Mcintosh MVP 861

I never auditioned an MVP851, but the 861 audition I did 3 years ago led me to my 881BR. Definitely superior audio playback to anything else I'd listened to (including Denon, Cary and Marantz). Natural, warm and inviting. SACD playback is also superior as is the up-conversion of DVD to 1080. Very happy with my choice. Second Theo's recommendation to contact Audio Classics - they are the Mc pros.

Good luck & happy listening!

Any of the models mentioned would be sufficient to your stated need. I believe that you may look at the 861 or 871 as I am not sure that the 851 does 1080p, but could be wrong. Those models are basically a Denon at heart that have been "McIntoshed" for improved sound quality. I was told that they changed the operating characteristics of the transport plus utilized better digital circuitry to up the performance level of the audio, however the video was pretty much kept in line with the Denon spec.
You may call audioclassics.com to get a better opinion as too which of the three was the better performer.