Celebrated for its audio-reproduction technologies, McIntosh Laboratory, of Binghamton, N.Y., has become equally adept at video playback. The McIntosh Laboratory MVP881 Universal Blu-ray Disc player (607.723.3512, www.mcintoshlabs.com)—the company’s first such device—excels on both fronts, offering flawless video and a range of audio outputs that benefit from McIntosh’s famed fidelity.
The MVP881 is capable of reading Blu-ray Disc, DVD, DVD-Audio, CD, and SACD formats. For audio, the universal player borrows technologies from McIntosh’s audiophile-grade components, such as the four 32-bit digital-to-analog converters that support the MVP881’s multichannel sonic output. (A fifth DAC supports two-channel stereo.) For video reproduction, McIntosh’s engineers paired a Silicon Optics Realta video processor with 14-bit DACs, a combination that helps deliver an artifact-free picture.
The $8,000 MVP881’s overall combination—as both a hi-fi audio and video player—offers owners the best of both worlds.
