Pioneer BDP-LX52

The BDP-LX52 uses Pioneer's patented blend of gloss black, ice-blue illumination and silver buttons to devastating effect.

Andthis isn't a deck you can slip discreetly into your AV stand, either,as its unapologetically chunky frame demands attention.

Lookingat the rear panel, the biggest surprise is the lack of multichannelanalogue outputs, usually a staple of Pioneer's Blu-ray decks. Butthat's no problem if you've got an HDMI-equipped amp.

BD Liveshould be easy to access, and, sadly, the wired Ethernet connectionfound here doesn't fulfil that brief. Wi-fi is the way forward, andwe're hoping Pioneer will add it to its next generation of players.

Youdo, however, get 1GB of built-in memory, with the option to add more byplugging a flash drive into the USB port on the back. But you can't usethis port to play back digital media, a feature Pioneer usually pridesitself on.

The only way to do so is to burn files to CD or DVD,but thankfully the list of supported formats is a long one, taking inDivX, MP3, WMA, JPEG and AVCHD.

Owners of compatible Pioneerreceivers can also take advantage of Precision Quartz Lock System(PQLS), which reduces jitter when playing back music over the HDMIconnection by synchronising the digital clocks of both components. TheLX52 enables you to use this function with multichannel LPCM as well asstereo, which is a first.

This is definitely an enthusiast'sdeck and that's reflected in the moody blacks and stylish onscreengraphics. The setup menu is packed with options that experienced userswill love, including detailed user-defined tweaks that can be saved inthree memory positions.

Despite this attention to detail, theLX52 remains generally easy to use, thanks to the excellent menustructure and immaculately arranged remote.

Performance

TheQuick Start mode fires up the deck in eight seconds, but when loadingBlu-ray discs, the LX52 shows no signs of improvement over previousmodels, taking a lumbering one minute and 10 seconds to load Java-heavyplatters.

Picture quality is nothing short of sensational. TheLX52 conjures up some of the sharpest and most substantial hi-defimages we've seen from a player at this price point. Blacks areprofound, while colours dazzle with a combination of strength andaccuracy.

But it's with detail that the deck really works itsmagic. Viewed side by side with most of its rivals (except perhaps theOppo BDP-831), there seems to be an extra degree of crispness and punchto fine textures and patterns, and edges look just a touch moredefinitive.

Add fluid motion tracking and jaggie-free diagonallines into the mix and you've got yourself one seriously good pictureperformer.

The LX52 tackles audio with equal relish. HD audiotracks piped to an amp as LPCM are virtually indistinguishable from thebitstream, boasting equal levels of dynamism and detail, while music onCD is smooth and natural sounding.

So, grumbles aside about the lack of Wi-Fi and slow loading times; we think the LX52 is an exceptionally talented Blu-ray deck.

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