Pioneer BDP-320 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

Pioneer's second generation BDP-320 Blu-ray player provides a number of video/audiophile features but is notably slow in booting up and loading discs. The later generation players available today will seem screamingly fast in comparison, but will also likely be missing some of the high-end functionality that provides the excellent picture and sound that this player will provide. The player offers many user-modifiable settings for video playback, allowing the user to adjust brightness, contrast, framerate, sharpness and more to match with your video output device. Upscaling of DVDs is excellent, often times making it hard to distinguish them from blu-rays if the DVD source is fairly nice. Even my old Miami Vice and Babylon 5 DVDs look much better on the BDP-320 then they do on a regular DVD player. The player can decode all current audio codecs in use on Blu-ray and provide LPCM channels either over HDMI or over the included 7.1 analog RCA connectors. If you would rather your receiver or other audio processor decode then the player will happily bitstream any codec as well. The Overture on the Blu-ray of Doctor Zhivago is stunning on this player. Pioneer's proprietary PQLS system is included for the two front channels for use with CD playback to reduce jitter when combined with a PQLS equipped receiver. Owing to its second generation roots, the player does not include any streaming options or 3D playback. It's basic rectangular design sits well among other audio/video components, and includes basic controls on the face without looking cluttered. The center mounted disc tray operates smoothly and quietly. A blue light indicates operation, and the display is acceptably non-intrusive for dark room applications. The included remote is rather large yet includes small buttons that are not easy to use in a darkened room. The menu system is comprehensive but not difficult to navigate. Setup is simple using HDMI, but you also have Component, composite, and analog audio options at your disposal if you need them. If you are looking for a quality blu-ray playback option that can upscale DVD's quite well and do not need 3D or streaming options the Pioneer BDP-320 does a good job on these limited functions as long as you don't mind the wait for boot-up and disc load. It should be pretty affordable on the second-hand market.