Pioneer offers up two new Blu-ray players

Pioneer's "budget" Blu-ray player will still set you back $600.

Pioneer announced two new Blu-ray players Wednesday morning, the BDP-51FD and step-up Elite BDP-05FD. Pioneer has so far taken a decidedly high-end approach to the Blu-ray market, with the company's initial players selling for upward of $1,000. Honestly, we're not sure what the appeal of these players are, but Pioneer tells us they can't fulfill the existing orders for the $1,000 BDP-95FD--proof, it would seem, that the enthusiast videophile market is alive and well. With that in mind, let's take a look at the key features of the upcoming Blu-ray players.

Key features of the Pioneer BDP-51FD:

• Blu-ray Profile 1.1 (BonusView)
• Can output Blu-ray discs in 1080p at 24 frames per second
• Onboard Dolby TrueHD decoding, DTS-HD Master Audio onboard decoding available with future firmware upgrade
• Can output Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bit stream format
• 7.1 analog outputs
• Wolfson digital audio converters
• $600 list price, available this summer

Our first reaction to the specification sheet is that it's underwhelming given the price tag. Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio (after a firmware update) is nice--as is Profile 1.1 support--but the Sony PlayStation 3 already offers onboard decoding for both soundtrack formats and Profile 2.0 support for only $400. The step-up BDP-05FD doesn't offer much more, in terms of value:

The Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD will set you back $800.

Key step-up features of the Pioneer BDP-05FD:

• Gold-plated connectors
• Aluminum front panel
• Touch-sensitive buttons
• Two-year warranty
• $800 list price, available this summer

The BDP-05FD has all the jacks you need, including 7.1 analog outputs.

If the BDP-51FD seems a little expensive for what it offers, then the BDP-05FD really seems expensive for its step-up features. The step-ups seem to be mostly cosmetic, with the player sharing essentially the same feature set as the cheaper BDP-51FD. For an Elite player like this, we'd at least like to have seen some enthusiast-friendly features such as SACD and DVD-Audio support, DivX compatibility, or even networking functionality like we saw on the BDP-HD1. We'll have to wait until summer to see these players, which will be going head-to-head with similarly priced high-end competition from Denon and Panasonic. In the meantime, we're sticking with the PS3.

[MadLyb]

I think it is time to quit comparing the PS3 to standalone players in terms of price. Pioneer, or other Mfrs, do not have the option of selling their players as loss leaders and making it up in software and royalty revenue, they have to actually make a profit on the product itself.

[chuck322]

It is not Sony's fault that they have an addtional revenue strream. The cost of standalone blu-ray players is just to high for the average consumer. The PS3 is a great alternative; yes based on it's price. Sorry Pioneer but price plus features do matter.

[ender21]

But it *is* Sony's fault that the PS3 is 50x louder than every standalone BD player, and 20x hotter.

If you're going to tout the PS3 as an alternative to standalones, then it's going to be compared *fairly* to them. PS3 has standalones beat on the Profile 2.0 and Hi-Res decoding side. But standalones have the PS3 beat on the ergonomics, heat and noise side.

Sorry but if I'm going to invest in a Home Theater blu-ray player, it's not going to be a device that can't be used easily with a universal remote (because of the bluetooth remote), is a space heater while it's running, and is so loud that I'm saying "what did he say?" in the middle of quiet passages.

It seems chuck322 has an issue with his PC or something given the duplicate posts.

[canderton01]

Wow, yeah ender21, I seriously doubt the PS3 is 50x louder and 20x hotter than a standalone player. My PS3 is completely silent. The only time you can hear it is if it's been running for 5+ hours or if you put your ear up to it. And the PS3 probably does run a little warmer than standalone players mainly because it's got a very powerful chipset running all the time. But it never gets uncomfortably hot like the Xbox 360. And you can buy a blu ray remote for $30 for the PS3 if you are going to be watching a lot of movies. I'm sorry but buying one of these expensive standalone players just seems really stupid to me when you can get a PS3 that can do everything they can and more for a fraction of the price.

[lil-yankee]

You are a jerk man, really. The ps3 does not make any significant noise reading games and it makes even less noise while reading a blue-ray. Any amount of noise that the ps3 might cause due to the reading of the disc could be discarded with the sound of the movie itselft anyways. Do some research and post some facts we dont need this comments here ok.

[sedo]

I must be missing something here...my PS3 is almost always on playing movies/games or participating in 'folding home',fact is it is virtually silent and runs very cool (I don't keep it in a cabinet). I DO USE a universal remote-Harmony 550- for the PS3, I even programmed the color and trigger buttons.

[ender21]

Check yourself before you wreck yourself, gents. Personal insults do nothing but destroy your credibility.

I could just as easily accuse you of being Sony fanboys, but I give everybody the benefit of the doubt until they go out of their way to lose it.

50x louder isn't very hard to achieve when something is already virtually silent. Go 50X louder than an inaudible whisper and you've cracked the border between quiet conversation and a raised voice. It's called an SPL meter. Try one.

I'm a home theater installer and calibrator and have my fair share of experience with Sony, XBox, as well as standalones. That may not buy me credibility with anonymous masses online, but it also doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. In fact it *does* mean I have a lot more "facts" at my disposal than people whose experiences are limited to the ONE product they purchased. I likely have a laundry list of facts and experiences for every customer for whom I've consulted or installed, yet you only have your own. I'll take the averages I get from 100 installs versus one opinionated "jerk" comment anyday.

By the way, so you don't think I'm biased *against* PS3, the XBox is even LOUDER than the PS3. Not hotter though.

Sedo, up until recently universal remotes were not an option for the PS3. On models purchased earlier, they require either a mod or are otherwise incompabitlbe with regular, IR universal remotes.

If you're interested in rational discourse, prove it. Otherwise, thanks for the meaningless insults. I'll still sleep easy at night.

[will2348]

I'm lucky that i have a PS3. However if i'm totally honest i think if your getting a good player even if the price is miles to high it is worth it. But chose carefully you don't wanna save up all that money and then buy the wrong one. I still think the PS3 is still better than all these players and is cheaper for the average consumer so why not buy one now.

[unterhol]

I read this article to see if I could pat myself on the back for buying a PS3. I just did. It's sad that these players are hundreds more and can boast what? They are quieter and cooler? I keep my PS3 on top of my cabinet, not in it, and I've never heard it so both those features are nothing to me. However, picture from a Bluray discs looks awesome and I recommend buying any player to watch them. A conventionally shaped player that stacks (and matches) you existing gear may be worth the extra money alone. No-one looks at your equipment more than you, and if you think it looks cooler then it's worth bucks IMOP. So buy what you like and get blown away with the picture/sound.

[AppleSuxLeo]

Who cares ? Boo-Hoo ray sales are in the toilet. DVD is "good enough" according to the MAJORITY.

[bpob1977]

The PS3 may in fact be a great Blu-ray player. But it is relatively difficult to integrate into a home theater system. Had Sony built the PS3 in a standard rectangular form factor with a quieter fan and included an infrared port to allow compatibility with a universal remote, I might be more interested. As it is, the $250 profile 1.0 Blu-ray player I'm using is more than satisfactory for the time being.