i bot denon a1xv5a flagship dvd (1080p) and sold it in 2 months to purchase esoteric dv60. quite expectedly, denon sounded horrible -- thin, screeching. denon's video quality was also not up to the expected standard when viewed with true 1080p 120 inch sony vw100 projector -- white spots and terrible, unnatural color. esoteric dv60 simply tosses around denon in both sound and video.
do not think upconversion stuff can replace a good fundamental video quality. linn does not upconvert but produces far better color than denon. the same for mcintosh, meridian, etc., etc. if you are budget conscious, go for arcam -- a much better choice than denon.