Pioneer showcased a new Blu-ray player prototype at CES, featuring touch-control and BD Live support.

The new BDP-05FD is equipped with a 297MHz/12bit video DAC for high quality audio, while it supports x.v.Color and DeepColor 12bit HDMI. The player also features a DTS-Master Audio decoder and of course, offer bit streaming output for all the audio formats.

Pioneer has also worked on the chipset of the new player to offer faster Power On, Power Off and Disc Loading times.

The player is expected to be available in Spring. Pioneer has not provided pricing details. However, the BDP-05FD will not be competively priced to other Blu-ray players, such as those from Samsung and LG. The japanese company believes that there is a demand for a higher performance player, that would match with a high-end TV set. Currently, Pioneer captures less than 5% of current Blu-ray hardware market share, and remains committed to playing in its limited, high-end niche.