Meridian America 800 Reference CD/DVD Player, Reference Surround Controller, More information

800 Reference CD/DVD Player

The 800 CD/DVD Player has been radically updated to add support for DVD-Audio. It stands alone as a uniquely capable full-function player, with unparalleled performance on CD, DVD- Audio and DVD-Video sources. Meridian's proprietary disc navigation and decoding architecture provide the highest quality signals while exclusive multiple-FIFO data buffering eliminates time-domain errors. The net result is sound quality that exceeds any previous design. Just as important, these techniques have further improved picture quality: 800 again re-defines the best available from DVD.

Considerable work has been done in this upgrade to offer yet further improvements in CD playback. Meridian and their 800 Series already have worldwide acclaim for CD performance, playability and navigation and the latest enhancements in 800 affirm this.

The 800 and 861 combination offers upsampled multichannel playback of CD sources, using the huge DSP power on hand to double the effective sampling frequency, to use 48-bit internal precision and to render up to eight channels.

As before, 800 can be fitted with analogue and/or digital inputs and, of course, the user can specify digital or analogue outputs with up to 192kHz 24-bit precision.

861 Reference Surround Controller

The 861 boasts a newly developed digital signal processing engine with unprecedented power, flexibility, and future configurability. Raw processing power is vital, but so is throughput, and this new design is capable of running more channels at 96kHz; allowing expanded options for speaker arrays: more subwoofers or additional speakers for height.

861 provides full support for multichannel inputs (both analogue and digital) and several new DSP modes have been added to support these.

The addition of MHR Smart Link gives 861 the unique ability to automatically adjust speaker and processor settings for each incoming format from 800. A vital benefit is that bass management can be automatically optimum for each input medium.

Meridian’s proprietary resolution-enhancement process that increases the sampling frequency and word length of source material to double-rate 24-bit has been a key feature in the 800 Series from the outset. Now, for the first time we enable the processor to upsample up to eight channels with superb results.

Meridian’s 861 is the first surround controller to provide full support for new DVD-Audio recordings that include height – so-called 2+2+2 formats. These new recordings assign the six disc channels as two main speakers, two height speakers and two rear speakers. This system can be set up alongside an existing Meridian theatre.

The original capabilities of the 861 are all retained. These include 7.1 Dolby Digital, THX, EX, DTS, Meridian EZ, support for 2+2+2 playback, Dolby ProLogic II processing for stereo and matrix-encoded sources, discrete Ambisonics, MPEG, MP3 and the full panoply of Meridian’s proprietary modes for reproducing stereo and multichannel recordings with unmatched depth, dynamic detail, and spatial precision.

Being card-based, the 861 offers a range of options including output capabilities of 192kHz or 96kHz/24-bit analogue. New cards include a range of extremely high resolution multichannel analogue inputs which allow 861 to fully support the many DVD-Audio or SACD players with analogue outputs.

The new DSP engine is designed to allow future updates of software.

More information

This update supplements our data sheets, FAQs and other brochure material on the 800 and 861. Please contact your dealer for further information.

800/861

Version 3

800 Series DVD-Audio Update

Sales Information

1st January 2002

Meridian Audio Limited

Stonehill, Stukeley Meadows

Huntingdon

Cambridgeshire PE29 6EX

T +44 (0) 1480 445678

F +44 (0) 1480 445686

Meridian America Inc.

Suite 122, Building 2400

3800 Camp Creek Parkway

Atlanta GA 30331

T (404) 344 7111

F (404) 346 7111

www.meridian-audio.com