Denon is known for quality products and this is no exception! The DVD-2500BTCI is among the first Blu-ray Profile 1.1–compliant players, which requires secondary video and audio decoders for playback of Bonus View Picture-in-Picture interactive features. This kind of content has only been included on a handful of titles to date, but we’ll be seeing more now that supporting hardware is becoming more available. The front panel features an SD card slot for storage of additional content and also includes support for Windows Media Audio, MP3 files, and JPEG images.

This is also one of only a few players that supports bitstream transmission of lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. It does not support onboard decoding of the new lossless codecs.

The only advanced audio formats that the player decodes at full resolution are PCM (up to 7.1 channels) and Dolby Digital Plus. With Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks, the player decodes only the core lossy Dolby Digital and DTS tracks, which are output over HDMI as 5.1-channel PCM.

There are quite a few BD players on the market at this price point and below that decode Dolby TrueHD and output it as PCM over HDMI, including the PlayStation 3 at less than half the price.

The video side also has a few quirks. The supports all of the typical standard- and high-def output resolutions, including 1080p/60 and 1080p/24. It does not feature a source-direct output that simply outputs the native resolution of whatever is on the disc you’re playing. This feature, common to Sony and Pioneer Elite designs, allows the end user to take advantage of the video processing in their A/V processors or displays to make the most out of the video source.

You can select the video output by specific resolution or set it to Auto, which simply polls the display device and outputs the maximum resolution that the end display supports.

• plays Blu-ray high-definition discs (selectable output resolution: 720p/1080i/1080p signals available through HDMI output)
• plays DVD-Video, DVD-R & DVD-RW, and DivX® (v6.0) discs
• plays CD, audio CD-R & CD-RW, and MP3 & WMA CDs
• plays digital photo CDs (JPEG/Kodak/Fuji)
• selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for DVD
• Blu-ray 1080p/24fps output capability
• supports Blu-ray Disc Final Standard Profile (Profile 1 Version 1.1) for added bonus features with compatible discs
• built-in audio decoding to PCM for Dolby Digital and DTS
• multichannnel uncompressed PCM output via HDMI
• bitstream audio output via HDMI for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio
• BD-Java interactive capability
• HDMI digital output (combines video and multichannel audio with HDCP copy protection)
• HDMI version 1.3a with Deep Color support
• SD memory card slot
• RS-232C port for third part controllers
• IR input and output for remote repeater systems
• rigid construction with dual-layered top shields and triple-layered bottom shields
• newly designed disc mechanism protects against magnetic influences, dust, and external vibration
• S.V.H. (Suppress Vibration Hybrid) loader ensures stable disc rotation

via: http://www.hometheatermag.com

You can get the DVD-2500BTCI here:

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