Official Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD & BDP-51FD Owners Thread / Vs 1.32 DTS-HD MA - Page 995

Kyle
Ok ...will do. I think I will wait for the 1.72b Pio disc....having read earlier threads of zip discs gone wild. I upgraded to 1.21 with a Pio disc 3 1/2 years with no problemäs.
Thx
Allan

Overall, yes. Here are a few clarifications though:

- Now that you're at 1.21, it is almost certain that the update to 1.72 should work.

- If the update to 1.72 is rejected, you wouldn't need to "revive" your machine, it will still work. It will just stay unchanged at 1.21.

- The disk you will receive from Pioneer will be 1.72. To my knowledge, 1.72b has not been officially released.

- If I'm wrong and the jump from 1.21 to 1.72 is still too big of a jump, then you would need to create a 1.32 update disk from the zip file that you have by extracting the .iso file that is in it and burning it to a CD. You would then use that disk to update your machine to 1.32.

Dan.

Note that FW Ver.1.72b Fixes the following issues: - Java script errors Displayed When Playing BDS from Italian Home Video Distributor CG SRL .

And that's it. That's probably why it's only been released in Europe.

Dan
Thx for the clarification. I would like to get the great sound of this unit going (Pio shipped fw 1.72 test.) in my living room. Its amazing how it still outperforms units 3 years newer - and, over HDMI (not even using the DACs)!!!!????!!!!!

^^^it sure beats my new bdp-52fd that i recently purchased. The only thing the 52 has on it is speed and multichannel pqls. The networking on the new pio players is all jacked up with no fix in site so thats no factor

I was getting ready to sell my 51, too slow, non responsive, etc...

And then I came here and was really surprise there's nearly 2000 pages of posts. Is there something special about the 51? Why are people hanging onto this unit, its 5 years old? Should I keep mine? I was going to upgrade to the bdp-140 or 430.

Is it really five years old? I thought it was four years old.

Just watched "Clash of the Titans" yesterday on my Pioneer 51FD Blu-ray player and had trouble with the English audio track.

Has this been the case with anyone else with this Blu-ray?


With normal settings...settings I never change, I could not get the English audio to play. There's something like 10 or more different audio languages to choose from...they all worked except for the English one!

To hear the English audio, I had to go into my player's menu and change the audio output from HDMI to PCM. This way, I think it was the player decoding the audio rather than having the receiver do it.

It was released around July 2008. I bought mine in August 2008 and sold it about 1 1/2 years later (too unreliable with rental BDs).


Sony?

Probably because the 51 excels in PQ and AQ. From what I've read so far about the 140 (a rebadged Sharp) and the 430, I wouldn't consider them an upgrade.

If shopping today, my first choice would be the Oppo. It that's too expensive, than I'd probably look at the Panasonics.

That said, I have no personal experience with Pioneer's latest offerings; just going by what I've been reading from other owners.

IMO, Pioneer has gone downhill since the release of the 23 and 320 (I have the 320 currently).

Sorry, meant Pioneer!!!

I don't know if it is the same problem or if it will help, but I had trouble with audio too but with Super 8 and Transformers and switching the player to PCM also cured that problem, it turned out to be my AVR and not the 05 at all. See my post here http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...7#post21560867 a DSP firmware update to the AVR cured the problem

Pio Europe site still shows 1.72. as I understand it, it's a service centre release. The only place I know you can get it, apart from a Pioneer service centre is Pioneer FAQ. I'm using it but had I known what it was for I would not have bothered

..have a 3 1/2 year newer Panny BDP...audio is not as good with audio as the the 51. It has depth and subtly that Pan can't match..yes i a/b'd them...

Thank you. I had this same post in another thread the fault was also the receiver not the Blu-ray player.

By the way, I have the Pioneer SC-07 reciever. I don't know if there is a way to upgrade without having to take it in for service. In that case, I'll simply set the player to PCM when playing that disc!

What is the better down mix of the PCM signal? "Stereo" or LtRt or what ever it's labled?

I believe some of the very recent Pio AVRs are firmware updateable over the internet, you will need to check your manual for that, I believe yours is fairly recent but maybe not recent enough. Most of the others require the use of a PC with serial port for the majority of updates an older type CD or DVD player with a digital output (for the DSP update, I used an old Philips 510 dvd player modern ones and bluray players are not suitable), a reasonable level of technical skill and patience and of course the firmware pack (some very older ones like my LX50 require special adaptors and ribbon cable although the DSP update is still possible without them).
I checked Hkans website but did not see your model of firmware listed the SC09 was there but not the SC07. I believe, not certain that Pio US are doing free updates for AVR's with firmware problems mostly as a result of the DTS bomb saga, might be worth checking.

Re the downmix I would think if you are playing stereo audio e.g. music then stereo. With Lt Rt if you only have a two channel set up but are playing multi channel audio then as I understand it the other channels are mixed in with the left and right front main channels, a while since I have looked at that bit of information but I think it is pretty clear in the manual which mine unfortunately is on loan to a pal so I can't check

I had the same problem with my Pioneer 09FD. It was weird. I forgot what I did to resolve it though.

Hi,

I have both and am not sure which one produces the best audio/video. Both are connected via HDMI to an AVR (Yamaha RX-V667) and go out via HDMI to Panasonic TC-P58S2

I don't utilize 3D
I know the PS3's load times are better, but can deal with longer load times if the BDP-51FD is better.
I'm not going to utilize the analog outs on the BDP-51FD

So all that aside, which one is preferred?
Also, if the BDP-51FD is preferred, do I let the player do the decoding or do I let the AVR do it?...PCM = Player decode, right?

Asi said I have a Panny BDP-65K (?) and 51 and the audio I cleaner, smoother and more accurate than the newer Panny BD Player. Video seems about the same. Can't say as I only A/B'd the audio. at least I did not see any. I guess I could test for vid??!!

You will not notice any audio difference between the two players if they are connected via HDMI to your AVR. They are bit streaming to your AVR which handles the D/A conversion using it's own DACs.
You might be missing out by not utilizing the analogs out of the 51FD...not to criticize your Yamaha AVR, but i can't imagine it would even come close.

Indeed. The 51's DAC's are one of its main claims to fame... some say a better CD player, let alone BD, can't be found for less than $1000.

If *you* don't see any difference, then the question becomes irrelevant, and you have to go with what you prefer. (unless some change of configuration make you see a difference, like the suggestion of using the 51's analog outs).

In my case, I prefer the Pioneer (23FD) to the PS3 because of my fat PS3's fan noise.

As for decoding, if you try analog out, it will obviously have to be decoded in the player. If HDMI, then where the decoding occurs should not make any difference. The biggest decision factor in this case is usually the listener who wants to see "DTS HD-MA" on the AVR display. Decoding in the player does give the ability to hear the secondary audio track.

Dan.

You guys all make sense. Thank you. I have decided to use analog outs from the bluray player to the Yamaha. I'm attaching the picture of the yamaha's rear panel. I highlighted a section in yellow. Is this going to be where I connect the RCA/Interconnect cables? I'm assming for video I should still be using my HDMI cable from the bluray player to the AVR. Or will I have to route the HDMI direct to my TV now?

mmoreimi,

You have to let your eyes and ears guide you as there are too many variables (room, associated equipment, etc.) in providing you with any truly meaningful input. Anything we offer here will only be our subjective preferences as it relates to our various setups even if some of the associated equipment is the same or similar to your setup.

Some have expressed delight with 51FD analog stage, but since you are running HDMI then the hassle of analog may not be worth it. However, since you can't distinguish a difference in video quality and you don't make any mention of the noise of the PS3 then I would say it's a coin flip.

I *think* the Pioneer had a better picture, but I don't remember. If there's a significant audio difference, then i want to go ahead with the change to analog. What would be the cabling situation if I went the analog route?

well for one..hdmi directly to the tv for the picture.....match the analog outs of the 51 to the analog inputs on the AVR.....in the initial set up of the 51 ..set to pcm.....you then have to adjust the sound levels of each channel via the 51's setup menu..best to set all speakers to small...and you have to adjust the subwoofer out higher than normal as internal decoder of the 51 lacks a good bass out put....
I cannot say you will like this setup over your AVR's built in decoder,it's a lot more cables and adjustments of each channel can be tricky via the player, especially the subwoofer.

The 51 IS an excellent 2 channel cd player.For that you can leave everything as you already have and just add a L&R cable from the analog outs of the 51 to the cd analog inputs of your AVR.This where the Wolfson dac in the 51 player really shines.

Worked just fine going from 1.21 to 1.72. Contagion rental now plays! Yea...! Now I just gotta get a 5.1 Analog receiver to take advantage of the DACs...& have HDMIs that isn't expensive...?...

The 51 IS an excellent 2 channel cd player.For that you can leave everything as you already have and just add a L&R cable from the analog outs of the 51 to the cd analog inputs of your AVR.This where the Wolfson dac in the 51 player really shines.[/quote]

How can I hook up 2 Analog cables to make use of the 51's DACs and be able to use the 51s HDMI for movies?...do i use the 2 ch direct on my AVR playing CDs?? Thx folks...

I believe a more wise investment would be a quality AVR, receiver, with good room correction capability. Good room correction will allow for bass management and have much more impact on sound quality than using the analog outputs of the BDP-51FD. Using the analog outputs of your BDP-51FD will not allow you to do this, you will need to use HDMI input. At some point you will replace your BDP-51FD. A quality AVR will have a longer useful life as well; you'll still have it when the BDP-51FD is gone.

I don't understand what you're saying about HDMI here. Do you mean the price of HDMI cables? If so, no need to spend a lot of money on HDMI cables. Take a look at these: http://tartancable.com/hdmi-cables/index.htm . I would put Tartan Cable up against any cable you can by at any price, they don't cost an arm and a leg.

How can I hook up 2 Analog cables to make use of the 51's DACs and be able to use the 51s HDMI for movies?...do i use the 2 ch direct on my AVR playing CDs?? Thx folks...[/quote]

just simply connect a red white cable to the LR outputs of the 51 player to the AVR.....if the AVR has an analog direct mode use that so the sound is processed via the Wolfson dacs of the player..you will not be able to use the subwoofer in the analog direct setup since it by passes any AVR processing and delivers the bass directly to the front speakers

as far as the hdmi for movies....just leave it as you are already using it for DTS Master and DD True to the AVR HDMI input and the HDMI out to tv.