Pioneer has finally revealed its long-awaited flagship 4K Blu-ray player, with the firm hoping to fill the void left by the shock departure of Oppo from the AV market. Its latest model has already been heavily teased, but it has now made its debut at a Japanese AV event, with the firm supposedly also testing another device that could be for audiophiles.

Having spent months teasing its new model, the UDP-LX500 is now fully viewable on Pioneer’s Japanese website. The only problem is that despite showcasing what the device looks like, the manufacturer is staying mum regarding the device’s specs. There are a few things we can safely assume the device will have, however.

The Blu-ray disc association has a few prerequisites for what a device needs to support before its allowed to play Ultra HD Blu-rays. That includes support for HDR10 and 4K resolution, although it’s up to manufacturers whether or not they want to add on HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support. It’s also guaranteed that both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X will be receiving support, as that also forms part of the BDA standard.

An Audiophile’s 4K Blu-ray Player

While Pioneer may have unveiled the UDP-LX500, the firm is keeping the cloth firmly on a secret device pictured behind it. It’s not known what could be underneath that cloth, but it’s potentially the more important model – one that could feel the vast void left by Oppo. At least that’s what we’re hoping for at CE Pro Europe.

Despite our best hopes, Pioneer has yet to confirm anything regarding a wider release for its first Ultra HD Blu-ray player. This could be a Japan-only launch for now, although with IFA just around the corner in Berlin, we’re still hoping the UK and European markets will receive a replacement for the Oppo-sized hole