http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/ Engadget HD Comments for Pioneer BDP-95FD review http://www.engadgethd.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadgethd.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Thanks anyway.]]>Mar 19th 2008 2:09PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/
In case you hadn't noticed, Pioneer takes great pride in the shiny, mirror-like surfaces of their Elite branded equipment. Many television displays also include shiny, mirror-like surfaces. I would surmise that is why all the photos are taken at an angle rather than because the photographer didn't have a tripod. Dude.]]>Mar 19th 2008 5:51PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Mar 19th 2008 2:12PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Mar 19th 2008 2:13PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Mar 19th 2008 2:17PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Mar 19th 2008 2:26PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Mar 19th 2008 2:49PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Mar 19th 2008 3:00PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Mar 19th 2008 3:01PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/
Not so. What makes it worse, is that for a player to have successful internal decoding it must have good processing power. Which will delay my purchase for an inexpensive blu-ray player compatible with my setup even MORE.]]>Mar 19th 2008 3:21PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/
One thing you failed to mention was the OUTSTANDING upconvert quality from normal DVD's. I had an HD-XA2 prior to Warner's Announcement (quickly sold and jumped ship!) and the 95FD does significantly better than the XA2 in my opinion.

Watching Blue Planet (on DVD) looks better than watching most of the NGC or DHDTh programs via Cox (but then again, Cox blows goats for quarters)

]]>Mar 19th 2008 8:33PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Mar 20th 2008 2:08AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/
"Best of the best" ? Really ?]]>Mar 20th 2008 8:28AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/There is no perfect Blu-ray player (HD DVD either for that matter, but the XA2 was close), and "the best" depends on your needs.

Profile 1.1, who cares. Not everyone likes PiP.
HQV, only applies to converting resolutions, and since most discs are 1080p you'll never use it.

If you have a new AV/R like the one we tested with, you don't use the internal decoder.

Personally if it had an RS-232 port, it would be perfect.]]>Mar 20th 2008 8:32AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Anyways.. isn't this review a little late considering this player has been out for a long time and is now discontinued?]]>Mar 20th 2008 8:54AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/
The one they sent me was new, plus when we get the new one we'll be able to compare. ]]>Mar 20th 2008 8:54AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/
Of course "not everyone" want all the features. As a reviewer, you should be more objective and look at the facts, not you personal likings. Sure, I like reading about your opinion, but after reading your review, I don't feel this is a "Top player".

But... In a player costing 1000$, RS-232 should probably be included. After all, it's "Elite". It should also be more up-to-date than the PS3.

My point is, "Best of the best" should be "close to perfect", if not perfect. When you look at any given format, I would think that "Top" would describe a player that has all the latest features of the format. This one doesn't.

Sure, you like this player a lot. Just say so. Oh, I think you did.

It's just that the first line of your review made me think that this player was "it".

But is ain't. ]]>Mar 20th 2008 11:58AMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Yeah I went back and forth about that, I though about putting "near the top" or "around the top". Either way, it's the best player I've reviewed to date, and best is not analogous to perfect. Although the BD-P1400, was really nice too. Ultimately it was the usability and quality of the player that pushed it above the rest, not the feature set.

You don't have to do a review of a product to rate them by feature set, you simply line up the features and check them off. I don't think anyone comes here to find a feature check list -- at least I hope not.

I'd bet that the Panny is just as nice, but I'm having a hard time getting in contact with the right person over there to get me one. I've though about "renting" one, but yeah. ]]>Mar 20th 2008 12:03PMhttp://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19/pioneer-bdp-95fd-review/Mar 20th 2008 2:35PM