Pioneer BDP-51FD Blu-ray player

In many ways, the new Pioneer BDP-51FD is more of a no-frills performance-centric home theater kit than most of its peers in the market. Its old-school oversized construction and comprehensive HD surround sound support are fine examples of its movie playing potential, though there is a major omission as well. As to how it stacks up against similar-priced makes such as the Sony BDP-S550, we find out in a quick rundown of its pros and cons.

Upside: At 420 x 361 x 124mm and weighing a beefy 5.6kg, this Pioneer entry Blu-ray player is easily one of the chunkiest kits in this price category. However, old school enthusiasts will definitely appreciate its solid tank-like build, attention to details and classy finish. For example, there are the hi-fi-style metal "legs", chrome buttons and a black piano bezel. Then there's a cooling fan on the rear to enhance reliability, while a power socket opens up options for exotic power cords. The latter is ideal for hardcore hobbyists who swear by thick whips cables with additional noise shielding.

The key proposition for this player is none other than its superb high-resolution surround sound support. For starters, it's capable of decoding Dolby TrueHD/Digital Plus and DTS-HD Master Audio. These can be output through HDMI or 7.1-channel analog audio for legacy equipment compatibility. If you're lucky to own a new HD A/V receiver, you could route the raw (bitstream) signals via HDMI for external processing as well. Though, theoretically both methods should yielded similar sound quality, there've been forum reports of better performance when soundtracks are externally decoded.

For audiophiles, the BDP-51FD's stepped-up 24-bit/192KHz Wolfson audio digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is another plus for music playback. This version is second only to the latest model found in the Pioneer flagship A/V amplifier S$9,999 (US$7,099.55) SC-LX90. On the other end of the spectrum, videophiles should be pleased with the player's galore of picture control configurations. These range from four independent noise-reduction functions to a suite of color-oriented settings. To top it off, there's also 1080p DVD video upscaling, film-centric 24-frames-per-second Blu-ray playback and 36-bit Deep Color support.

Downside: Being a recent entry, this Pioneer's Blu-ray Profile 1.1 (BonusView)-only support is quite a letdown. The lack of Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) for online movie content download makes the BDP-51FD somewhat obsolete right out-of-the-box. On the brighter side, such BD-Live interactive features have been underwhelming so far. That said, at S$999 (US$709.32), BD-Live is almost a given on most other similarly priced players such as the above-mentioned Sony.

Outlook: The Pioneer BDP-51FD should fit in nicely for users mainly concerned about fine onscreen pictures and good music playback. It also packs enough tweaking options to keep enthusiasts occupied for a long time. However, if a full Blu-ray interactive experience is what you're seeking, you might want to check out its flagship BDP-LX91 or other competing products.

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