HD Guru published today a review of the Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1, a standalone Blu-ray Player that, as stated by Pioneer's website, allows to "take full advantage of your flat panel's 1080p resolution."
Basically this drive is identical to the Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray player, i.e. the hardware is the same, with some marginal differences like a different faceplate and the presence of the Pioneer’s RJ-45 Ethernet jack and the Sony’s fan vent in rear panel.
Also the on-screen instruction graphics, looks and fonts are the same in both drives, with the exception of the Pioneer’s Home Media Player, which permits the BDP-HD1 to access and play PC content streamed over a home network. Moreover, the BDP-HD1 also plays BD-R/RE recordable discs, something Sony’s player currently cannot.
Another big difference between the two players is the price: $1500 retail compared to Sony’s $1000.
Feel free to discuss about this player on our forum.
