Denon loyalists may have been stinging from the company's no-show at last week's CEDIA Expo, but the latest round of releases should help ease the pain. Here we go with the AVR-4810CI receiver, DBP-4010DCI universal disc player and ASD-51 iPod docks. The 9.3-channel AVR-4810CI ($2,999) looks to be the successor to Denon's popular 4308CI -- feature packed and definitely on the high end of the spectrum. Six HDMI 1.3a inputs, a pair of outputs, 140-Watts to nine channels, and the familiar set of features being rolled out across Denon's lineup: Anchor Bay video processing, Audyssey DSX and Dolby ProLogic IIz. Denon wants you to know it will pair up just fine with the DBP-4010UDCI universal disc spinner, which you should think of as a cheaper -- but at $1,999, not a "poor man's" -- DVD-A1UDCI. It'll play back just about every disc you've got (okay, maybe not laserdisc), and the build quality ensures it'll do so until after your physical media has turned to dust. Finally, Denon has also brought out the ASD-51W and ASD-51N iPod docks that also let you pull in internet radio, Napster and Rhapsody -- grab up the ASD-51W if you want to do that sans wires. As you'd expect from "CI" (custom integrator) designation on these bits of fun, everything is getting in on the network control and connectivity game, but we'll leave it for you to suss out those finer details after the break.

Take one sagging economy, add in advancing technology, bake them with some economies of scale and serve up to consumers hungry for this newfangled digital, HD AV craze -- it's a winning formula. When it comes to AV receivers, however, the pool is so crowded that picking a winner in the entry level category (remember that sagging economy) is daunting enough to push people to HTIB simplicity. The truth is that there's no single "best" entry-level receiver, but Audioholics has gone through the trouble of putting appropriate models from Denon, Yamaha, Harman Kardon, Onkyo and Pioneer into a feature comparison grid. The answer that emerges on which receiver is the "best" is a definite "it depends" -- you basically get to pick two out of three: audio features, video features and price. So the bad news is, you've got some choices to make; the good news is, you've got some choices to make.

If you thought the well-to-do crowd wasn't feeling the pinch from the rotten economy, consider this -- D&M is not going to be at CEDIA Expo 2009 in a couple of months. You know, the show that features pricey, high-end custom install toys. Not being able to get our paws on the latest toys from Denon, Marantz, McIntosh, Boston Acoustics, Snell and Escient breaks our hearts, but D&M has decided to commit its resources to dealer training (and promotions, we hope); all the better to drive new customer sales. To be clear, D&M will have a presence at CEDIA, it just won't be on the Expo floor -- meetings will be by appointment only. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that similar measures won't have to be taken at CES in January. Planar (and by association, Runco) may take a similar CEDIA approach, not entirely surprising given its recent performance.

Ready for loads of succulent new audio / video equipment that you can likely only afford in your wildest dreams? Fantastic. Today in NYC, Denon has decided to introduce a whole fleet of new kit, so we'll get right down to the nitty gritty. Oh, and we're on hand at the premiere, so expect some hands-on shots shortly.

• DBP-2010CI ($699; shipping in July) - Profile 2.0 Blu-ray player, onboard Ethernet, BD-Live / BonusView support, DivX HD playback, support for AVCHD, Anchor Bay Technologies VRS processing, upconversion and IP scaling to 1080p/24, RS-232c support, HDMI / component / composite video outputs
• DBP-1610CI ($499; shipping in July) - Same as above sans Anchor Bay chip and RS-232c
• Nine new AV receivers, priced from $379 at the low-end to $1,999 at the high; shipping between May and July 2009
• ASD-51W ($299.99) and ASD-51N ($249.99) network-enabled iPod docks, both shipping in August. Both items also allow for Rhapsody streaming, Internet Radio streaming and Napster support.
• AH-NC600 ($199), AH-C710 ($149) and AH-C360 ($49) in-ear headphones, all of which will ship by July

Full press releases and details for each are posted just past the break, and yes, it's overwhelming.

Denon released the AVC-1610 receiver to its Japanese customers, and we can only assume it will make its way to other markets soon as the replacement for, of course, the AVR-1609 model. The specs we teased out of the machine translation look pretty good -- the same 75-Watt (130-Watt maximum into 6-Ohms) amplification as the outgoing model, but HDMI inputs have moved up a notch to three, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA and Dolby ProLogic IIz have been added to the surround audio processing support, and analog-to-HDMI video conversion is now onboard as well, which should help clean things up your cabling. Now if Denon would only add preamp outputs to this model, we'd be set. The AVC-1610 is set for mid-May availability in Japan at ¥55,000 ($550), which should give interested shoppers plenty of time to start planning whether to buy a new AVR-1610 or score a deal on last year's AVR-1609.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Hope you weren't planning on scoring one of Denon's mighty pricey DVD-A1UD universal BD players anytime soon, 'cause it just got delayed. Again. After surfacing to much fanfare late last year, the all-in-one player has since been tangled in setbacks. The latest excuse has something to do with "taking time to optimize the playback," but we're not exactly sure why that testing will take until October to complete. Believe it or not, it will have been 10 full months from announcement to ship date if the new launch window stays put -- meanwhile, OPPO's taking full advantage of the situation here in America with its BDP-83.

It's not often we get to bust out "Denon" and "great deal" in the same post, but these are strange days indeed. Now until April 30, you can purchase certain Denon AV receivers, and they'll throw in the DVD-25000BTCI Blu-ray transport for free. For as low as $1,199 for an AVR-2809CI or the high end AVR-5308CIA for $5,499 and all that clean digital audio and video decoding is yours as well. Who's got the recession antidote now?

Have you been waiting for Denon's DVD-A1UD universal Blu-ray player to fill that gaping hole in your equipment rack left when sold your SACD, DVD-A and Blu-ray decks on eBay? Be prepared to wait a little longer than expected -- the Japanese launch, originally set for January, has been moved out by a couple of months due to a "delay in the launch of production." That means the February US release is right out, and we wouldn't be surprised to see the European availability slip from its March date either. It looks like sister company Marantz's BD8002 will have to serve D&M Holdings' kilobuck Blu-ray player market for a while longer. Hit the link for the bad news, made worse by machine translation.

[Via Electronista]

Ah, the sweet smell of progress. Just months after Blu-ray Mods hosted up a wave of BD-Live decks with multi-region support, the site is now offering up the next gaggle of units in the same fashion. For those scouting a high-end player with an ICOS HD mod baked right in, you can order up a number of Pioneer players (the BDP-LX91 and BDP-09 Elite included), Denon's DVD-1800BD / DVD-3800BD and Sony's BDP-5000ES. We won't even scare you with the prices here, but you can venture to the read link if you're suddenly curious.

On the face of it, the Denon AVR-1909 receiver seems like a great unit for someone either HT beginners or casual users -- a reputable brand, rich feature set and modest $649 price put it high on the short list; good sound quality should cinch the deal. Not so fast, though -- the CNET gang ran the AVR-1909 through the gauntlet, and while the positives certainly came through (with sound quality besting the Onkyo TX-SR606), the setup and day-to-day use with the included remote left a lot to be desired. To be fair, the remote problem can be solved by using a third-party model, but the text-only black and white onscreen UI for setup is glaring in 2009. Obviously, trade-offs had to be made to hit the price point, and HT zealots like us can live with some setup difficulties for good sound, but more casual users might find this a hard pill to swallow. Hit the link for the gory details, and give this unit some hands-on time before committing.

You think we're kidding, but after spending around £800 ($1,164) on Denon's absolutely stunning AH-D7000 over-ear headphones, are you really about to squeeze your sweaty noggin in there without feeling the slightest bit guilty? The cans, which vaguely remind us of Audio Technica's ATH-ESW9, tout wooden ear cups made from natural mahogany, microfiber diaphragms, Acoustic Optimizer technology, a cloth-wrapped cable, gold-plated connector, magnesium frame / duralumin slider and leather ear pads. You'll also get a fanciful box to house 'em in when you're not enjoying the sweet sounds of twin 2-inch drivers, but sadly, a set of handcuffs aren't included for wearing them while waltzing through the occasionally dodgy streets of London. Two more looks are after the break.

[Via TechDigest]

Denon's format-lovin' DVD-A1UD universal Blu-ray player has already notched prices and release dates for Japan and America, and now those in the UK can start counting their pounds as they await a launch of their own. The beefed-up deck -- which handles Blu-ray Discs, DVDs, SACDs and DVD-Audio discs -- is slated to go on sale this March in the UK for a stiff £3,299 ($4,808), and to-be buyers can go ahead and start thinking about whether they prefer silver or black.

So, there's good news and bad news. The good? Denon's US version of the DVD-A1UD (coined the DVD-A1UDCI) is priced considerably lower than the yen-to-dollar conversion led us to believe. The bad news? It's still $3,800. For those that that missed it, Denon's calling this the world's first universal Blu-ray player, and folks looking for a premiere unit to handle Blu-ray, DVD, SACD and DVD-Audio can satisfy their every desire in February 2009. Better hope that Christmas bonus comes through.

Okay, so Denon wares aren't exactly "cheap," but you can't knock it for trying to innovate. Despite that fact that about eight people on this Earth still care about their beloved SACD / DVD-Audio collections, Denon has developed a Blu-ray player specifically for them. The DVD-A1UD is hailed as the world's first universal BD deck, and it features a black (shown after the break) or silver motif, SD / SDHC card slot, DivX support, HDMI 1.3, 1080p60 / 1080p24 output, internal decoding of DTS-HD Master Audio / Dolby TrueHD, 7.1-channel analog outputs, Denon LINK and all sorts of sophisticated pixel / audio restoration technologies. Better still, users who buy in can look forward to a Profile 2.0 update in the near future. Not surprisingly, the decked-out player will ship in Japan next month for a patently astounding ¥546,000 ($5,860), so you'll probably be stuck dreaming about it unless your ship rolls in.

[Via Impress]

It's one thing for Amazon to toss a few free Blu-ray Discs in with the purchase of a PlayStation 3, but we'd expect a little something extra from Denon. After all, when the least expensive Blu-ray deck you make rings up at $749 (MSRP), we'd say a free universal remote or weekend at the lake would be a more appropriate gift. At any rate, Denon and Warner Home Video have linked up to provide buyers of Denon Blu-ray players (the DVD-1800BD, DVD-3800BDCI and DVD-2500BTCI) with a BD copy of The Dark Knight and Batman Begins. The promotion is set to run from November 23rd to January 10, but you've still got to deal with that whole "mail in with the proof of purchase" rigmarole to get your money back. Groan.