Pioneer has been making Blu-ray devices basically since the format’s release, but we don’t get around to critiquing many of them due to their hefty price tags. 

The manufacturer released three new Blu- ray devices here at CES 2009, one of which features Pioneer’s Elite label, plus the two less costly models look to be listed competitively with other producers. 

The key highlights of the Pioneer BDP-120 are profile 2.0 compatible, onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and 1GB USB flash drive included. 

The Marantz BD7004 is the middleman in Marantz’s hottest Blu- ray line- up, sandwiched between the reference- class Marantz UD9004 and entry- level Marantz BD5004. With a package price pushing$ 800 it’s clearly directed at consumers who take home cinema seriously, and that’s reflected in the posh build quality and high- grade electronics lurking inside it. 

The Panasonic DMP-BD60’s strength is its rock- solid performance, but if you need the latest and greatest comes with you’ll ought to look elsewhere. 

Just to note, Panasonic had a stand- out 2008 on the Blu- ray players front, with the Panasonic DMP- BD35 earning the first Editor’s Choice award for a standalone Blu- ray player. After mastering most of the basic Blu- ray functions, like BD- live and high resolution audio decoding, it looks like the two brand new players, the Panasonic DMP- BD60 and Panasonic DMP- BD80, are mostly incremental updates to the existing Blu- ray players.