Denon's S-301 and HD Upscaling
Barely a week seems to go by without some manufacturer banging on about HD Upscaling. This week it is Denon which has announced the launch of its Smart Life S-301 DVD based surround sound system that comes complete with a HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) and of course HD Upscaling. Put simply HD Upscaling is a way in which manufacturers mathematically match the pixel count of the DVD player’s output to the pixel count on an HDTV 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080i). It doesn’t deliver true HD but it does offer enhanced colour and disproved image resolution.
Back to Denon. The S-301 is the successor to its well received S-101. It’s all wrapped up in a box that a few years ago would have passed or a VHS video recorder. At £1250 Denon certainly has its eye on top-end buyers and this is reflected in a system that has just about everything on board. Dolby Virtual Speaker surround sounds system – check, flat TV friendly super skinny speakers - check, iPod connect and control with the track names appearing on the system’s screen – check. If you get tired of the Apple player’s compressed audio you could always play back both high-end DVD formats (DVD-A and SACD) or listen to AM/FM radio transmissions. It’ll be yours in November.
