Pioneer ships Blu-ray player trio to US shelves
updated 01:30 pm EDT, Thu June 4, 2009
Pioneer 2009 Blu-ray Ships
Pioneer this afternoon said it had started shipping the three Blu-ray movie players it first introduced at CES this year. The Elite BDP-23FD is its flagship with both expected BD Live support as well as a Precision Quartz Lock System the company says avoids jitter in audio playback; it also has "audiophile-grade" capacitors and better-than-average construction. The BDP-23FD carries 48-bit color, 7.1-channel audio and RS-232 support for its $599 price.
The BDP-320 is Pioneer's more mainstream alternative to the Elite and lacks the special design but otherwise has PQLS, 48-bit color, BD Live and the other features that contribute to most of the player's AV quality. The differences bring the price down to $399.
Keeping the price down, the BDP-120 excises PQLS and can only address a 36-bit color range. Instead of building in the 1GB of necessary storage for BD Live, it relies on USB storage and a bundled 1GB external drive for the content. The BDP-120 sells for $299.
Elite BDP-23FD
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2008
Only $599?
Surprised to see the Elite model for only $599? I guess the days of $1000 high-end Pioneer Elite models are gone...even if they may or may not have been worth the money.