Surround Processor Reviews

The AVP-A1HDCI uses the same video processing section that we looked at last year in our premiere AVR video processing shootout with the AVR-5308CI (June 2008). We were more than impressed by its video performance then, and we still are today.

As you can see from our table, the AVP-A1HDCI is more than capable as a standalone video processor. It handles high-definition and standard-definition signals with equal aplomb, and its analog-to-digital conversion is among the best we’ve seen. While most processors show some noise with their cross-conversion, the Denon offers an incredibly clean output with only some mild artifacting with its chroma and luma resolution.

The HQV video processing did a tremendous job with our deinterlacing tests and handles all of the major cadences. The Realta chip is also one of the few on the market that handles mixed cadences that we don’t even include in our typical testing. You’d be hard-pressed to find this level of deinterlacing in your display, so I highly recommend that you take advantage of the AVP-A1HDCI’s processing for your cable or satellite video sources rather than relying on your display, regardless of its price point—KD