Sound United, the parent company of Denon and Marantz, has announced that owners of the flagship Denon AVR-X8500H and Marantz AV8805 receivers from 2018 can now opt for an HDMI 2.1 upgrade that enhances these models with exciting new features that include 8K/60 Hz upscaling and pass-through, 4K/120 Hz pass-through, HDR10+, Dynamic HDR, and HDCP 2.3. The factory upgrade, which costs US $599 or CA $749, fulfills Sound United’s promise of keeping its flagship receivers close to the cutting edge amid new developments in the HDMI 2.1 space. Denon and Marantz are also releasing “A” versions of these receivers (i.e., the $4,299 Denon AVR-X8500H”A” and $4,799 Marantz AV8805″A”) that already include the updates.
| Features | Denon AVR-X8500H”A” Marnantz AV8805”A” (A Version Factory and Field Upgrade) | Denon AVR-X8500H Marantz AV8805 |
|---|---|---|
| 8K60Hz and 4K120Hz Pass-through | Yes (A dedicated “8K” input and “Main”, ”Sub” outputs support up to FRL 40Gbps) | No (4K60Hz, up to TMDS 18Gbps) |
| HDR10+, Dynamic HDR, VRR, ALLM, QMS, QFT | Yes (all Inputs) | ALLM only |
| Upscaling | Up to 8K (all inputs) | Up to 4K (all inputs) |
| Copy Protection Standard | HDCP 2.3 | HDCP 2.2 |
This is not related to the recent HDMI 2.1 bug fix that Sound United previously announced it was addressing. Rather, this is a part of a traditional customer support service Denon and Marantz have provided to keep certain flagship components up to date with the latest technologies.
Sources: Sound United, Engadget, HD Guru