Pioneer BDP51FD

[ECLIPSEONYA]

I have been using a PS3 for a blu-ray for a while and honestly it is way too loud for regular movie viewing. I have the opportunity to pick up this for $235. I saw the post about best buy and them being on sale for $150 but in reality I am not going to be the guy lucking into this find. Is this a good deal or would you suggest another player at that price that will outperform it? Any help is appreciated.

 

[lexiholic]

Hi there,

The BDP-150 is a fantastic player at $300 (what I paid) let alone at $150. The only thing you'll have to do is download the firmware upgrade to enable the DTS master audio decoding which it supports internally but does not decode out of the box. The firmware needed for DTS MA, LFE crossover settings and additional speaker options is v1.32. Pioneer just released v1.37 this month I believe which is strictly a performance enhancement upgrade. After that it is a sweet sounding piece of gear. I use a Lexicon RV-5 and use the audio analog inputs on the bluray to get the new codecs. Sounds awesome. Go under bluray.com and download the firmware onto a CD-r as an image file. Then pop it into your player and presto! Create 2 discs, one for v1.32 and another for 1.37. Make sure you burn it as an image file or it won't work. I believe instructions are included there step by step. Below are the changes you'll get with the upgrades.


BDP-05FD Firmware Update (v1.37)


Information
Manufacturer
Type
Version
Release date
Downloads
Pioneer
Firmware
1.37
Sep 25, 2009
2607


Description

Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD Firmware Update.
Ver 1.37


- Enhances stability of BD-ROM/BD-R/BD-RE/DVD-Video playback
- Performance improvement


Changelog

Ver 1.32

CHANGE HISTORY:
- Enables the following new functions. Refer to the Operating Instructions addendum "Notice on the Addition of Functions" for details.
1. DTS-HD audio output
Converts DTS-HD audio to linear PCM for HDMI OUT (MAIN) terminal.
Converts DTS-HD audio to analog audio for the AUDIO OUT (7.1 ch) terminals.
2. Image file playback
Play image files recorded on DVD or CD.
3. LFE Crossover frequency and additional Speaker settings for AUDIO OUT (7.1 ch) terminals.
- Enhances stability of BD-Java playback (*)
- Enhances stability of BD-ROM/BD-R/BD-RE/DVD-Video playback
- Fixes the resume playback function after switching off the player by pressing the STANDBY/ON button during playback of BD-ROM discs.
- Performance improvement
* The player's action can be slower than expected depending on contents (menu, game, etc.) included in certain BD-Java discs.

Good Luck.

 

[HDPCsound]

One feature i love: The BDP-51FD's gloss-black fascia feels more plasticky than the LX71, plus it replaces the touch-sensitive buttons found on the pricier player with normal ones, and abandons the silver trim around the play button.