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DVD Players Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD Blu-ray Player
DVD Players Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD Blu-ray Player
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Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD Blu-ray Player A Secrets Blu-ray Player Review |
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| Written by Kris Deering | |||||
| Sunday, 06 January 2008 | |||||
Page 3 of 3 Audio Performance and Features This is one of the first players to offer full support for HDMI 1.3a. This includes the ability to transmit all of the new advanced audio codecs including the elusive DTS-HD Master Audio format. Currently this is the only way to take full advantage of this new lossless audio format but it requires possession of one of the newer receivers or surround sound processors that offer this type of audio decoding. For this review I was lucky enough to have a 1.3a capable surround processor on hand (the Integra DTC-9.8) to test out these capabilities. I also used my reference Anthem Statement D2 and let the 95FD do its decoding duties for that. The 95FD offers inboard decoding of legacy Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks in addition to the new Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD formats. The only format not covered is DTS-HD Master Audio, which is still MIA for onboard decoding in a Blu-ray player. You would think with demand what it is and third generation products out there we would have seen this by now. Any higher end player manufacturer looking to set himself apart from the pact would simply need to add this feature to their design. The player did an excellent job with onboard decoding of the new formats. I tried out a variety of content to test the player's capabilities and was never disappointed. In Use After I ran this player through our gamut of tests I spent about two weeks using it as my general Blu-ray playback device. Since I do the Blu-ray software reviews here at Secrets, I watch A LOT of content each week. This gives me the opportunity to really get to know the player and get a feel for operation over time. Unfortunately this was one of the more frustrating players I've dealt with to date. The 95FD offers an impeccable picture when playing back Blu-ray movies. The HDMI output is razor sharp and provides one of the best onscreen images I've seen to date. The 95FD did a phenomenal job with the new Blu-ray releases of Pixar's Shorts and Cars. The folks at Pixar continue to raise the bar for entertainment in the animated film world and every drop of effort was on full display with the 95FD. Cars offers some of the most spectacular HD video I've seen to date and all of the color, depth and dimension was delivered beautifully by the 95FD. The problem is the load times and navigational woes. This player is just too slow with general operability so by the time you get to the movie itself, you find yourself quite frustrated. Compared to my Sony Playstation 3, this thing is a slug. Most of the Blu-ray titles I watched on this player loaded in a fraction of the time on my Playstation 3. The recent release of Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind is another example. The 95FD delivered this film better than I've ever seen it in the visual department, but it took ages to get the disc to load. Even my wife started complaining, which is a rarity in my theater. I loved the fact that I could send the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on this release to my new surround processor, but I questioned whether it was worth living with the sluggish design to reap the benefits of its features. Conclusion I'm of mixed opinion on this player. There is no doubt that Pioneer hit it out of the park when it comes to video performance for standard Blu-ray playback on this one. The inclusion of bitstream support of all of the audio formats is a nice feature and helps set this player apart from the pack. But its sluggish load times and general usability make this a hard recommendation. I would also like to see Pioneer take some steps to improve their standard DVD playback, especially at this price point. If you can live with these downfalls the Pioneer has a lot to offer in A/V performance, but there are some other Blu-ray offerings on the market that I'd have to recommend more. Comments (8)
 Table of Contents
written by Josuah , January 07, 2008 IMHO it would be nice if the table of contents described something, instead of just listing parts. I would also consider them pages instead of parts. I really like being able to comment directly on the review! Benchmark score?
written by westcott , January 09, 2008 I have not looked yet but a Benchmark score on the article page itself would be a big help. HD audio via 5.1 analog connection
written by Leo , January 11, 2008 Does the inboard decoding (for legacy Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD, but not DTS-HD MA) mean you will be able to enjoy these new formats if outputting them to an older receiver (e.g. Harman-Kardon AVR 430) connecting the blu-ray players 5.1 analog out to the receivers 5.1 analog and thus the receiver just amplifying the signal? Is this a significant audio improvement or does it rather compare to Dolby Digital and DTS you get from a standard dvd via coax or optical connection? HDDVD is Better
written by DJ , January 14, 2008 I think all of this hype with Blu-Ray is BS! I can't believe that Blu-Ray just won all of the studio's support. The only things that Blu-Ray needs to be a better format is what HDDVD already has. Standards, and basic manufacturing processes are just some of the things. I don't think I will be buying one anytime soon. Anthem with Player
written by RC , January 17, 2008 Could you shed some additional color on interface with the D2. Also provide the pluses and minuses of the D2 not being 1.3 processor WHOS TELLING THE TRUTH HERE ABOUT DTS-HD Master Audio
written by RON , January 22, 2008 ACCORDING TO PIONEER WEBSITE THIS MACHINE DOES SUPPORT DTS-HD Master Audio . SO IS PIONEER LYING LIKE SONY WHICH CLAIM THEIR PLAYSTATION 3 PLAYS DOLBY TRUE HD BUT DOESNT ACCORDING TO MY ONKYO 875 .AND THE ONKYO REPS. ...
written by Joe , January 24, 2008 So, could you tell me which blur-ray DVD player you would recommened, i mean better than the Pioneer BDP-95FD profile 1.0?
written by aaron , February 05, 2008 so for $1k i get a bd player that doesn't even meet the min standard of profile 1.1 let alone 2.0? what a rip off! Write comment
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