Marantz showed a new version of its BD7004 Blu-ray player, the UD7005 ($900). The BD7004 was very highly rated in my Blu-ray player evaluation blogs for ultimateavmag.com, so naturally the company decided to change it! The new player includes a 32-bit audio DAC with high quality multichannel outputs, on-line video streaming, SACD and DVD-Audio playback, and full 3D capability out of the gate.

Marantz reps also noted that the company has been working hard to give its Blu-ray players a faster response time, using the PS3 as a benchmark. We'll see how closely they've hit the target when we check out a sample when it becomes available early next year.