Pioneer Elite BDP-LX500

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by punisher

they said the same thing about Vinyl lp's..and now it's back bigger and better than ever.

He thinks that unless the majority of people buy something then that means that it is a doomed market.

He has been predicting rampant burn-in with OLED TVs and the demise of physical media for years. Being negative and being wrong are pretty much all that he does.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Dolby Vision can be added at anytime via a firmware update.

And a few million dollars (each) for license fees and royalties

More 4K disc drives in more homes increases the chance that people will give 4K discs a try and having done so they may well like what they see and hear.

So when should we see this up tick in 4K UHD BD sales?

[BijouMan]

Originally Posted by Filmfan73

Well, because they are outstanding players.
If those features are not added with a firmware update, I'm perfectly content with HDR 10 (I actually prefer it to Dolby Vision a lot of times) and Dolby Atmos on the Series X.

HDR10+ and Dolby Vision will always offer a higher level of picture quality than the basic HDR10. Also, beyond that, the Xbox Series X has an issue causing OLED displays to appear to have a backlight.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

And a few million dollars (each) for license fees and royalties

So when should we see this up tick in 4K UHD BD sales?

October 27th, 2021. A prediction should be specific otherwise it shows a lack of confidence in one's clairvoyance.

I was not trying to suggest that these consoles would spur 4K disc sales to new heights, but rather that more 4K disc drives in more homes is only a positive development for the format.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Vilya

October 27th, 2021. A prediction should be specific otherwise it shows a lack of confidence in one's clairvoyance.

I was not trying to suggest that these consoles would spur 4K disc sales to new heights, but rather that more 4K disc drives in more homes is nothing but a positive for the format.

I just don't see it. The PS4/Xbox One didn't really help Blu-ray so why should the PS5/Xbox Series X help 4K UHD BD?

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

I just don't see it. The PS4/Xbox One didn't really help Blu-ray so why should the PS5/Xbox Series X help 4K UHD BD?

It was the PS3 that helped blu-ray.

By the time the PS4 and the Xbox One came along, blu-ray was already a well established physical media format. People already knew what blu-ray offered.

The PS5 and the Xbox Series X have the potential to introduce people to 4K discs for the first time the same as the PS3 did with blu-rays. People buying these newest of consoles may well want to try out every feature of their new machines and some of them may discover that they like what 4K discs offer.

Now I am as guilty of being off topic as the GrimReaper55 ; we are supposed to be discussing the LX 500.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Vilya

It was the PS3 that helped blu-ray.

By the time the PS4 and the Xbox One came along, blu-ray was already a well established physical media format. People already knew what blu-ray offered.

And with the 10's of millions of BD players in game consoles - BD still went down in sales year after year.

The PS5 and the Xbox Series X have the potential to introduce people to 4K discs for the first time the same as the PS3 did with blu-rays. People buying these newest of consoles may well want to try out every feature of their new machines and some of them may discover that they like what 4K discs offer.

We are approaching the 5th anniversary of UHD BD (Feb. 2021). It isn't a new format.

As you know, the disc market is made up of repeat buyers, not casual "I'll try it" buyers. It's evident where the emphasis has been placed: 4K Dolby Vision HDR on games and streaming.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

And with the 10's of millions of BD players in game consoles - BD still went down in sales year after year.

We are approaching the 5th anniversary of UHD BD (Feb. 2021). It isn't a new format.

As you know, the disc market is made up of repeat buyers, not casual "I'll try it" buyers. It's evident where the emphasis has been placed: 4K Dolby Vision HDR on games and streaming.

The PS3 was launched in November 2006 and disc sales did not begin to decline until 2011 as subscription streaming caught people's attention. For 5 years the PS3 helped blu-ray discs to get a firm footing in the market.

4K discs are still new to a lot of people. Everything is new to someone until they first try it for themselves. Getting people to try a product is half the battle; if they like it they may want more and thereby become a regular customer, but it has to start with that first purchase. And even the occasional buyer is welcome in any market.

Naturally, these gaming consoles emphasize gaming, but they are also marketed as home media and entertainment centers. They are designed to be able to do it all and some people may well want to try all of their capabilities.

In an attempt to steer back to this thread's topic and as a "I'll see your optimism and raise it" gesture, I hope that not only will the LX 500 return, but also the LX 800 and that it be offered in the U.S. market. If you're gonna make a wish, make it a big one.

[Cortiz]

This thread really needs a course correction

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Cortiz

This thread really needs a course correction

I know; we may as well swap our favorite recipes here at this point.

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by Cortiz

This thread really needs a course correction

Oh - it needs more than that!

[Member-425016]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

So when should we see this up tick in 4K UHD BD sales?

In the next year or two. How minor, or major remains to be seen.

Doesn't matter though, as 4K discs aren't going anywhere. The sales still justify the production.

[ckmoak]

Comparing 4K/Blu-Ray to the music industry's products is kind of a straw man - it's not like there's anything existent on prior film mediums that could be considered "higher fidelity" in the way that vinyl is. And as a PS5 consumer, I'll say for the record that I absolutely did buy it at least in part because of the 4K drive.

[Auditor55]

Originally Posted by Vilya

He thinks that unless the majority of people buy something then that means that it is a doomed market.

He has been predicting rampant burn-in with OLED TVs and the demise of physical media for years. Being negative and being wrong are pretty much all that he does.

The market equates to the masses, that's why we don't have 3D TV anymore.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Auditor55

The market equates to the masses, that's why we don't have 3D TV anymore.

Markets equate to profitability. There are innumerable markets for all manner of specialty and luxury items that your precious masses seldom, if ever, buy. You are just being obtuse and argumentative.

A $1000 4K disc player like the LX 500 was never going to be a common household item; it was designed for, and marketed towards, enthusiasts from the outset.

Projectors still support 3D. 3D blu-rays are still being released because there remains a market even for these. 3D is not the topic of this thread.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by BijouMan

Unless you plan on connecting the machine directly to an amplifier rather than using an external DAC, receiver or preamplifier processor, you do not need to spend extra to get the LX800 or its successor. The LX500 and its successor have all the same features and even the same drive as their step-up counterparts. In fact, Pioneer's own SC-LX704 and SC-LX904 receivers use the same ESS SABRE DACs as the LX800, and you can also enjoy surround music, unlike the player itself which only supports two channels of output.

The LX 800 was a tank and most everything about it was pure excess all of which was part of its appeal.

Unless you have some inside line with Pioneer's research and development that you are keeping a secret from us, the LX 500 and the LX 800 have no successors and thus you can not describe what features these non-existent products have.

[BijouMan]

Originally Posted by Vilya

The LX 800 was a tank and most everything about it was pure excess all of which was part of its appeal.

Unless you have some inside line with Pioneer's research and development that you are keeping a secret from us, the LX 500 and the LX 800 have no successors and thus you can not describe what features these non-existent products have.

The LX800 was nothing more than a slightly taller LX500 with a higher-end DAC system. Pioneer didn't release anything saying there wouldn't be a successor.

UPDATE: It looks like Pioneer has all but, albeit quietly, exited the disc player market. I have owned the Panasonic for a while now, and if you do want a machine with all these features there is the MAGNETAR.

[ronboster]

Originally Posted by BijouMan

. Pioneer didn't release anything saying there wouldn't be a successor.

That position is just idiotic. Yet, that's your go-to....if they haven't said anything than it must be "logical" they are going to release a new player. Brie Larson hasn't said that she isn't going to go on a date with me.....see how illogical that sounds?

Yet, you are so invested in this illogical position...I have not doubt you'll stick with it for years to come.

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by BijouMan

The LX800 was nothing more than a slightly taller LX500 with a higher-end DAC system. Pioneer didn't release anything saying there wouldn't be a successor.

Onkyo and or Pioneer also didn't release anything prior to COVID saying they were going into insolvency. When a company does not say anything most likely it is because they have 0 intention of saying anything. As others have said numerous times unless you are sitting in upper management stop posting about a successor like its fact. You are not qualified to be speaking as you are.

[BijouMan]

Originally Posted by ronboster

That position is just idiotic. Yet, that's your go-to....if they haven't said anything than it must be "logical" they are going to release a new player. Brie Larson hasn't said that she isn't going to go on a date with me.....see how illogical that sounds?

Yet, you are so invested in this illogical position...I have not doubt you'll stick with it for years to come.

Pioneer not saying they aren't going to release a new player is a completely different situation than Brie Larson not saying she won't go on a date with you. Unlike Larson, who has never gone on a date with you, Pioneer has made players before and they didn't say they're not going to make a follow-up model, which is what they had done since the LaserDisc era. Your comparison makes no sense whatsoever.

UPDATE: It looks like Pioneer has all but, albeit quietly, exited the disc player market. I have owned the Panasonic for a while now, and if you do want a machine with all these features there is the MAGNETAR.