Tvad, you look at a digital output as understandable, because it is a transport which could use an external DAC. To others, a multi-silver-disc-playing box with an excellent DAC can be used as an external DAC when the next new silver disc or "transport" technology comes along (like BlueRayII or a HDD- or memory-based server).
Redefining "Universal Player"
I saw some mention of how the ability to play Blu-Ray is now part of what is meant by "universal player". It's not a big deal in the grand scheme, but how can any player be considered universal that doesn't have a digital input? Seeing the latest Denon release is frustrating to me - looks like a great player, but no digital input. It just seems short-sighted to me.