#### begin blurb [last updated 26-DEC-1998]

There are no dealers in the USA selling the HLD-X9 or the LD-S9, so you have
to order from Japan or Hong Kong, handle customs and duties, etc.

The HLD-X9 operates at 100 VAC, 56 W  50/60 Hz, and weighs 40 lbs.  It also
has all the outputs of the CLD-99 (two sets of analog audio, composite, and
S-Video, plus AC-3 RF, coax and optical digital SP/DIF) and two sets of MUSE
HiVision laserdisc video outputs.

One caveat: you may be in a sticky situation re: warranty and/or general
servicing for players imported from outside the USA.  If you're willing to
take that possible risk, the rewards are worth it for laserdisc playback.

PLEASE: do NOT post this information to Usenet as it can "sour" the deal for
anyone else wishing to buy one this way.  Buying a player or other equipment
this way is considered as dealing in the "gray market" and a public Usenet
article with the dealer's name and address might curtail the supply (from
Pioneer).  When the original contact information was given to me it came with
a request to NOT post it to Usenet, so I've honored that request though I will
provide the info to anyone who asks via email.

First FAX a quote request for an HLD-X9 with shipping and insurance payable
in US dollars to:

	Daniel Law
	Chinese Club Discount Centre Ltd.
	Rm. 601, No. 75-77 FA YUEN COMM BLDG
	Mongkok, Kowloon
	Hong Kong

	FAX: 011  852 2787 1977
	     ^^^  ^^^
	      |    |
	      |    +-- this is the country code for Hong Kong
	      +------- this is the international dialing prefix from the USA

You may need to append a "#" to the FAX number to speed-up the call switching;
I did this per instructions from PacBell (California).  The "#" indicates the
number you're dialing is complete and may shave about 30 seconds from the call.

Note Hong Kong is across the international date line so FAXing is the best
way to reach Daniel, but if you want to try a voice call his number is:

	011 852 2398 0280

Daniel will generally respond with a FAXed quote within 48 hours or so.

Be sure to ask about availability as the HLD-X9 is not a mass-market item.

I presume he'll accept international postal money orders, but everyone to
date has used bank-to-bank direct wire fund transfers from their bank to
Daniel's (Shanghai Commercial Bank Ltd.), so inquire about payment in your
first FAX to him and ask for the particulars re: wire transfer, his account
number, etc.

If you choose wire fund transfer (recommended), FAX a copy of the wire fund
transfer receipt to him and he should ship within a day or so; they do
check the units before shipping

Shipping is via UPS Express and should arrive approximately 2 days after
Daniel FAXes the shipping/tracking info to you.  Note you may have to pay
customs duties, etc. before UPS will release the shipment to you though
Daniel normally arranges everything on your behalf and includes the fees
in his quote (though it may not be explicitly stated).

Note the new international airport freight depot in Hong Kong which opened
July 1, 1998, is experiencing major SNAFUs which are presently delaying air
freight handling up to 2 weeks, so keep this in mind.  When I read about this
problem being solved, I'll remove this paragraph from the "blurb".

Per my article (in AVL) you'll still have to locate a stepdown transformer
suitable for this unit.  Don't even think about the "el cheapo" converters
used for shavers, etc.  You'll want something around 200W to 500W (not that
the unit draws that much but for the better voltage stability).

There is a "local" [20 miles away] company in Silicon Valley that has such
stepdown transformers for about $75, but given they're made in China you may
wish to inquire whether Daniel can supply them.  The model (no manufacturer
name on it) is "Model No. JC-500J  UP/DOWN 100V <-> 117V CONVERTER" and has
both a USA power plug and the proper Japanese socket and works very well;
this is a 500W unit though the HLD-X9 only draws 56 W maximum.

Again, you'll be on your own re: service and warranty.  I know of one other
person in the USA and 11 in Europe who have ordered from Daniel, meaning that
to date he has been reliable.  I can make no other claims on his behalf.

====

Addendum, 15-Dec-1998: one correspondent found a web page for the company
from which I purchased my stepdown transformers, San Mateo Electronics:

      Concerning the Stepdown Converters, I found a company on the
      web that is selling the exact model that you noted in your
      'blurb'. They can be found here:

      http://www.smelectronics.com/

      And a direct link to their list of converters:

      http://www.smelectronics.com/japantrans.htm

      Asking price, less shipping, is $69.95.

      If anyone asks you where to get them, and they'd rather not
      buy them from HK maybe they'd be interested in knowing about
      this 'local' company.

====

Addendum, 26-Dec-1998, several Q&A and comments based on recent inquiries:

Q: Can I also get the Stepdown Converter from the same source?

A: I would presume so since the Converter is manufactured in China.  It took
   me about 40 phone calls to locate a local source in Silicon Valley while I
   was waiting for the first HLD-X9 to arrive, but since then another person
   discovered my local source has a web page (see above) so you might wish to
   print out any photo of the unit from that web page (I just haven't had time
   to check it out myself) and include that image in your "request for quote"
   so there's no misunderstandings/miscommunication.

Q: Is there a title listing with availability of MUSE/HiVision discs?

A: I was informed Daniel's prices on MUSE/HiVision LDs is a bit higher than
   ordering direct from a certain Japanese dealer.  If you'd like a list, with
   catalog numbers and list prices in Yen, of the known MUSE/HiVision discs as
   of mid-1998, please email and I'll reply with both the Japanese dealer info
   and the list.

There's one comment I need to make regarding the HLD-X9 (or HLD-X0 which is
also still available): it doesn't have the "movie mode" like the CLD-99 or
CLD-D704 players.  What this means is that on a side change there will be an
"A > B" displayed in the upper-right corner and a pseudo-random image from the
last 15 seconds or so of the previous side displayed.  My guess as to the
reason for this is that the player has to do a lot of special processing
different between MUSE/HiVision LDs and standard LDs and there simply wasn't
sufficient ROM code space to enable a "theater mode" as in the CLD-99 and
CLD-D704 players.

At first I was disappointed, but after 2 or 3 viewings I got used to it and
it's no big deal since the player does a LOT more (re: NR and menu options)
than any other Pioneer LD player.

The HLD-X9 manual is in Japanese but the remote and all on-screen displays
are in English so there should be no problem operating it.  The connectors
at the player's back are also labelled in Japanese but, again, the functions
should be obvious if you've used/seen any other Pioneer LD player.  The MUSE
outputs are clearly labelled and you shouldn't use them unless you have a
MUSE decoder/playback system.

#### end blurb