Spotlight on the Pioneer BDP-HD Blu-Ray Player(Reviewed 10/11/08) Blu-ray players from other high end brands are already dominating the player market, by the time the Pioneer BDP-HD1 shows up in the scene, this player will face one heck of an uphill battle. For one, the exorbitant price tag hanging around this player’s neck is cause alone for early adopters to run the other way into the arms of another player that costs a whole lot less. Pioneer tries to justify the lofty price of the new Pioneer BDP-HD1 through a list of exclusive features this player was purportedly going to have upon the player’s release. A Blu-Ray Player Shines Down on DVD World In the battle between blu-ray and HD-DVD, it is undeniably true that a blu ray enjoys a few perks over the HD-DVD. The Pioneer BDP-HD1 for one is among those other blu ray players that boast the ability to upscale standard DVD resolutions to higher resolutions. Blu-ray players like the Pioneer BDP-HD1 are becoming well known in their capability to output 1080p resolution by way of the HDMI jack, prevailing over the 1080i resolution of the first generation HD-DVD decks. This feat really is nothing to get all jittery about. After all, even a few sets that are capable of accepting and displaying 1080p input will still give you a difficult time in discerning the difference between 1080i and 1080p sources. The Pioneer BDP-HD1 Makes Big Waves The Pioneer BDP-HD1 plans to make a nice niche for itself and draw the spotlight to it by coming out with a much more expansive set of features. For one, this player will be using Pioneer’s Home Media Gallery networking software allowing viewers to stream music, movies and photos from their personal computer or from a DLNA-compliant server. This will allow them to enjoy the streamed content in 1080p resolution. Yes, the Pioneer BDP-HD1 seems great and all but it also happens to have one great thorn sticking from it… for us at least. The Pioneer BDP-HD1 is by far the most expensive next-gen blu ray format player to ever hit the market by a very large margin. When compared to other entry-level players, this player cost three times more… even the closest-priced player will still be a couple hundred bucks cheaper than Pioneer BDP-HD1. Pioneer's BDP-HD1 Blu-Ray Player—The Lowdown The Pioneer BDP-HD01 also suffers one unique loss. Unlike most of the blu-ray launch window players out there, the Pioneer BDP-HD1 cannot play any CD formats. Makers of the Pioneer BDP-HD1 point their finger on the unique nature of the blu-ray hardware of Pioneer BDP-HD1. Conclusion As with other premier HD-DVD players, it might be a good idea to wait out and think whether you would really like to spend your money on a player like the Pioneer BDP-HD1. After all, blu-ray formats new technology and the outcome is still uncertain whether these formats indeed will succeed in the format war or go down the tubes. In the end, you might want to hold on to your money rather than buying a blu-ray player that could become obsolete in a few years… or go for a player that costs a whole lot less then Pioneer BDP-HD1.
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