Talk about needing a roster to tell the players apart! RHJ International -- which owns some 49-percent of the D&M Holdings hydra (Denon, Marantz, Boston Acoustics, Escient, MacIntosh and Snell) -- has accepted an offer from Bain Capital to the tune of ¥510 ($4.74) per share in a buyout bid. But earlier reports that pinned Kenwood as a partner to Bain in this effort have been denied by Bain. There's some goings-on here, for sure. First, we haven't seen any dealings involving the 12-percent stake that Philips has in D&M. Also, the soon-to-be JVC Kenwood Holdings states that it has not decided on whether it will invest in D&M; which corroborates pretty well with the latest Bain statement that Kenwood is not involved, and there are no ongoing talks of future involvement. Corporate squabbling and conspiracy theories aside, we just hope that the D&M brands come out unscathed.

Good things come to those who wait, and Marantz has finally released its AV8003 processor and MM8003 amp combo to the US market. The good news is that any sort of pricing mix-up with the Canadian release has been resolved: the AV8003 and MM8003 list at $2,599 and $2,399, respectively. The bad news is that we still can't afford to get into this gear. But if you can, by all means let us know how the well-matched pair is doing in your setup. With the four-in/two-out HDMI 1.3 arrangement, 1080p upscaling, support for Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA and Audyssey tweaks pushing out eight channels of 140-Watt audio, we imagine you'll be smiling.

The Marantz US website shows the AV8003 processor and accompanying MM8003 amplifier as "coming soon," but word is that these two will show up in June, at least for Canadian customers. We've already seen that Marantz has started its rollout in markets outside the US, but we've got to think that the appearance of these models in Canada presages imminent US availability. Don't be alarmed about the prices in the read link, which we assume are for the Canadian market. The US Marantz website still shows prices as $2600 and $2400 for the AV8003 and MM8003, respectively; still too rich for our blood, but we'll keep our fingers crossed that the teasing will end for those of you fortunate enough to consider this gear.

[Via TVSnob]

Sliding in just under the "Q2, 2008" line we were told back at CES, Marantz will deliver its BD8002 Blu-ray player to Japanese shores in June. It's still got some good looking specs, including Silicon Optix Realta video processing, DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD; but somehow another pricey Profile 1.1 player leaves us feeling a little empty. We're really hoping that the announced pricing doesn't carry straight over (it usually doesn't) -- the ¥336,000 ($3200) sticker would be a 50-percent markup over the already-steep $2100 tag we saw just a few months ago. We'll definitely hold off judgment until we can put our eyes on the performance, but even accounting for MSRP-to-street adjustments, the pricing will keep this baby off of most short-lists (our included).

Though we're not exactly sure if Marantz will be a wholly owned subsidiary of D&M Holdings for much longer, the boutique brand is still planning to strut its stuff at the upcoming Audio Karma Fest in Michigan. Reportedly, the outfit will be showcasing a number of luxurious components from its Reference Series, include the $3,199 SC-11S1 preamplifier, $4,199 SM-11S1 power amplifier, $3,699 SA-11S2 SACD player and the all new $2,599.99 AV8003 Networking AV Preamp / Processor. For those lacking the requisite scratch, the slightly less magnificent SA8001 SACD player ($899.99) and PM7001 integrated amp ($599.99) will also be around. Word has it that all of the items will be demonstrated on Snell loudspeakers, which all in all should deliver a fairly blissful experience.

While the roster of storied high end names is pretty long, don't think for a minute that the blue-blood part of the market has not experienced consolidation. D&M Holdings is a prime example of this: D&M's owner, RJH International, has managed to fit Denon, Marantz, McIntosh, Boston Acoustics, Snell and Escient under one umbrella over the years. And now RJH is looking to cash in on the concentrated dollop of high end, offering up 49-percent of its shares in D&M. Philips has agreed to offer its12-percent stake to a winning bidder as well. Our math tells us that's more than a controlling percentage. Harman International, apparently satisfied with its own high end roster (including Harman Kardon, Infinity, Revel and Mark Levinson), has bowed out of bidding. That leaves Bain Capital (Kenwood) and Best Buy as the most prominent bidders, both of which scare us a little. One of the things we really enjoy about the D&M brands is the individual "personalities" behind them, and that's a credit to the management overlords. There's no guarantee that this variety of flavor will survive an en masse transition to new ownership.

Supposedly Marantz's new Blu-ray player was at CEDIA, but if it was, we missed it. We won't let that happen again next week and we guarantee we'll get our hands-on the new BD8002 at CES next Wednesday. This players seems it may be one of best players ever considering it includes everything we can think of -- as it should with a MSRP of $2,099.99. At the top of the list is the players ability to decode just about every new audio codec out there including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, and output it via 7.1 analog outs or uncompressed via HDMI. The icing on the cake is the inclusion of the 10-bit Silicon Optix Realta video processor, which should help make it the best Profile 1.1 player yet when it's released the second quarter of 2008.

A shiny new 1080p DLP projector isn't the only thing Marantz is rolling out to the HD crowd this week, as the firm's newest HDMI switch is sure to garner attention from those drowning in components. The VS3002 video selector boasts that totally simple, albeit incredibly sexy motif that we've come to expect from the outfit, and it also features a 6-in, 2-out design that enables owners to pipe high-definition content in from a whole heap of sources and out to two separate displays. We're also led to believe that this thing supports v1.3 considering its understanding of Deep Color, and there's also an RS-232 port 'round back should you need it. Unfortunately, the VS3002 won't be coming sans a premium, as it will purportedly demand a stiff ¥35,000 ($306) when it lands in February.

[Via SlashGear]

Marantz is jumping back into the display pool for 2008, announcing the new VP-11S2 model 1080p DLP projector. Compared to last year's VP-11S1H, this model adds a second HDMI 1.3 input, and Texas Instrument's DarkChip4 chipset, boosting it up to 800 lumens of brightness and a 12,000:1 contrast ratio. No price was released, but considering the previous models hover in the $15,000 price range, we expect no less quality -- or cost -- from this one either.

We saw a variation of this Philips TSU9600 at CES. Still, it's nice to see Marantz get official with their own VGA touchscreen remote: the RC9001. Like Philips' model, we expect this Marantz model to integrate with Escient Fireball media servers and Lutron RadioRa lighting controls for full multi-room control. It brings along an option for an RX9001 WiFi extender or RX8001 serial extender too -- right, just like Philips. The only difference appears to be the choice of UI which of course, can make all the difference in the world. Expect the Marantz RC9001 to ship sometime mid-September for right around $1,000.

[Thanks, Alban A.]

Read -- Philips TSU9600 and RFX9400 wireless extender
Read -- Marantz RC9001

Marantz returns with more of their wall bouncing, OPSODIS (OPtimal SOurce DIStribution) Technology packed into the ES7001. As a followup to their ES-150, Marantz's sound bar aims to compete directly with Yamaha's YSP series of sound projectors. As such, they've pulled all the drivers, amps, and woofers into a single long housing with the ability to redirect the "sweet spot" depending upon the listener's location. It's also swollen with jacks including 2x HDMI (Ver.1.1) and 3x digital optical inputs. The space saving kit will set you back a cool ¥124,000 (about $1,020) when it ships in June. An optional ¥24,000 ($197) 50W subwoofer and ¥50,000 ($411) AV rack are available to round out the look and feel. Pics of the latter after the break.

[Via Impress]

Marantz has released a new version of its VP-11S1H 1080p DLP projector, one which adds some HDMI 1.3 goodness with 12-bit Deep Color -- and the best part is that the price point is even the same as the older model. At this point, all the people who bought the previous 1,890,000 Yen ($15,700 US) device should be weeping at the thought of having their high-end projector become last year's has-been, but Marantz has done the right thing and offered an upgrade! For 5% of the purchase price (105,000 Yen or $872 US) you can send the projector back for minor surgery to upgrade the HDMI to version 1.3. Check with your local dealer or contact Marantz for more deets on where to send the check and the projector, and then let us know where to send the flowers and get-well cards.

Marantz has a fine looking 1080p projector on their hands. Oh boy was the demo sweet. The VP-11S1 is suprisely crisp and rich even though it is only a single chip unit. We really don't have much else to say besides this might just be one of the best values in the home cinema market. (Read: not home theater) For $19,999 the owner would get a one of the best crisp, sharp, and clean looking picture. We know we have said this a lot this week but, wow, that was mighty fine picture.

HDTV Magazine talks 1080p, covering such issues as frame rate and de-interlacing. While we've discussed de-interlacing and upconversion before, this article breaks down the difference some devices may have in adjusting the framerates of 1080p content, while Sony's upcoming Blu-ray player will output 1080p at 60fps only, Philips is opting to push the native 24fps and so far Toshiba has forgone 1080p altogether. That's one more setting that you may want to make sure your next TV and high-def DVD player purchase include the option to adjust, or if they don't adjust, have default settings that mesh properly.

Since that wasn't enough full-resolution controversy, they make a cursory comparison of two LCoS-based front projectors, the JVC DLA-HD10K and Sony VPL-VW100 with four projectors featuring Texas Instruments' new true-1080p DLP technology, no wobulation here. The Optoma HD81, Sharp XV-Z20000, Marantz VP-11S1 and Action model 3 1080p.

[Corrected Sharp model #]