BDP-HD1
Latest
Pioneer's new Blu-ray player, the BDP-LX70
It has almost been a year since the first generation Blu-ray players hit the market, and we're already starting to see second generation players; well the Pioneer BDP-LX70 is most certainly a new model, but we're not sure if it's second gen or not. The BDP-LX70 is currently only listed on Pioneer's Eurpean site and although HD DVD originally annouced their second generation players in Europe, they looked completly different from the first gen. Not only does the LX70 looks alot like the HD1, but the features are also very similar; in fact other than having a Dolby TrueHD decoder built in, it doesn't seem to have any other new features. The latest must have feature -- HDMI 1.3 -- isn't specifically mentioned, but what is mentioned, is the fact that an "HD audio bitstream output player" is already set to replace this model. Second gen or not, Blu-ray fans in Europe are about to get a new option in June when this new player hits the street, but no word on a price.
Pioneer BDP-HD1 Blu-ray player reviewed
The Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1 Blu-ray player isn't on store shelves yet but it's already notable for having something no other Blu-ray player has. What that thing isn't, is a low price, out of the box support for advanced audio codecs or quick load times. HDGuru took a look at the player and found it to be similar enough to Sony's BDP-S1 that they suspect both are in fact being manufactured by Pioneer, with the only differences being the BDP-HD1's Ethernet port and piano black exterior. While it's not clear if BD Live interactivity will ever be supported, users can download the inevitable firmware updates and also utilize Pioneer's new Home Media Gallery feature to stream video, pictures or music from a PC. Despite the $1500 pricetag ($500 more than the BDP-S1 and $1000 more than the PlayStation 3) the reviewer was impressed enough by the picture quality, home media capabilities and extended warranty to recommend purchasing one when they become available by year end.
Pioneer's BDP-HD1 Blu-ray player also delayed until December
There must be something really hard about making those Blu-ray players that no one seems to have anticipated. First Sony had to announce twice that its BDP-S1 was going to be delayed until December 2006 due to software bugs. Now Pioneer has been delayed too, for unspecified failure to meet "quality control requirements," which may or may not be related to the other assorted blue laser shortages. The BDP-HD1, which was due to come out this month (after having been delayed from its previous May launch), won't ship now until December as well. The price, however, has dropped since we last eyed it at CES -- it's now down to $1500. We're still not sure which is bluer, us consumers, who have been trying to get one of these Blu-ray players until we go blue in the face, or Pioneer, who is singin' the blues. (This entry has been brought to you by the color "blue.")[Thanks, Junger]
Component looks better than HDMI on Samsung's BD-P1000
And so the bad quality Blu-ray player saga continues with the video quality being better via component video than HDMI. Bill Hunt had the opportunity to take his BD-P1000 over to Pioneer's headquarters and do a side-by-side test with the Pioneer BDP-HD1 on their gorgeous 50-inch 1080p plasma. The Pioneer did look better then the Sammy to start with but when component was used for the Samsung, it came really close. The Pioneer did have a better picture with deeper contrasts and more detail though, but the player was outputting 1080p over HDMI to a native 1080p display; it should look better. Oh and they did test VC-1 material on both players and it does look "absolutely spectacular;" dramatically better then the MPEG-2 stuff out right now. It's a good read.None of us own this player yet so we can't tell you for sure if this is true yet so we are relying on you readers. Try this and tell us what you think. Does component video in fact look better then HDMI on Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player?
