By David Katzmaier, CNET.com
26/07/2007
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/home_av/others/0,39037627,62029486,00.htm

Not to be outdone by all the other manufacturers making a mint overcharging for Blu-ray players (PS3 notwithstanding), Denon announced its own Blu-ray player recently for the ice-cool price of US$1,999. The DVD-3800BDCI will be available in the US this fall.

Editors' note: We have only received confirmation on the Q4 2007 Asia availability for the Samsung BD-UP5000 and not for the rest of the players featured in this article.

	The beefy Denon DVD-3800BDCI. (Click for larger image)

The at-least-US$1,000 premium over current Blu-ray players gets you BD-ROM profile 1 version 1.1, which will enable, according to the press release, "simultaneous playback of a secondary audio and video track, which may be used for interactive audio and commentary and for picture-in-picture capability (respectively). Additional information (subtitles, audio streams, camera angles, trailers, games, etc.) can be downloaded from the Internet via computer and stored on an SD card that either player will accept". Translation? Unless you're really into special features, version 1.1 hardly makes current Blu-ray players seem obsolete.

We're still scratching our heads why Denon couldn't include an Ethernet connection, found on players like the Samsung BD-P1200, instead of making you rely on SD cards. Aside from version 1.1, the new reference player will include the step-up version of HQV's video processor, known as Realta. Current HQV-equipped units, like the aforementioned Samsung, get the step-down Reon processing, which to our eye works pretty dang well. Realta is said to improve the video quality of Blu-ray discs, and so it may inspire purchases that version 1.1 wouldn't. It's worth mentioning that simultaneous secondary A/V track playback, along with an Ethernet port, are standard on all HD-DVD players regardless of price.

In terms of audio, the DVD-3800BDCI will internally decode the new higher-quality surround Dolby TrueHD soundtracks (we're not sure yet if it can also decode DTS Master soundtracks, although the one we photographed was missing the DTS-HD Master logo) and can pass both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio via bitstream to a compatible receiver like one of Denon's new models, the Onkyo TX-SR605 or Sony STR-DA5300ES for example.

Unfortunately the new Denon Blu-ray player lacks DVD-Audio and SACD playback, which might make it a more compelling purchase for audiophiles invested in those formats. Speaking of formats, Denon's spokesman was careful to mention that the release of the DVD-3800BDCI didn't necessarily mean the company was an exclusive supporter of Blu-ray, a statement that naturally leaves open the possibility of Denon producing a combo HD-DVD/Blu-ray player.

Samsung BD-UP5000HD
Samsung announced final official details on two expensive Blu-ray players recently, including the HD DVD-playin' BD-UP5000 we wrote about before, and a new home-theater-in-a-box that incorporates a Blu-ray player, the HT-BD2. We're now told the BD-UP5000 will retail for US$1,049, and the HT-BD2 will sell for US$1,499. Both will ship sometime in the US in the fourth quarter of this year.

	Samsung BD-UP5000HD Blu-ray/HD-DVD player. (Click for larger image)

After the LG BH100, the Samsung BD-UP5000 will be the second player to handle both Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs. It's the first to support the interactive layer of HD-DVD, known as HDi, which enables full interactive menu use. It also features, like all 2007 Samsung Blu-ray players, Ethernet ports, HDMI 1.3 ports and the ability to output 24Hz 1080p video from Blu-ray (but not HD-DVD) discs. We did appreciate the BD-P1200's HQV video processing, however, which is also present on the BD-UP5000 and the Blu-ray-only BD-P2400. Like Denon's DVD-3800BDCI, the BD-UP5000 will also enable interactive features like picture-in-picture commentaries (for what they're worth). For all of you keeping track, we haven't confirmed yet whether the Samsung will actually comply with the BD-ROM profile 1 version 1.1 spec.

While we lauded the US$1,200 LG for the groundbreaking combo ability, we can't help but be disappointed in the price of combination players. As many have pointed out before, you can purchase a standalone Blu-ray player and a standalone HD-DVD player separately for less money than the price of one of the combo players. One of these combo players also costs around the same price as an Xbox 360 Elite with the HD-DVD drive and a PlayStation 3, a combination that brings both next-gen disc playback and gaming.

The HT-BD2, meanwhile, is the first HTIB we've seen announced with a built-in Blu-ray player. That player has the same feature set as the BD-P1400 standalone player (in other words, no HQV processing), yet it stands as part of a 7.1-channel speaker system--that's five tower speakers, two satellite rear speakers and a powered sub--driven by 1,100W. Although those specs are impressive for an HTIB, we're skeptical about the HT-BD2's reception from the generally separates-oriented Blu-ray/HD DVD buyer.