Whatever qualms some of us might have about DVD and its (still-) painful birth, there are enough tempting machines out there to make you forget all about regional coding. But Denon, ever mindful of the political ramifications of being rebellious, might seem to have ham-strung what could be one of the best DVD players yet by adhering so precisely to the other rules.

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Not only is the awesome new DVD-5000 'unchippable'*, it won't even let you play 96kHz/24-bit discs which - technically - break no rules beyond winding up the RIAA. Instead, those delicious titles from Chesky, Classic, et al, are 'down-sampled' to 48kHz. Sure, so they still blow away normal CDs, but oh! to hear what this player could do with an full 96kHz signal! But that's jumping the gun with a groan and a gripe. Even without zone-changing and 96kHz capability, the Denon sails as close to the cutting edge as possible...like allowing DTS capability in a Region 2 player when no discs exist for it. (Ironic or what?)

Has Denon managed to justify the lofty nomenclature with which it endowed this machine? According to one of the blurbs, it's a 'Reference Class DVD Player'; if so, then it's cheap at £1599.99. But before you sample the performance, you know you're in the presence of something very special. If any conventionally-sized (434x135x374mm WHD), Pioneer/Marantz lookalike has the juice to do it, this is it. And without you having to lift it to confirm its 16.5kg weight.

Champagne finish and sheer mass aside, the DVD-5000 reminded me of the cherished Marantz CD-12/DA-12 because of its peerless build quality, slick operation, the action of every press-button, the alloy laser sled, the chunky 15mm alloy faceplate, the feel of the line out/headphone volume control. And it embarrassed me because it reminded me of how long it's been since I drooled over a product from one of the very few large-ish Japanese brands, along with Lux and Accuphase, able to make some truly alluring gear. So maybe I shouldn't be surprised that the DVD-5000 is so utterly desirable, given its heritage.

It's all in the details because CD/DVD players suffer an even greater identity crisis than did turntables; there are only so many ways you can dress up a box with a slot in the front. The comprehensive display is positioned above the tray aperture, centrally positioned for a nearly-symmetrical look. To the left are the on/off/standby button, the selector for DVD of either the unit's optical or coaxial digital inputs and three LEDs to indicate power on, HDCD and AL24. I hope the previous sentence didn't go past you too quickly or you might have missed the fact that this is one of those rare single-box CD/DVD players which also serves as D/A converter.

To the right are the basic transport controls of play, stop, track skip and open/close, plus a 1/4in headphone socket and the volume control to set the levels for the headphones or the overall output if you use the variable outputs. All of the minor operations, the numerical keypad, the programming facilities, the DVD-specific commands (e.g. menu access) and other features are accessed through the large, nicely-shaped remote control, complete with illuminated buttons.

Socket jockeys will adore the posterior view, an eyeful of gilded connecting possibilities including variable and audibly superior fixed phono-type outputs, two S-video and two coaxial video outputs, TOSLINK optical and coaxial digital outputs, TOSLINK optical and coaxial digital inputs, socketry for Denon-specific system remote control operation, an IEC mains input and a trio of sockets I wasn't - alas - able to try: component video, said to be the best way to get those pictures to the screen. [Note: Whatever I accomplish in '99, I acquire a monitor with component video inputs...]

All in all, this is one feature-laden box of tricks, but they're not enough to account for the heft. Inside, it's copper plated, there are three separate transformers, everything has been fitted and sited to avoid vibration - there seems to be no unused real estate, so cynics can forget any suggestion that the mass is due to mere ballast.

According to what I suppose is a mission statement, Denon 'identified three ways to improve performance'. The first was to deliver a better digital data stream from the transport through an improved transport mechanism and its Advanced Digital Servo. This features a DSP IC with a learning algorithm to fine-tune the performance, aided by the aforementioned extensive anti-vibration features, such as a four-layer 'Hybrid Insulating Base Chassis' and the unit's intrinsic mass.

Secondly, the company felt it could deliver a better picture through improvements afforded by the superior transport and new analogue video stages (as well as component video capability). Part of this attack included the physical separation of the audio, video and digital control circuitry, each with its own dedicated power transformer and isolating screening to avoid cross interference.

Finally, Denon acknowledged what industry voices as disparate as Paul Miller and Linn have been arguing since DVD's launch: that conventional CDs demand more than piggy-backing on a DVD's circuitry if they're to sound as good as they do on stand-alone CD players. To this end, Denon fitted audiophile components such as Silmic Audiophile Caps throughout, four separate 24-bit/96kHz DACs, HDCD and the new AL24 processing.