Getting the best out of audio is a natural area for Arcam, and the new DV27A embraces the DVD Audio technology, taking its performance levels to new heights. The DV27A makes the grade as a fine CD player in its own right, but now it also offers DVD Audio playback. This high resolution standard offers a stunning sound quality improvement over CD and already has around 550 titles in the catalogue. The new format has the support of four out of the five leading record companies and has already captured the imagination of music fans who have heard it demonstrated in both two and five channel modes. Click here for more information on DVD Audio. The DV27A also features on board decoding of Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 soundtracks. This can used with the multi-channel volume control board as part of a system built around the FMJ A32 integrated amplifier with matching three-channel power amplifier or with the C30 preamplifier and multi-channel amplifier set up.

The DV27A features the latest 24bit/192kHz DACs from Wolfson Electronics, precision clock circuits and super clean power supplies to deliver stunning sound quality on CDs. It was important to push the video quality at the same time, and it is here where we have made the biggest breakthrough. The DV27A features a motion adaptive progressive scan system developed by Silicon Image. This sophisticated technology has been developed to enhance the video performance from a standard DVD, when used with a suitable display device. The result is a picture that gets remarkably close to film in its richness and stability. The majority of plasma screens and video projectors can accept a progressive scan input, in addition to an increasing number of high specification TVs. The bigger the picture, the more benefit you will see from the progressive scan process.

The DV27A continues Arcam's innovative technological stance of being able to process the 625/50Hz video signals used in Europe, as well as the 525/60 signals used in North America. The computing power inside the Silicon Image video processor is in many ways the equivalent of a high specification Pentium processor and is considered by the experts in this field to be the state of the art solution. The quality of the result is truly impressive with images so real they help draw you into the movie.

The DV27A's AV and DSP (Digital Signal Processing) sections feature four layer printed circuit boards which enable optimum ground paths, that in turn give ultra low noise performance on both audio and video.

The chassis is made from a laminated, anti-vibration material called Sontech. (This material is used extensively in high-performance cars, where the benefits of vibration dampening lead to a quieter, smoother ride.) The sophisticated power supply is supplemented by an additional toroidal power transformer which supplies the audio output circuitry. This combination further refines the sound quality, and sets a new benchmark for CD replay from a DVD player.

In addition to CD audio, the DV27A will replay CDR, CDRW, DVD, DVDA, DVDR, DVDRW, VCD, SVCD, HDCD as well as many WMA or MP3 encoded discs.The DV27A supports all major video connection standards, with component (YUV), RGB, S-Video and composite video outputs. Broadcast quality parts are used in the key video stages and although expensive, the enthusiastic feedback from some of the most critical users around on picture quality confirms it is money well spent - to quote from a recent review from Home Cinema Choice "This is simply the best player that Arcam knows how to make with today's technology...Sonically and visually, the DV27A lives up to all the hype in some style."

The DV27A can be reprogrammed by playing a CDR of the system software and loading the new program into the player's flash memory. This gives us an easy way to ensure that any DVD disc playability issues that come to light in the future can be addressed with the minimum of disruption.The DV27A comes with a full function remote control that can also adjust the volume level on our FMJ home cinema amplifiers.