Pioneer has launched the BDP-51FD which is the entry level version of its most excellent LX71, which strips back the bells and whistles of that costly model to reach a much more tempting price.

While solidly bolted together, the deck itself looks roughly similar to its expensive sibling, but its all-plastic fascia feels less robust than its bigger brother's half aluminium front panel. So how else has Pioneer driven down the price?

Amazingly, the only internal difference is that the 51FD is fitted with a 148.5MHz/12-bit video DAC as opposed to the LX71's 297MHz/12-bit chip, which won't really matter if you're using the all-digital HDMI output to transfer pictures to your TV.

Feature rich

The last difference is on the rear panel – the LX71 boasts gold-plated terminals and this one doesn't. But the selection is the same, and it includes an HDMI v1.3 output that supports all the usual features like Deep Color and HD audio transfer, as well as Pioneer's Precision Quartz Lock System, which offers precise music CD playback.

Also noteworthy are the 7.1-channel analogue outputs – which you won't find on similarly priced players from the likes of Denon and Onkyo. These enable owners of older AV receivers without HDMI inputs to enjoy certain types of HD audio. However, at present the 51FD cannot decode and output DTS HD Master Audio from the analogue outs (it only decodes the 5.1 DTS core), but we're told that a firmware update will rectify this.

You can listen to Dolby True HD and Dolby Digital Plus through the analogue outs though, and the player can also convert all HD audio soundtracks into PCM and transfer them in bitstream form over HDMI to a compatible AV receiver.

The 51FD boasts loads of other features, such as 1080/24p output, DVD upscaling to 1080p and playback of DiVX, AVCHD, MP3, WMA and JPEG (which a surprising amount of Blu-ray decks still can't do), plus there's a wide range of picture calibration functions under the Video Adjust menu, including presets for different types of display.

Profile 1.1

So far so good, but here's the rub – the 51FD is Profile 1.1 and thus isn't equipped to access BD-Live content. With other players out there offering BD-Live for a lot less money, it's a pity Pioneer couldn't have factored it in.

The deck's onscreen displays are classy and functional and the entire graphic user interface (GUI) is a joy to use, with easy to read text. It responds instantly to remote commands and it's not plagued by excessive submenus or undecipherable jargon.

The remote is slim, ergonomic and well laid out, although the buttons are a little too small. The Tools button brings up a mini-menu of the crucial functions during disc playback, which lets you access the Video Adjust menu without having to enter the full setup menu and risk losing your place in the movie.

Slow operation

It's not all plain sailing, however. The deck is a real tractor when it comes to booting up and loading discs, taking a full one minute and 40secs to reach the first menu on The Dark Knight. If this is a deal-breaker, you might want to check out the faster LG BD300.

Through the HDMI output, the BDP-51FD delivers picture quality that's every bit as good as the LX71, and is quite possibly the best we've seen in this price range. Shots of the Gotham City streets are clear and sharp and boast a terrific sense of depth, while black objects look punchy and shadow detailing manages to convey the city's gloomy atmosphere.