Pioneer Blu Ray Player BDP 05 FD

It would appear to me that after a little research that the 95FD and the 05FD are essentially the same player. Both decode True HD and DTS HD. The 05FD is listed at $200 less. Is there something more that the 95FD offers? It looks like both were released at about the same time.

The 05 is Pioneer's current player, released about 2 months ago, whereas the 95 was launched a year ago. The 05 is a new platform, not a simple update to the 95. The 95 is till listed on the Pioneer site as a current model, although I doubt anyone is selling it as such. If available, it should be at a deep discount since it is last years model. The 95 does not decode Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD MA internally (and never will), it only bitstreams them over 1.3 HDMI. The 05 decodes Dolby TrueHD internally, but is still waiting for a firmware upgrade to decode DTS HD MA internally. The 05 also has many more options for enhancing the video - including a mode that outputs 36 bit deep color signals in xvYCC color space. Some people see the benefit of these modes, others do not. The 05 has Wolfson DACs for its 7.1 analog audio outputs, which provide excellent analog out for CDs and multichannel sources. The 95 has Pioneer's Home Media Gallery, which has been dropped from the 05. The 05 is essentially the same as the 51, except for some cosmetic differences and higher speed video DACs for analog video output on the 05, which is not important if you are using HDMI. The 05/51 are very versatile players although they have had growing pains like most Blu-Ray players and are undergoing regular updates to fix problems. The DTS HD MA internal decoding firmware update is expected in the next few months (maybe January) but Pioneer has not set a release date. The current list price of the 05 is higher than most comparable products, in particular the recentlhy released Pananonic 35 and 55. The Pioneer players have several featuers that match very well with Pioneer receivers and Plasmas. For people using external video processors, the Pioneers (95/05/51) have a "source direct" mode which passes the signal directly from disc to HMDI. Most other players do not have this feature. There is a lot of information on avsforum.com on both the Pioneer and the Panasonic players. If you decide on the Pioneer, the real decision should be between the non-Elite 51 and the Elite 05.

That is an awesome response Dtc! Just the info I was looking for. You really hit it on the head for me. Thanks a lot. One question I still have is it sounds like I won't need a receiver to decode the sound of HD DTS and True HD because it is done internally in the player where as the 95FD could not do this therefore a person needed a receiver to decode these correct?

Correct, although currently the 05 does not decode DTS HD - it needs a firmware upgrade to do that. That update is not yet scheduled. Most people believe this will happen, although it looks like early 2009. There are some skeptics who think it might not happen until later, if at all. So, if you absolutely need DTS HD to be decoded in the player, you need to make a decision as to when Pioneer will do the firmware update. The 95 will never decode the HD audio formats. It does not have the computer power to do that. If the HD audio is decoded in the player you need an HDMI 1.1 input on your receiver or you have to use 5.1/7/1 analog inputs. The base managment on the 05 for analog outputs is not very complete (crossover is not adjustable and no distance settings). Do you have a HDMI receiver? The Panasonic 55 currently decodes both Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD MA internally and sends PCM over HDMI 1.1 and analog, although the analog output is not as good as the Pioneer. Using the analog outputs also requires that you can increase the sub signal by at least 10 db over the other channels(speakers set to large) or 15 db (speakers set to small) - in the receiver. The upcoming Pioneer 09 will have a much more complete analog section, but it is not clear if the video section will be much different than the 05. What receiver are you using? Does it have HDMI?

Note I have a 95 and have tested an 05. My receiver does decode the HD audio formats, so I stayed with the 95. As a new platform, the 05 will take some time to stabilize, but that is the nature of Blu-Ray these days.

Well, I don't have a receiver just a processor. It can decode regular DTS but that's it. I originally purchased a HD player about a year ago and then it all went south as you know. My audio dealer was cool enough to replace the HD player I had with the Pioneer 05FD. So that is where I stand. The player just came to me so to speak. I don't think there are too many dvds in DTS HD yet so I am not too concerned about it. I just don't want to have to buy a receiver if I don't have to. So I can listen to these higher quality dvds if they do the upgrade next year and I use the 5.1 audio outs to my audio ins on my processor correct? Thanks.