Pioneer Electronics used CES to announce its plans to launch (in May) its first Blu-ray players that include BD Live out-of-the-box. The company also showcased other models—geared more for mass consumption—that pare down some frills and stick more to the basics, in response to both falling prices and a weak global economy.
Pioneer said one new model (BDP-120) will carry price points somewhere under $300 (which is still several times higher than some of today’s standard DVD progressive scan players). The BDP-120 also will come with a 1GB flash drive for external storage.
But Pioneer is not discarding higher-end Blu-ray players altogether. Along with its more cost-effective new line, the firm will roll out two premium players with MSRPs of about $500. These models, too, will hold BD Live capabilities without the need for after-purchase firmware upgrading—a trend which seems to be increasingly ubiquitous for newer Blu-ray players being unveiled by an array of manufacturers.
Pioneer said its current top-of-line player will be the BDP-23FD, boasting larger internal-external storage capacity (up to 2TB external) and BD Live. The BDP-23FD will carry MSRP of $600.
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