A century of setting the standard
From 1910 to 2010, from gramophones to Blu-ray Disc, one-hundred years of Denon have been one-hundred years of innovation and excellence in audio and video reproduction. And to celebrate their 100th Anniversary, Denon isn't just highlighting past successes with a special line of home A/V components, they're continuing their century-long heritage by premiering new technological advancements that equip you for the full, modern home theater experience. And the DBP-A100 universal Blu-ray Disc player is no exception. As a universal Blu-ray Disc player, the DBP-A100 supports playback of a diverse array of the most common and advanced audio and video formats. As a Denon Blu-ray Disc player, the DBP-A100 delivers audio and video reproduction with exceptional precision, clarity, and fidelity . . . the result of specific attention to audio and video processing as well as overall component construction.
A focus on audio and video
In designing the DBP-A100 Blu-ray player to showcase both the history and future of its A/V component performance, Denon lavish equal attention upon audio and video reproduction. First, on the audio side of things, Advanced AL24 processors teams up with Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuitry-HD technology to achieve superior sound quality for all channels, whether in stereo or multichannel configuration. Further, new Denon LINK 4th technology applies advanced clock control to audio-signal transmission via HDMI. The resulting reduction in signal jitter in turn realizes more precise sound localization and an enhanced spatiality of the aural imagery. Then, turning the focus to video, while the DBP-A100's high-bit video circuitry delivers pristine picture quality from both HD and non-HD sources, Denon Pixel Image Correction serves up more natural correction of curved lines for improved clarity and realism. The culmination of 100 years of excellence, the DBP-A100 brings you an exceptional audio and video experience from Blu-ray Disc and other media.
Denon-built
If 100 years of A/V design and innovation have taught Denon anything, it's that every aspect of an A/V component's design influences its performance, from the electronics to the body that houses them. Embodying this philosophy, the DBP-A100 sports unique advancements across its design. First, an original SVH Mechanism offers an exceptionally low center of gravity for the disc-drive motor, achieving minimal vibration, quiet operation, and high-precision playback. Further, a Direct Mechanical Ground Construction mounts the disc mechanism at the unit's center, efficiently releasing unwanted vibration through the feet to the ground, ensuring high-quality sound and picture playback. Then, cast-iron footings and a multi-layer chassis complete the effect with dramatically improved stability for the entire component. Next, the DBP-A100 delivers faithful playback of audio and video signals by mounting the electronic circuits in separate locations inside the chassis, ensuring that different signal types to not affect one another by causing electronic or magnetic noise. Finally, a coupling condensor smoothes signal frequencies, adding a further guarantee of high-fidelity transmission. Superior construction for superior playback: the DBP-A100 from Denon.
Defining "universal"
There's no doubt about it: we're living in a multiple-format world. Even the word "multiple" doesn't seem to do the notion justice. There are almost more audio, video, and photo formats today than a person could even name. Accordingly, the folks at Denon have spared you the trouble of keeping track by extending their Universal player design to the DBP-A100 Blu-ray player. And when they say "universal", they aren't kidding. Not only does this Blu-ray player play Blu-ray discs, DVDs, and CDs, but it supports a diverse array of audio, video, and photo formats that might be stored on optical discs. The list is almost endless — MP3, WMA, ASC, LPCM, JPEG and DivX. And that's not all! The DBP-1A100 supports all these formats and video, photos, and music found on a SD memory card. Further, you can playback home AVCHD video recorded to a writable DVD, as well as unlock exceptional audio from Super Audio CDs and DVD Audio discs. "Universal" means one source for all your media needs.
Blu-ray goes "Live"
Sure, Blu-ray Disc sports five-times the capacity of DVD, but that doesn't mean you don't still crave more. Consequently, Denon has outfitted the DBP-A100 Blu-ray player with BD-Live capability. Part of the Blu-ray Profile 2.0 standard, BD-Live functionality allows you to use the built-in ethernet port and SD card slot to download bonus materials for your favorite flicks from the internet and store them temporarily on the player. Oh, and in case you were wondering, those "bonus materials" include features like trailers, movie features, and interactive online gaming, as well as synchronized viewing, live chat, and video messaging. All you need is a broadband internet connection.
A little HD audio for your HD video
HD audio? Really? Are we just plain crazy? There's no way such a thing exists. Oh, but it does. Full HD 1080p video aside, the true benefit to Blu-ray technology is audio. With its dramatically expanded storage capacity, Blu-ray Disc is capable of offering 7.1 channels of surround sound. And that's just the beginning. Blu-ray has space enough for 7.1 channels of uncompressed, studio-quality audio. In short, Blu-ray audio delivers the listening experience that the director intended for you to have. Serving up this HD audio experience, the DBP-A100 features both Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio decoding. These technologies offer the most advanced audio processing decoding currently available. Further, thanks to 7.1-channel analog audio output, this Blu-ray player is fully compatible with older multichannel receivers that lack digital audio input.
Defining Blu-ray high definition
Now, we finally get to it: Blu-ray Disc technology. The Blu-ray disc itself looks just like a DVD, so what makes it so much better, anyhow? The answer is a matter of color (well, wavelength, really). While DVD technology uses a wide red laser to encode and read data, Blu-ray Disc uses a much narrower blue-violet laser. The Blu-ray laser is so much more precise that it can encode over five times as much data as can DVD's red laser. By simply changing the size of the laser, Blu-ray Disc sports enough room not only for Full HD 1920 x 1080p video and 7.1-channel lossless audio, but also for oodles of extra features like enhanced commentary, extra footage, and picture-in-picture viewing. Blu-ray Disc redefines home theater.
The advanced connectivity of HDMI
Bringing you the absolute best in connectivity, Denon's DBP-A100 features one HDMI output. HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the only interface in consumer electronics that can carry both uncompressed high-definition (HD) video and uncompressed multi-channel audio in all HD formats including 720p, 1080i and even 1080p. Your incoming media content comes in a variety of sizes, resolutions and formats, and with that in mind, HDMI systems automatically configure to display that content in the most effective format. Since HDMI carries all channels on video and audio, there is only one cable to plug into any HDMI-enabled source and display device. No more complicated cable set-up when installing your home theater system, and no more ugly cable mess behind your components. HDMI supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on this single cable. Also, HDMI is fully backward-compatible with DVI. (Please note that a physical adapter, sold separately, is needed to make the conversion from HDMI to DVI.)
Your HD lifeline
High Definition Multimedia Interface, or HDMI, is the only home A/V connection that allows for both Full HD 1080p video and 7.1-channel studio-quality audio to be passes along a single cable. In other words, in order to take full advantage of your home theater's high definition potential, you need to HDMI cabling to link HD-capable components. It's only natural that you might have questions regarding how best to outfit your personal HD system. Vann's sales representatives are here to explain all of your options. Call the 800 number at the top of this page for expert advice.
Included with purchase
The following items are included with the purchase of the Denon DBP-A100: Glow-key remote control, Signed certificate of authenticity, and Denon "brand book" describing the history of Denon.