ValianTX:
I don't quite understand your thinking. The Sony is a brand new Profile 2 machine with all the bells and whistles AND is highly rated - you will get NO grief with this.
Yet, you want to go down the
'pathway of grief' - both the BD51FD and LX-71 were great machines in their time and are still good options in isolation - they are Profile 1.1 machines with no onboard DTS-HD MSTR decoding requiring firware updates etc, etc....
If you are dead keen on a Pioneer player, why don't you consider the new BDP-320 or LX-52 players instead?
It's not that I'm dead keen on a Pioneer player (although, it would match my TV - but honestly, that's just a minor point), nor am I keen to go down the '
pathway of grief' - I have an ARCAM AVR250 with NO HDMI input and so I need analogue multichannel outputs on my player. This somewhat limits my choice and completely rules out the BDP-320 & LX-52...
Both the BDP-S760 and the BDP-51FD fit the bill, albeit that the Pioneer will require a stroll down the firmware upgrade road. I was all set on the Sony, especially at £300 - or £315 with MR DVD, but the BDP51FD is available from RS at £200 and seems a bargain...
But is a saving of £100 enough to justify the Pioneer over the Sony?
They also have the LX08 at £350 - hence my diversion....