Denon's next-gen AV receiver GUI

Back in February we blogged some possible leaked specs of Denon's upcoming 2008 AV receiver line, including the fact that Denon was including a new graphical user interface (GUI) on two high-end models, the AVR-3808CI and AVR-4308CI. Thanks to a thread on AVS Forum, we were able to turn up what look to be pictures of the new Denon GUI from Area DVD's coverage of the High End 2007 show in Munich, Germany. While Denon's 2008 AV receivers are still officially unannounced, the images of the AVR-4308 and the new GUI from the High End 2007 show are a good indication that these models and features are on their way.

If these pictures do turn out to be the new GUI for Denon's high-end receivers, that would be a pretty significant feature to us--and could give Denon an edge over Onkyo's new line of receivers. Stylish GUIs are an upcoming trend for AV receivers, and we raved about the Sony STR-DA5200ES's GUI last December, which was the first receiver we've seen to feature slick graphics in place of the usual blocky white text. As more and more complex duties (such as video upconversion) are being handled by AV receivers, being able to easily set up receivers with helpful onscreen graphics is more important than it's ever been. Hopefully Denon releases the full details on these new receivers sooner rather than later.

For some additional images of high-end Denon gear--including an AV receiver with 6 HDMI inputs and XLR pre-outs--check out this English translation of Area DVD's coverage, thanks to Google.