controlling the AVR-3808 via your computer makes it easier to complete some setup tasks.

The Ethernet connection also makes it possible to control the AVR-3808 via a PC on your home network. To do this, simply put the IP address of your AVR-3808 into the address bar of your browser, and you should be able to make changes. This is actually a much easier way to accomplish many tasks. For example, it's much easier to type in source names with a keyboard than uses the antiquated system in the GUI (Denon really should have included an onscreen keyboard). Surprisingly, it updates nearly immediately so we could see our changes taking effect on the receiver as we tweaked it from a laptop computer on the couch. The other advantage is that it's possible for offsite custom installers to tweak your system if you give them access. Considering how complex the AVR-3808 is, this is a really nice feature for those who'd rather leave the tweaking to the pros.

Video Scaling and Conversion
The AVR-3808 offers more video scaling and conversion options than we've seen on any other receiver we've tested. First off, the AVR-3808 is the first receiver we've tested that offers scaling on HDMI sources. While many receivers offer the ability to upconvert analog sources to their HDMI output, the AVR-3808 can, for example, upscale the 480p HDMI output from a DVD player to 1080p resolution. While it's theoretically a nice feature (and for some reason seems to really excite some A/V geeks), there isn't much of a practical purpose to it, especially considering its high-def performance (see performance section for more info). Owners of older, pre-HDMI Xbox 360 models should note an important limitation: 1080p component video signals cannot be upconverted over the HDMI output.

All of these scaling options are further enhanced by the ability to choose whether you want video conversion to occur on each individual input. Since the video upconversion is mostly solid on the AVR-3808 (see performance for more details), you'd be pretty safe just leaving it on. But videophiles will appreciate the ability to get things exactly how they want them.

How Does It Compare?
Anyone looking at the AVR-3808 should also consider its step-down model, the AVR-2808. The main advantages of the AVR-3808 are the music streaming over the network port and the additional two HDMI ports. However, that functionality can be added to the AVR-2808 by throwing in an inexpensive HDMI switcher.

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