Audio Video News

If you're the type who can't decide among all the disc formats (SACD, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, CD, MP3-encoded CD, and Laserdisc), Integra has just announced a six-disc DVD changer that's compatible with nearly every disc format on the planet. (Sorry, Laserdisc fans, but Integra didn't include compatibility with those venerable old 12-inch movie discs. Although you won't be able to watch your old disc collection in the new Integra changer, those discs still make great serving platters!) Integra's DPC-8.5 is built around a six-disc carousel tray that incorporates a unique blue illumination light, making it easier to see what's in the tray when the room lights are down low and you're trying to impress that special someone.

Integra says that the DPC-8.5 was designed specifically for custom installation applications, but the average Joe who just wants a great DVD changer that plays almost anything he can throw in it is certainly welcome to add one of these high-performance changers to his system, too. Custom installers, however, will especially like the fact that the DPC-8.5 includes both BNC and RCA component video connections, a rear-panel bidirectional RS-232 port, and infrared (IR) in/out jacks. Why would custom installers like those features? Well, because installers spend lots of time in hot attics breathing dust from insulation and rodent droppings and that makes them just a little different from you and me. (Actually, those features are extremely helpful when it comes to "seamlessly integrating" a piece of gear into a home theater or whole-house system.)

Whether installed in a whole-house A/V system or just part of a basic home theater, Integra says the DPC-8.5 won't disappoint when it comes to performance. (My Integra DPS-8.3 universal single-disc player is outstanding, so I'm inclined to believe them.) Inside are high-quality Wolfson 192-kHz/24-bit audio DACs plus Integra's Vector Linear Shaping Circuitry (VLSC) that creates a smoother, more detailed analog output. The Direct Digital Path maintains maximum integrity of Dolby Digital, DTS, and PCM audio signals from the pickup to the rear-panel outputs. Multichannel analog audio outputs -- including a defeatable second set of surround channel connections for use with 7.1-channel systems -- are simultaneously active with two-channel mixdown outputs for SACD and DVD-Audio discs.

Video processing wasn't forgotten, either. The DPC-8.5 uses a 108-Mhz/12-bit video D/A converter, and Integra's Direct Progressive capability lets the player extract 480p native encoded DVD material and pass it directly to the component video outputs without potentially degrading the signal with extraneous video processing. In addition to the component video output, the DPC-8.5 includes two composite and two S-video outputs -- all of which are simultaneously active.

But the neatest thing of all is that the DPC-8.5 includes a true multi-disc random playback mode which allows intermingled playback of DVD-A, SACD, CD, and even MP3-encoded discs. And all this technology is available for a suggested retail price of $700. Now that's what I call a "universal player". (Although there's still that issue of not playing all my Laserdiscs...)