Newest firmware released for Pioneer 51/05 Players!

[Vader]

Pioneer has just posted Firmware 1.17 for the Pioneer BDP-51FD and Elite BDP-05FD Players on their site. Among other things, it addresses stability and speed issues:

Ver 1.17
CHANGE HISTORY:
- Enhances stability of BD-Java playback (*)
- Fixes the case that error happens occasionally when hitting certain buttons repeatedly.
- Fixes the case that player hangs when choosing certain items on menu of Blu-ray.
- Fixes the case that the player does not work properly in combination operation of pause, fast-forward, and so on.
- Enhances the synchronization with audio and video during playback.
- Performance improvement
* The player's action can be slower than expected depending on contents (menu, game, etc.) included in certain BD-Java discs.

Another FW update is expected in (rumored for?) December, with the primary focus on code optimization.

[Vader]

The December FW update is posted on Pioneer's site:

Ver 1.21
- Enhances stability of BD-Java playback (*)
- Performance improvement
* The player's action may be slower than expected depending on content (menu, game, etc.) included in certain BD-Java discs.

It looks as if the majority of fixes pertain to SD playback this time around (1.17, while it enhanced SD upconversion to Reon quality, some items were broken). A few title-specific BD problems were addressed as well, though I'm not sure which. This is where the player should have been when it hit the streets several months ago, and what one would expect from Pioneer. The only remaining hurdles are the error correction in the drive (supposedly a first gen BD-ROM, though I'm not sure I buy that), and loading times. Next stop: A major performance overhaul in February, including DTS-HD MA internal decoding (so rumor has it, anyway)...

... and how about an adjustable crossover and distance settings (I know, NOW I'm dreaming...?)

[Vader]

Firmware version 1.25a is now posted for download on Pioneer's site. It appears to be a minor update, and not the major update rumor has it is coming in February. The DTS-HD MA is currently (key word: currently) scheduled for March/early April. In any case, here is what the update addresses:

Ver 1.25a
CHANGE HISTORY:
- Enhances BD-ROM playability and stability of BD-Java playback (*)
- Reduces the chance of sound noise in HDMI connection with certain receivers when searching titles/chapters of BD/DVD.
- Reduces the chance of sound noise in analog audio output when searching chapters of CD.
* The player's action can be slower than expected depending on contents (menu, game, etc.) included in certain BD-Java discs.

[Vader]

Well, after almost a year of waiting, the DTS-HD MA update is out! This update does not appear to contain the "big performance update" that is still running around the rumor mill, but it does give DTS-HD MA decoding, adjustable crossovers (woo whoo!) as well as fix some lingering bugs (Star Trek dropouts, SD-DVD audio repeat bug, T2). Here's the official spiel:

Ver 1.32
CHANGE HISTORY:
- Enables the following new functions
1. DTS-HD audio output
Enable to convert DTS-HD audio to linear PCM for HDMI OUT (MAIN) terminal.
Enable to convert DTS-HD audio to analog audio for AUDIO OUT (7.1 ch) terminals.
2. Image file playback
Enable to play image files recorded on DVDs or CDs.
3. Crossover frequency for AUDIO OUT (7.1 ch) terminals
- Enhances stability of BD-Java playback (*)
- Enhances stability of BD-ROM/BD-R/BD-RE/DVD-Video playback
- Fixes an error of resume playback function after switching off the player by pressing STANDBY/ON button during playback of BD-ROM discs.
- Performance improvement
* The player's action can be slower than expected depending on contents (menu, game, etc.) included in certain BD-Java discs.

[Vader]

The latest update, version 1.37, is now available for download on the USA site. This update is purely performance enhancement (as opposed to new functionality), and I would expect from here on in for the updates to simply be for compatibility. Specifically,

Ver 1.37
CHANGE HISTORY:
- Enhances stability of BD-ROM/BD-R/BD-RE/DVD-Video playback
- Performance improvement

Put simply, the update greatly decreases the load time of Java-infested titles, such as T2: Skynet (but, for some reason, increases the boot time by several seconds...?!?). The Java engine has been completely rewritten, so now the machine is comparable to most other SA players in this regard. Also, the firmware for the BD-ROM drive has been updated (from 1.05 to 1.07), although it is not clear what was done (better error correction, perhaps?). In any case, enjoy!

THIS is where the machine should have been upon release, but better late than never!

[Jon Liu]

That's great, Vader! I got rid of my BDP-51 a long time ago because it took too long for firmware to come out and it also took too long to get a movie going...

Still a great quality player, though!

[Vader]

Hi Jon!

I was one of the original owners, having bought my 05 as my first BD player at launch back in August 2008 (it was the first that, IMHO, measured up to the quality of my Onkyo HD805 HD DVD player). Speed was never an issue with me (despite what Pioneer advertised), and the PQ has been second-to-none. When I bought the player, I did so due largely due to the reputation of Pioneer Elite products (my Elite LD player is still going strong... rock solid), and I was not disappointed. I have no intention of upgrading the player for some time, and considering where the player is right now relative to the other players that were available at the time (and where they are right now), I made the right choice.

[Jon Liu]

The quality of image it put out was phenomenal, but I needed reliability and for me, there were two or three instances where the Pioneer wouldn't play a disc. So I got rid of it....

[Vader]

Jon Liu wrote:

The quality of image it put out was phenomenal, but I needed reliability and for me, there were two or three instances where the Pioneer wouldn't play a disc. So I got rid of it....

Yea, it can be kinda finicky, especially where rentals are concerned. I only rent SD, and then I have a dedicated player for rentals (one where I do not care if the disc has been used as a hockey puck), and then only to avoid making blind buys. For that reason, I concur, and would not recommend this player to someone who rents a lot. OTOH, as I lose sleep over even a single fingerprint on any of my discs, I have not had any reliability problems. I look at it as "if it will play on the 05, it will play on anything!"...