The Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1 Review Thread

[hyperdine]

Hats off to Pioneer for putting out a great player...

An interesting comparison is looking at VC-1 encodes on discs that are available on both Blu-ray and HD DVD. With the firmware updated Samsung player and the PS3 running the BDs of Blazing Saddles and Phantom of the Opera I'd previously seen a slightly sharper image from the HD DVDs via 1080i from the Toshiba HD-XA1. Not anymore. As with the Sony BDP-S2, the Pioneer Elite shattered this slight mismatch with their output set to 1080p/24. And interestingly, my impressions is still that the 1080p/24 output from the BDP-HD1 looks slightly sharper than the 1080p/60 output of the same player.

http://www.guidetohometheater.com/hd...1206piobdphd1/

[marine92104]

I just got off the phone again with the Pioneer Blu-Ray Department & they said that since it was not HDMI 1.3 they're not aware of any updates for advanced audio codecs. They said it didn't have the right chipset for that.

They also said Pioneer wasn't a big fan of having the Dolby True HD & DTS-HD converted to uncompressed LPCM over the analog outs.

I guess we'll have to wait for a 2nd generation unit for the advanced codecs.

[Blu-Light]

Well,
I think I am going to cancel my preorder on this player now. Looking at the manual, I am pretty disappointed.

1) Won't output 1080/24p over component only HDMI (just like the Sony)
2) The media player will NOT play ripped DVD VOB files. I spent an entire day dumping our library to two hard drives (AYE!!!!) It will only play MWV, MPEG2 and MPEG1 files.

I am really bummed out. Guess I will have to wait til Christmas for my son's PS3 to play the movies we have sitting here from Netflix and any chance of having a complete media player will ride on what the PS3 will do with a future firmware upgrade.

Sad day.

[bferr1]

Whoops! From the owner's manual, page 23:

In the following case, the resume position is cleared:
• Eject the disc
• Use Home Media Gallery/Disc Navigator
• Switch the player off (BD-ROM only)

Color me unimpressed.

[bferr1]

More fun in the fine print! This from Pioneer's product brochure PDF:

This Player does not support direct connection to the Internet or the retrieval of content through the Internet. Pioneer provides a
Limited Firmware Warranty for firmware updates in the event of playability issues with some commercially pre-recorded discs, however, firmware updates for this Player will not include upgrades for Internet access or retrieval of content. A copy of the Firmware Limited Warranty is available on Pioneer’s website at pioneerelectronics.com. Please contact Pioneer’s customer service center for more information at (800) 421‑1404.

So I guess BD-Live is completely out of the question, then?

[cyberhusky]

Are there any updates on the release date for this player? I put a deposit down on the player, and Tweeter told me their shipment will be in this Friday in the Chicago area 12-29, and to my local Tweeter on 12-30 for pickup. Are these dates still good? Has anybody heard anything lately?

Also, I was reading the posts about the 7.1 sound only through the HDMI connection and not analog. I've got a full home theater in my new house but with older equipment. I've got all Elite components, but the receiver is about 3 or 4 years old without HDMI. It has the optical in which I am using now from my Elite DVD player. The projector is a Sharp (not sure of the model, but about $10,000 five years ago) which displays 720p or 1080i. I know that I'm not going to get 1080p with this set-up, but on a 133" screen, I would think there would be a noticeable difference from a standard DVD player. I'm I locked into 5.1 sound until I replace the receiver and projector?

Thanks for your patience from a new member!

[Blu-Light]

Originally Posted by Blu-Light

Well,
I think I am going to cancel my preorder on this player now. Looking at the manual, I am pretty disappointed.

1) Won't output 1080/24p over component only HDMI (just like the Sony)
2) The media player will NOT play ripped DVD VOB files. I spent an entire day dumping our library to two hard drives (AYE!!!!) It will only play MWV, MPEG2 and MPEG1 files.

I am really bummed out. Guess I will have to wait til Christmas for my son's PS3 to play the movies we have sitting here from Netflix and any chance of having a complete media player will ride on what the PS3 will do with a future firmware upgrade.

Sad day.

Well, today I dropped by Tweeter and cancelled my order for the Pioneer. The above was the last straw. I am going to get another PS3 for the theater. The local Target had one in stock but I passed on it because my wife works at walmart and we can get an additional 10% off the price. We used the PS3 the other night to play superman. Worked really well and this thing is fast. Good luck to all the pioneer users, I am sure its a fine unit.

[Vader]

Originally Posted by Blu-Light

Well, today I dropped by Tweeter and cancelled my order for the Pioneer. The above was the last straw. I am going to get another PS3 for the theater. The local Target had one in stock but I passed on it because my wife works at walmart and we can get an additional 10% off the price. We used the PS3 the other night to play superman. Worked really well and this thing is fast. Good luck to all the pioneer users, I am sure its a fine unit.

So your leaving the Pioneer Nation. Big deal! Goodby and don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[Blu-Light]

Nice. I hope you have a happy new year too! Look, I have nothing against the Pioneer and I even wished all of you good luck with the unit and that I was sure it's a fine unit. It just doesn't fit the needs of my family at this time. I thought that these forums were to discuss the present technology. That's what I was doing. Sorry if that offended you somehow.

[4K display]

Promising CES update on the Pioneer
However it is unofficial so salt accordingly..