We almost got a hernia from Pioneer’s $2,000, anvil-impersonating Blu-ray player

By Caleb Denison Published April 24, 2023

Pioneer flagship Bluray player — Rich Shibley/Digital Trends

Pioneer’s new flagship Blu-ray player (BDP-88FD) just landed on our desk for review, and sweet mercy! It’s a heavy one. At 29.5 lbs., this reference-quality Blu-ray player is built to the hilt and loaded with premium components, including dual ESS Sabre32 DACs, balanced stereo outputs, dual HDMI outputs, and a 4K upscaling system capable of converting any video source to 4K/60p/4:4:4/24-bit output. In short, it is intended to be stuff of videophile and audiophile dreams.

In our video, we show off this piece’s incredible build quality and aesthetics while discussing some of its finer features.

With the BDP-88FD, Pioneer is the first mainstream challenger to Oppo’s dynasty as the best-loved Blu-ray player maker on the market, though at almost double the price, the $2,000 player is likely a stretch for all but the most dedicated enthusiasts. Still, we’re going to have a blast pitting this beast against our Oppo BDP-95 and BDP-103 decks to see how it stacks up. Check back soon for our full review.

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Digital Trends Editor at Large Caleb Denison is a sought-after writer, speaker, and television correspondent with unmatched…

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