Panasonic or Pioneer?

[Bobpaule]

Lets first get our facts straight. The Sony BDP-S1 and Pioneer Elite are identical except that the Pio has an ethernet port allowing direct updates and streaming media. Both even use the same menus.

My question is why get the Pio for an extra $600? I can wait to receive firmware updates via mail or download and burn on a disc, so no thank you for the Pio.

So the real question is Sony versus Panasonic. Very tough call. The pure videophile wants the Sony cuz of 24p output and superior PQ on PJs like the 1080p Mitsu or Sony Pearl, but the audio enthusiast who invested a xxxxload of money into a processor without HDMI would want to make use of the Panny's 7.1 channel analog out and firmware upgradeability to lossless audio decoding.

I say they are both good, so grab what you can get cheaper, my advice is dont fall for the Pioneer unless your daddy is chockfull o'cash.