Pioneer Blu Ray Players

[dougy]

Hello everyone! I just registered here because I want to learn more about blu ray players and also I am wanting to buy one. I have NO idea what is a good or bad one. I have a Pioneer Plasma tv and I was thinking of matching it with a Pioneer blu ray player. I was looking at the BDP-51FD or the BDP-05FD. Does anyone have one or know of one player compatible to it?

Thank you in advance for the advice!

Doug

[dougy]

I have also been looking at the Panasonic DMP-BD55 but I would prefer the Pioneer. Thanks again everyone!

[adkinsse54]

Get the Panasonic or a comparable Sony. I love Pioneer electronics, but their newest Blu-ray players are to problematic and "buggy"!

[BIslander]

The two Pioneers your mentioned are excellent players - probably the best on the market in the moderate price range for pure audio and video. But, they are a bit buggy, do not currently support dts-MA decoding, and cost more than the Panasonic BD55/BD35 and Sony S550/S350 players. The biggest selling point on Pioneer is the "source direct" feature that is great for people with external scalers. It allows them to send DVDs at 480i over HDMI for external upscaling and BDs at 1080p without needing to change any player set-ups.

[coolmilo]

Most of the bugs have been worked out of the latest Pio's with the last firmware. They remain some of the best performing in the market.

You can't go wrong with the Panasonic, Pioneer, or the PS3.

[Zman2k2]

I have the 51FD, and have been very happy with it. It's a fairly fast loading player, and the video is fantastic. I bitstream out to my Pioneer receiver, so for me the audio isn't that much of a concern, but they are saying that in January, the firmware will allow DTS HD-MA decoding as well.

[dougy]

I appreciate everyone's information! For the money I'm thinking of the Pioneer BDP-51FD or the Panasonic DMP-BD55K. Should I quit thinking of getting a blu ray player that matches my tv and go for the Panasonic? I have been doing a lot of research and sounds like majority of the people have been having problems with the Pioneer unit but not the Panasonic. As you all can tell, I have a hard time making decisions!

[Jim L]

Dougy,

I'll tell you -- that question of staying with one brand is a tough one.

The issues that I had with going with multiple brands are

1. You may lose uniformity in the "look" of your system (if that's important to you)
2. You will lose some of the features that allow interoperability of the whole system. Pioneer has theirs, Sony has theirs, and Panasonic has theirs but they are NOT the same. (It's called "system control" or something similar)
3. Many TV or receiver remotes are pre-programmed with their own remote codes of other equipment. They might be programmable, or maybe not

These are the issues to consider. For me, I just mixed and matched. My system is always in flux. I've owned Pioneer Elite, Sony, and soon Panasonic as my main display. I've also owned Sony, Denon, and now Pioneer Elite as my receiver. For Blu-ray/DVD I've had Sony, Panasonic, Denon and now Panasonic again.

Most of the issues are not really important. I now use a Harmony remote so it equalizes a lot of things. Just choose what's in you budget and what performs well.

[dougy]

Thank you for the advice Jim L. I also have a Harmony 880 remote so that helps a lot. After seeing reviews and what people are telling me, I should go for the Panasonic. I have owned Panasonic units before and they are great but this would be my first blu ray player. I feel horrible not having a blu ray player hooked up to my tv, I bet I would never look back once I get a blu ray player.

[Bluhorizon]

Originally Posted by adkinsse54

Get the Panasonic or a comparable Sony. I love Pioneer electronics, but their newest Blu-ray players are to problematic and "buggy"!

No way - My BDP-LX70 has no problems, provided the firmware is kept up-to-date (currently 2.55).

Very expensive though (USD2500)!

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by dougy

For the money I'm thinking of the Pioneer BDP-51FD or the Panasonic DMP-BD55K. Should I quit thinking of getting a blu ray player that matches my tv and go for the Panasonic?

If you have a Harmony 880, there's no reason to stick with the same brand for your TV and BD player. Choose the player on its own merits. They are all pretty much the same when it comes to BD video. So, decide what other features are important to you and get the player that best meets those needs.

[Zman2k2]

I run a harmony remote as well (Xbox360 remote) and it does work great. Being able to control everything with one remote is so sweet.
As for Pioneer players being buggy, I only had one movie not play (James Bonds' From Russia with Love), and I called Pioneer support. Within a week, I had a firmware disc in my hands, and the movie played fine. Nothing wrong or buggy with Pioneer players at all. And the picture quality is fantastic, they do use some of the best video processors out there.

[werewuf]

I have a new BDP-51 and I love it. I have not had any "buggy" problems, it plays all the new Blu-rays just fine. I also have a BDP-95 which also is awesome (matched with a Pro-950hd TV) and a harmony 890, and can say if you go all Pioneer you won't be disappointed.

[BLUTRIG]

I have a Pioeer Elite BDP-95FD blu-ray player (little pricey but worth it) for over one year now i'am very happy with it,the picture is great,and it is decoding DOLBY TRUE HD,DTS-MA HD and PCM,it bitsteam all sound via HDMI to a prioneer elite receiver,sound great. My first choice is a prioneer elite 95,my second choice is a panasonic 55,had a panasonic 35 i like it,had a sony 500 i return it.

[MoPe]

If you get a Pioneer, just make sure to call Pioneer for a FW upgrade disk. It costs nothing to you.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=8855

All the "bugs" and "problems" have been fixed with the latest firmware update, which is 1.17.

Furthermore, this a totally new chipset, which is why there has been a few problems earlier in the release.



Additionally, I LOVE my Pioneer BRP. Excellent PQ/AQ, and for those who don't think there's a difference in BR quality, must try the 51/05FD.

[Sonny]

I'd like to get a Pioneer BD player, just cause I've never had one. What so great about them, besides there name?

[MoPe]

Originally Posted by Sonny

I'd like to get a Pioneer BD player, just cause I've never had one. What so great about them, besides there name?

They use top-of-the-line Wolfson quad DAC's (which are superior to any Denon, Sony, or Panasonic), has superior build quality, has unlimited options for tweaking the picture and sound.

Here's a professional review:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...ml#post3470346

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by MoPe

They use top-of-the-line Wolfson quad DAC's (which are superior to any Denon, Sony, or Panasonic), has superior build quality, has unlimited options for tweaking the picture and sound.

Here's a professional review:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...ml#post3470346

Thats what I like to hear! I'm always looking for better quality. Thanks for the link.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by MoPe

They use top-of-the-line Wolfson quad DACs (which are superior to any Denon, Sony, or Panasonic)

Of course, those only apply if you are using the player's analog outputs.

The Denon 3800BDCI likely has excellent DACs as well. It certainly has much better digital processing than any other player when it comes to tweaking the sound prior to the analog conversion.

[MoPe]

Originally Posted by BIslander

Of course, those only apply if you are using the player's analog outputs.

Right, sorry to mention that.