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MartinT
08-06-2012, 10:09
Sat down to watch Avatar Collector's Edition last night and my Blu-ray player struggled for ages to load the Java-rich menu, with lots of juddering and then a frozen menu where I couldn't go any further. "Here we go again", I thought, and went off to see what firmware level my player has now reached. The answer was v6.2 whereas I had v5.5 installed. So I dowloaded the firmware, burned the required CD, put it in the player and waited a full 25 mins for it to complete. I have done this on four previous occasions, every time I bought a new disc that wouldn't play!

Avatar now loads and plays, albeit still with some juddering of the 20th Century Fox startup logo and very slow to get to the menu (about 4 mins). I was also disappointed that the PQ is not as good as it had been on Ruth's later model Sony player the previous night. It looks frankly soft. Sound, on the other hand, was stunning.

So, reminded of what Mark said about his Oppo and how good modern players are with video decoding, I've set about looking for a replacement machine. This is made somewhat more complicated because I need multiregion A/B/1/2 for my collection of discs.

I believe I have identified the perfect model: a Pioneer BDP-LX55, recommended by the chap at multiregionmagic.co.uk as the dog's danglies for PQ. It has 12-bit decoding and 36-bit deep colour. Amazingly, it also plays SACDs and DVD-As.

Any comments before I hit the button on one?

Mark Grant
08-06-2012, 11:16
Will you be connecting by digital outputs or analogue outputs for the sound ?

If Analogue then something like an Oppo 95 should be better.

If using digital outputs then an Oppo 93 would be perfect and all you need for films.
Costs a bit more than the pioneer.

The Oppo's picture quality is excellent, especially the up scaling of DVD.

Oppo also plays the SACD and DVD-A.

The Oppo has an Ethernet socket and firmware updates can be downloaded automatically from Oppo servers so need to burn CD's and faff around.

Multiregion and Multizone is no problem as most Oppo dealers will supply with a mod kit fitted. A few people here have bought them from me and all have been happy.

MartinT
08-06-2012, 11:26
HDMI video to the TV, digital optical audio to the Bushmaster DAC.

I've looked at the Oppo and it looks superb but it's twice what I want to spend for a Blu-ray machine. I already have the Ayre for SACD and DVD-A so I can't really justify the Oppo although I can see how it would be excellent as a single source component.

MartinT
08-06-2012, 16:51
After Paul Taylor's (multiregionmagic.co.uk) comments about the Pioneer's high quality video output (he says there is none better and he sells a wide range of brands), I've been convinced that this is the way to go. I simply didn't want to spend any more on an Oppo much as I've fancied one in the past, and any high quality internal audio circuitry would go to waste. I also rejected a Panasonic even though it would match my TV.

So I've ordered a Pioneer BDP-LX55 region 1/2/3/4/5/6/A/B/C player.

Reid Malenfant
08-06-2012, 16:54
Paul Taylor? Not BJE Ltd (or similar) by chance?

Good luck with the new player Martin, I'd have recommended the Oppo as I'm sure you realise :D

But I'd be daft not to as I have zero experience of the Pioneer.. So kind of unfair for me to comment at the end of the day ;)

MartinT
08-06-2012, 17:19
He's Paul Taylor of GPA Ltd (multiregionmagic.co.uk) here (http://www.mrmdvd.com/catalog/index.php).

Reid Malenfant
08-06-2012, 17:26
He's Paul Taylor of GPA Ltd (multiregionmagic.co.uk) here (http://www.mrmdvd.com/catalog/index.php).
That's the bloke, used to be BJE Ltd...

My father used to be manager of one of his stores which was in Oxford Road Peterborough :lol:


Peterborough, got to be the same bloke! Used to be known as Paul Taylor back then as well ;)

MartinT
08-06-2012, 18:09
Small world! :)

DSJR
08-06-2012, 22:17
That's the bloke, used to be BJE Ltd...

My father used to be manager of one of his stores which was in Oxford Road Peterborough :lol:




Was that next to a petrol station Mark. Long time ago (ten to twelve years ago) and a time I'd like to forget, but if you know where I'm talking about, I bought my still running Pioneer DV 545 from there.

MartinT
08-06-2012, 22:24
I had an even earlier Pioneer DV-505. Lovely 1st generation DVD player, that was.

Reid Malenfant
08-06-2012, 22:27
Was that next to a petrol station Mark. Long time ago (ten to twelve years ago) and a time I'd like to forget, but if you know where I'm talking about, I bought my still running Pioneer DV 545 from there.
Yes, sort of, though this was after the Oxford Road & New Road shops , I also bought a DVD player from besides the petrol station, like yours it still works :D

jon1
10-06-2012, 09:05
After Paul Taylor's (multiregionmagic.co.uk) comments about the Pioneer's high quality video output (he says there is none better and he sells a wide range of brands), I've been convinced that this is the way to go. I simply didn't want to spend any more on an Oppo much as I've fancied one in the past, and any high quality internal audio circuitry would go to waste. I also rejected a Panasonic even though it would match my TV.

So I've ordered a Pioneer BDP-LX55 region 1/2/3/4/5/6/A/B/C player.


Nice choice martin;)



jon

MartinT
11-06-2012, 20:58
Received the Pioneer today. Very, very pleased with it, PQ and SQ are both superb. The player is hugely faster than my old Sony, both with loading discs and moving around the chapters. The fact that it plays DVD-A and SACD and down-converts them to S/PDIF is a bonus since my Ayre plays those, too. But it's allowed me to test the Bushmaster's mettle to great effect.

Played Avatar and Serenity Blu-rays so far, both look superb and have subterranean soundtracks. DVDs also upsample rather well. Nice :)

jon1
13-06-2012, 20:20
Received the Pioneer today. Very, very pleased with it, PQ and SQ are both superb. The player is hugely faster than my old Sony, both with loading discs and moving around the chapters. The fact that it plays DVD-A and SACD and down-converts them to S/PDIF is a bonus since my Ayre plays those, too. But it's allowed me to test the Bushmaster's mettle to great effect.

Played Avatar and Serenity Blu-rays so far, both look superb and have subterranean soundtracks. DVDs also upsample rather well. Nice :)


So far you like?:eyebrows::)


jon

MartinT
13-06-2012, 20:25
So far you like?:eyebrows::)

I do, I do :)

jon1
13-06-2012, 20:44
I do, I do :)



Good good ...Martin i have the pioneer lx91 had over a year now best yet;):D



jon

MartinT
13-06-2012, 21:16
Very nice, Jon. However, the LX91 was not available with the multi-region mod and is probably overkill for my application, which is simply as a transport for Blu-rays and DVDs. All audio goes offboard to the Bushmaster DAC.

I take it you must have a humungous display or projector to go with a machine like that?

jon1
14-06-2012, 17:51
Very nice, Jon. However, the LX91 was not available with the multi-region mod and is probably overkill for my application, which is simply as a transport for Blu-rays and DVDs. All audio goes offboard to the Bushmaster DAC.

I take it you must have a humungous display or projector to go with a machine like that?


I have only got 52"lcd:D did have few pj but not now:)


jon

Reid Malenfant
14-06-2012, 17:53
I have a feeling Jon prefers his audio going on the multichannel cables he uses :eyebrows:


Maybe I ought to start playing the lottery :D


Glad to here you are happy with the performance of the new BD player Martin :)

jon1
15-06-2012, 18:04
I have a feeling Jon prefers his audio going on the multichannel cables he uses :eyebrows:


Maybe I ought to start playing the lottery :D


Glad to here you are happy with the performance of the new BD player Martin :)


Steady mark:D I would not mind being a penny behind you:eyebrows::)



jon