Pioneer BDP-320/BDP-23FD Owner's Thread - Page 199

It would be cool if SACD and DVD-A playback could be added to the BDP-23FD/320/LX52 via a firmware update! I know that the DACs in this player don't accept DSD, but a 176.4 KHz, 24 bit multi-channel DSD to PCM conversion would be nice whether via analog or HDMI. If Pioneer ever did that, then I might get rid of my BDP-53FD. Yet on the other hand, I guess the A/V world is supposed to move on past these 2009 models.

Can I play sacd's through my bdp 23 if I have it connected to a pioneer 94 receiver ? If the 94 won't work will sacd play book work with an elite 57?

No!

Hey guys, I have a question about upgrading the firmware...
Is there anyway I can do this, by connecting the BDP-23FD directly to the Internet, through its Ethernet port in the back? I was following the instructions on the pioneer.com website for previous upgrades, with burning the ".iso" file on a CD, and it's always worked - but this method is not working now. For some reason, I can not copy the DLfile.pkg and DLdiscidentifier.txt files, and the CD won't even play, to download the firmware.
Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

Yes, I have the BDP-320 and the procedure is on page 46 of the manual. You can download the manual for the BDP23FD on the website.

Anyone had any trouble playing "Hanna"? I had a blockbuster mail copy give me some problems but I'm guessing it was the disk. I could see a couple scratches on it.

No problem watching Hanna with my BDP 320 v3.72.

No problem with Hanna here (Amazon US disc)

To bguzman - Sorry I didn't have a chance to Thank You for the tip till now! I followed your advice and it worked! They should have this information on the pioneer website under the "Firmware Update Instructions", not just in the manual... Thanks again!

No problem, if the companies did a good job with information about their products we wouldn't all be on sites like these. I am just glad we have forums like this one where there are such knowledgeable members .

It's ironic that the audio isn't up to par on the actual BR...because the xvid 720p BR Rip shakes the whole house in the intro scene when the elephants are marching by.......

And yes, I own a 23fd also Love it!

Basheer

Do load times for movies like Avatar, Star Trek or Star Wars speed up if there is no internet connection?

I haven't watched any of these movies, but if a disc with BD-Live material isn't trying to access BD-Live as it loads (and unplugging the ethernet cable stops that), it will load faster. Still, the load times on this player are slower than the load times of many other players. I usually put the disc in and go out to get a snack from another room instead of sitting there and waiting!

I have no personal experience with how the player behaves when connected to the internet. But from what I've read and as mentioned above, load times are improved on titles with BD Live when not internet connected.

Avatar and Star Trek are slow load, but I have not experience the same with the new BD Star Wars release. I have notice how fast load times have come down with firmware updates on my other BDP 120 over the last few years.

But it's still one of the slower players. Given the superb picture and sound quality on the 320, I don't mind.

I use this player as my main BluRay/DVD player, but I also have a Samsung player that I bought to use for streaming Netflix. It's handy to have two players because if a particular disc doesn't play on one of them (and the problem isn't due to scratches!), it always plays on the other player.

Yes, but since the BDP 120 was a rebadged Sharp, you would expect that the load times would be consistently faster than the BDP320/23FD.

I received a blockbuster copy of "Planet of the Apes" and my 23 would not read it. When I pulled out the disk I saw it was cracked. Received the replacement a few days later, checked it for cracks and put it in and 23 would not read the disk. Thought it may be firmware so I checked it on my 320 and it played fine. I tried another bluray in the 23 that I own and it would not read the disk. My question is could I have damaged something in the 23 when I tried to play the cracked disk? The 23 was working perfectly before this scenario.

Just to add, I reloaded the latest firmware and it read the firmware disk fine but had no effect on playing a bluray disk.

Have you tried playing another BD on the 23 that you know plays fine? If it plays OK, then I would say you haven't damaged anything.

If I remember correctly, I think the 23 uses a different drive than the 320. It's possible that your 23 is just more sensitive to disc issues.

The 51 I use to own was very particular about less than perfect rental BDs (even if the defect wasn't visible). My 320 has been much more reliable with rental BDs.

I tried another disk that I own and has always played. Until this happened I have had zero problems. Just seemed strange the problems started after the cracked disk.

Does this player convert PAL to NTSC?

After trying the new BDP-52FD and BDP-53FD, as well as owning the Yamaha BD-A1010, I have decided that the BDP-23FD and the BD-A1010 are going in my system. While the Yamaha BD-A1010 is a great SACD player because of its capability of converting DSD to PCM at 176.4 KHz, as well as a good Netflix streamer, my TV has a low gamma, resulting in a dark picture at times. The Yamaha nor the Pioneer BDP-52FD or BDP-53FD have a gamma control. This leads me back to the good ol' BDP-23FD, which I am now using for movies and standard audio CDs. It has the adjustable gamma control I need for DVDs and BDs, as well as the PQLS jitter reduction I like for BD audio streams and standard audio CDs. So now I hope this player will continue to be supported by Pioneer, and that it holds up for a long time. Even though I bought it for a closeout price last February, it was manufactured in March of 2009. What'll I do if this player dies and I can't find a new one anymore!

It plays back both PAL and NTSC but it does NOT convert.

I have noticed my 320 is not very forgiving with scratched discs from Netflix.

It's possible the BD lense needs a cleaning. Some have reported improvements in disc handling after cleaning the lense.

Just a thought...

I have used a DVD lens cleaner on it. Do I need an actual BD one?

They do make cleaners for BD. I've also read that using a DVD cleaner on a BD player can knock the BD laser out of alignment (I believe the blue laser used for BD sits closer to the disc surface than the red laser used for DVD). Someone please correct me if my information is incorrect.

It's possible that your blue laser is out of alignment just enough to give it problems when encountering a less than perfect BD disc.

Lens cleaners can be avoided. Don't store discs in dusty areas. Wash your hands before handling discs if necessary. Before playing rentals, whipe the bottom serfice. If you do the above religiously, you shouldn't have to worry about anything winding up in your player, and therefore, you shouldn't need to take a chance on your player's lens getting out of wack by using a lens cleaner.

+1

I've always handled optical discs with care since I bought my first CD in 1982 (or was is early 1983?) and have never had to clean the lense on any CD/DVD/BD player. In fact, I still have those first CDs I purchased and the discs are in the same condition as when they were new.

That said, I can understand that the tolerances for BD are much smaller and it may not take much to cause issues. Even with care it's possible just enough dust/debris might get into the player that would cause issues with BD but not DVD/CD.