Pioneer has formally announced three new Profile 2.0 Blu-ray players in the U.S. market, its BDP-120, BDP-320, and Pioneer Elite BDP-23FD. All three players support supplemental BD Live content available via some Blu-ray titles, along with a range of storage, expansion, and processing options designed to help the players integrate with everything from a bare-bones setup to a high-end home theater system. All three units also support HDMI output, playback of standard DVDs and audioCDs, along with Pioneer’s Kuro Link so sets of Pioneer devices can be controlled from a single Kuro remote.
“This new line of Blu-ray Disc players represents a core Pioneer philosophy to introduce robust home theater products and show our unwillingness to deliver anything less than the best in audio and video performances for consumers,” said Pioneer Electronics’ senior manager for Blu-ray Disc marketing Chris Walker, in a statement.
The BDP-120 is the bare-bones unit of the line, offering support for BD-Live, USB memory expansion (1 GB included), 1080p output (and 1080p upscaling for SD content), along with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio support. The BPD-320 adds support for USB hard drives, 7.1 audio output,, Precision Quartz Lock System (PQLS) for jitter-free stereo music playback, support for 48-bit deep color, and 13 image adjustment features for customizable video output. Finally, the Elite BDP-23FD adds an RS-232 port for use with home automation systems and audiophile capacitors for top-flight audio output.
All three players are available now at major retailers; the BDP-120 carries a suggested price of $299, while the BDP-320 is priced at $399 and the Elite BDP-23FD has a suggested price of $599.
