Pioneer sets third-generation Blu-ray player for October
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Upgraded set-top has improved audio
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 9/6/2007
SEPT. 6 | Continuing to court the high-end consumer, Pioneer will street its third-generation Blu-ray Disc player this October at expected $1,000 pricing.
Pioneer's new player will offer DTS-HD.
The BDP-95FD improves upon earlier incarnations of Pioneer players with the inclusion of the audio technology DTS-HD.
Other than that upgrade, the BDP-95FD is largely similar to Pioneer’s second-generation model, the $999 BDP-94. The third-generation player also features advanced audio formats Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital +. Additionally, the BDP-95FD plays back video at highest resolution 1080p and can access music, movies and photos stored on a home PC through its localized networking capabilities.
Come October, the BDP-95FD will be available at more than 1,000 U.S. storefronts, skewed toward upscale electronics specialists such as Best Buy’s Magnolia brand.
Pioneer remains one of the few high-definition player manufacturers that hasn’t yet introduced a sub-$1,000 player. But the manufacturer believes it has nevertheless found its Blu-ray niche.
“It’s definitely more expensive than the competition, but we are delivering a player that is delivering an uncompromised experience,” said Chris Walker, Pioneer’s senior manager of product planning and marketing. “In the past, our players were superior in picture quality, and now we can really say the same about the audio experience. We are giving you exactly what the director wanted you to experience from the picture and now audio standpoint.”
Walker also noted that, compared to the early days of standard-definition players, where a model could run $1,750, Pioneer’s offerings are relatively modest in price.
The company joins a growing crowd of manufacturers swiftly churning out new versions of players. Toshiba and Samsung will similarly bow third-generation models within months of launching second-generation players.
“It might be going a little bit faster than it was for the DVD market,” said Walker. “But I don’t think that anyone who bought into the first-generation models are upset. We are still in the infancy stage of the [high-def] formats, and for the people who are buying, they know they are buying something at the very beginning.”
