Pioneer (BD-51FD) or Sony (BDP-S550)?

[bluseminole]

I am looking to replace my DMP-BD10A for the sole reason of obtaining DTS-HD MA audio. I am NOT in the market for a new receiver, but I have a 7.1 setup, so a player with 7.1 analog outs and internal decoding is necessary. This pretty much limits it to these two models. What are your thoughts between the two?

Personally, it seems that the Pioneer is more expensive for the sake of its name. The Sony is prof. 2.0, where as the Pio is only 1.1 (this is a non-issue for me, however, b/c I don't like special features). What really makes me wonder is, how long will it take for Pio to get that DTS-HD MA firmware out after the players are released?

I guess it boils down to, is Pioneer enough of a superior brand name to spend an extra $100 premium and suffer the "inconvenience" of relying on a firmware update? Or am I just as well off waiting for the cheaper and arguably more "complete-out-of-the-box" Sony?

Thoughts please

EDIT: Dang, misspelled the Pioneer model name. Sorry. Correction: BDP-51FD