Excellent machine! It really is what it claims to be people! Great value @ $615You heard about it now buy it!

I bought the DV-05 on 8/23 at United Audio Center (authorized dealer for Elite products)while I was in Chicago, IL. I had it shipped to my home in Texas. Well I arrived back in town today, and hooked it up. Audio sounds great, but I don't receive any video no matter what dvd is in the machine. I am encountering the EXACT SAME as mentioned in previous reviews - no video, on menus etc.
The player was manufactured in July '99. Come on Pioneer what's your problem?! I say that for everyone that has gone through this dissapointment with the DV-05 not producing any video, you should give us a great deal (50% off) on the DV-09.
Well, on the players that do work I rate it a 5+. But for these mass produced defective Elite players I rate it a 1.

In my estimation, the DV-05 sounds and looks fine, but is not quite up to the Sony 7700. I should give it only 1 star to counter the previous reviewer's ridiculous rating of the Sony 7700, but I'll give it it's deserved 4 stars.

Top notch, state of the art, lean mean DVD playin machine!!This unit has performed above and beyond my highest expectations!
To check it out goto pioneerelectronics.com

I read the review in Stereophile Guide to Home Theater SGTH for short.This gentleman seems to like the DV-05 over the other comparatives which are the Toshiba net top of the line an the Sony DVPS-7700, he did direct AB's which I could not do in my area the guys who carried Sony did not have the Pioneer Elite line and so on, so ene when I saw both players on separate system context and rooms with entirely different set-ups, it really is impossible to judge, for once I had to trust the reviewer and take the plunge with the Pioneel Elite, I'm happy, very happy, very detailed image, sound is pretty good, not up to par with my other reference CAL Alpha & Delta but ten times better than my older Pioneer LD Player.
I'm aiting for my order of 96 KHz auio DVD's from Chesky, since it passes out legitimate 96/24, not downconverted watered down 20 bit wordlenghts at 48 KHz sampling, when I get those puppies I'll inject direct into Classé SSP-25 and then we shall see.
I'm awaiting to get my first TV with component inputs but so far the S-VHS, and video inputs on my old Sony XBR look great, first comparisons with LD are not even funny . . .
Sound quality is first rate, I would not use it as a CD player standalone . . Long life to California Audio Labs . . . long life to tubes!!!
This will help me evaulate the also new NHT AC-2, (WOW!!! what a center channel!!!)
This is my first DVD at home, I have played, and installed DVD's aplenty for friends etc. I used to highly recommend the Sony's highly, now with this Pioneer Elite DV-05 at $ 599, I'm not sure I want to spend the extra 400 or 500 $$ to get the Sony DVPS-7700.
The Pioneer feels flimsy by comparison as build quality goes, but once you brake it in, hook it up properly and run a few movies it's another story.
If this reviewer feels by direct A-B ing these 3 wonderful units this is the better one I'll trust him on this one.
After all, how often do you see a reviewer of these kilobuck gear magazines favor a lesser priced unit over somebodyelse's top of the line???
For me case closed this is a keeper!!
I'll reserve the 5 stars for when I see a trylu exceptional product.
Even when this product value for money is truly outstanding, I give it 4 stars, the Faroudja and Meridian pieces merit 5 stars (at $5k and up !!!)
I'll follow up with some more news after the 24/96 trials

God Bless

After going through 4 entry level DVD players, I can say that the DV-05 is worth the premium bucks. Image is just fantastic on anamorphic and pan/scan. Features are excellent with the exception of the resume function which doesn't work on all DVD's. The remote is ok but I use the Marantz 2000 so it wasn't much of an issue. Best of all, no lip synch to worry about, and knowing that the circuitry is all top notty. Plus - a 2 year parts and labor warrantee. This is the DVD player that I'm keeping.

I just had the same DOA Video problem out of the box, as previous reviews. Composite, component and S-video were all dead. My projector indicated that there was no signal out. I really want to like this piece. Hopefully the replacement that I receive in a week will work and I can reverse my rating.

This is an update to my previous posting. I am puzzled over the DV-05.A few weeks ago I purchased this player new. I had it shipped from Chicago to Texas. After hookup, the unit produced audio, but no video. I had the same problems with it as mentioned in previous reviews posted on this site. I had tried various connections but it still didn't work. So, I sent the player back to the dealer for an exchange.

Well I happened to be back in the Chicago area this week, so the salesman hooked up the player I returned (yes, the serial number was the same). For some wierd reason, that player started working fine. Good audio/video reproduction along with the on-screen menus. The connections the salesman used were no different that what I tried at home. He tried both S video and composite one at a time and they both worked. At home I used audioquest ruby, and monster M1000sv cables. And yes, these cables do work. I don't no what to think, now. The salesman connected the player to a 32" Sony Wega television while at home I connected the player to a 27" Sony V series television.

Anyway, I did exchange the unit, and before it gets shipped off to Texas, I verified that the 'replacement' unit was working fine. We took it out of the box and hooked it up their Sony Wega TV. I saw nothing wrong with the new unit.

Hopefully, this one will work at home. I am giving Pioneer one more chance. However, this makes one a little weary about the construction of the unit. There is a great return policy though.

I have to admit to Stereophile's guide to Home theater's review. The player is awesome. Picture is perfect with my sony wega 36" and the stereo mode is phenomenal. Complements my nad 218's and morel acoustics speakers that I've had since 1993.

Consistenly outstanding picture quality: Perfect film-like picture seems true to source material. Dynamic movie sound to either an analog or digital receiver. Great sound as a music CD player. More than enough hook-ups.

Remote is adequate but could be backlit with buttons easier to find to the touch. Lightweight design for an Elite product but not a problem. Obviously not a new progressive scan player, but still very good.

This is a follow-up review after having lived with the player for nine months viweing/listening to many different DVD's and still being extremely pleased.

After seeing the players listed above first-hand and others in passing, I'm convinced this is the best player for the money and well worth the extra dollars if you're more than a casual viewer of DVD films and also want the player to double as a quality CD player.

I'm 100% convinced there's a difference in the internal circuitry between low-end and high-end players and the difference is apparent in picture AND sound quality.

This player produces color saturation and contrast that seems more natural and truer to the film source than any other player I've seen. Toshiba's tend to be overly- saturated and the 414's washed-out and lacking in contrast for instance [IMHO] on a properly calibrated display. It has a film-like quality in that it has beautiful detail, accurate color reproduction and nice separation between onscreen objects that doesn't seem like you're watching something 'digital'.

The normal video jittering you get in defined patterns with an interlaced signal like bricks, fences, corrugated metal, shirts etc. is very very minimal and not distracting if you have an eye for detail [still not as super-smooth as progressive video but all things considered very impressive]. The anamorphic downconversion is very good as far as this reviewer can tell. According to magazine reviews it shines on a 16:9 TV via component video, but I haven't had the pleasure as of yet.

For sound: I use a Pioneer Elite VSX-24TX DD/DTS receiver and the dynamic range is clear and broad. Had used an old Sharp stereo at one time and even that sounded more than adequate with the analog output. This player sounded *a lot* better as a music CD player than any of the others [although I hadn't listened to a Sony].

It handled the problematic Matrix and Alien DVD-ROM hybrid DVD's that a lot of other players had problems with. VCD's play with no problem.

Downside: Although the DV-05's jog/shuttle is very good, the remote could have been a bit more 'ergonomically-correct'. I use the VSX-24's backlit remote that has buttons which can be deciphered by touch much moreso than the DV-05's remote.

The build-quality is lightweight but to tell you the truth it doesn't matter to me. Discs don't skip skip with the subwoofer shaking the room for lack of a cast resin base, and I can't detect any signal interference or degredation because it lacks internally separated compartments for the circuitry.

Supposedly it doesn't access the discs or menus etc. as fast as Sony players but I don't think too many do and it's not a concern to this reviewer.

Bottom line, I'm very pleased with the player for my uses and would put it up against any other player anyday. Despite not being the brand-new progressive video type of player, I feel this one will be enjoyable for years to come.

Similar Products Used:

Same class: Toshiba SD-9000
Lower-end: Pioneer DV-414, Toshiba 2109
Computer: Mac G4 DVD-ROM, Dell PC DVD-ROM