I feel the video quality alone, puts this player above entry level. It has all the features one could possibly want, including component outputs. AC-3 audio is very good too, but not the stereo signal for regular CD listening.It sounds a bit dull to me. When I added my external D/A that solved most of the problem, and the music had life to it again. My impressions were reinforced with the latest review from HT Mag.
It is light in weight, like the tinny JVC VCR I used to have. I now have Toshiba VCR that's built like a tank in comparison, but also has superior audio and video.
Well, for the Pioneer, the weight apparently has no effect on it's performance.
And we are not talking about shuttling 1/2" tape back and forth here. Pardon the digression.
They skimped on the analog audio a bit, but other than that it's a bargain. It's not hard to find for around $350...good enough to last a few years, then chuck it for the next technology.

I just spent 261.00 on this unit and feel that if I spent the full $399 for it, I would still be happy! Haven't found any sort of lip-synch problems (I was worried that I would) after puting the sucker though many tests, I feel that the video is outstanding- I don't give a flying f@3% if it doesn't have zoom (pornos maybe), it still has multi-aspect, no artifacting, and an easy remote. People have also said that the build quality is poor and the disc door is shabby, that it doesn't switch between audio sources fast enough, it makes noises, the Milli Vannili thing, low weight, the light doesn't come on (put in a disc and it will Einstein), and every other complaint that any Denon lover would make to a Yamaha fan (I have run into NO problems previously mentioned- except the Denon thing). Most leave out the simple fact that this player has great audio and video and is not a $2000 Krell gold-plated DVD player, but it does give you more than every dollar you spent on the sucker times two. I am very pleased with this unit, and recommend that the money you save from buying this unit can be elseware used in all of our never-ending audio buying pursuits.

This unit has every feature you could want for $300, except the ability to zoom. I have not noticed any lip sync problems. The picture is virtully flawless and the sound is awsome. For anyone that wants a dvd player that does it all, at this price, has to consider this unit.

I just bought this DVD player from Alpha Sound and Vision for $339. It took 11 days to get here! Yikes! I have to say that the video quality is excellent. I haven't seen anything better. I use a regular composite video output to my TV. The sound seems to be ok. I can't really tell with TV speakers. There are, however, a few things that I do not like about this player.
1. You can hear the mechanism in the dvd player when it stops, starts playing, etc. The noise is not noticeable when the DVD is playing.
2. The Dvd player is not the only thing that is light; the remote is like paper-weight! The remote feels like it's made of styrophone (sp), especially when you have a heavier TV remote.
3. The sound of the tray opening sounds like a flimpsy computer CD-Rom drive made of brittle-plastic that's going to break in any second.

Despite my complaints, I think the DVD player is a great value. I figure I will buy another one once I get out of school and get a real job!

Digital Audio Output

Bought this as a replacement for an old CD player. Already have a Sony DVDS300 for use in my HT system. This is one of the few and certainly the cheapest DVD players that actually outputs the digital signal at 96kHZ. Combined with MSB's Link DAC this setup produces remarkable music. Total cost for the two pieces was $560. This is an unbeatable combination.

I am using this one with SONY STR DE835 receiver but I can not use DTS function with pioneer Dv414 though I insert DTS equiped software. Is there anybody who can solve my problem? Thanks.

Wonmo,

Make sure you enable the DTS audio
from the setup menu. There are
actually several different audio
options you can choose, i.e MPEG, PCM,
DTS etc. You can choose all of them,
just make sure you do it from the
menu. I've had this player for over 8
months now (with about 150 movies) and
I haven't had any problems...including
the Matrix.

The remote is small and hard to
navigate, but after 8 months, I can do
it in the dark.

If you've got one that doesn't have
the dreaded lip sync problem, You
have one of the best players for its
price ($249)

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 3006, 2109, 3109

Sorry about the previous post on CD sound quality.I have come to find out that the children have been punching buttons on the remote again.Not only has the settings on the DVD414 been altered but the bass management options on my receiver have been changed.(Bookshelf speakers should not run full range on my system.)Sorry for the misrepresentation of this product.My assessment of CD operation is now 3.5 .Sounds as good as my old JVC,maybe a little better.

I must say that this DVD player is one of the best performers and buys in the DVD player market!! I have watched over 40 DVDs with NO PROBLEMS, not even the mystical audio synch problem that others claim to be seeing. I have used the DV-414 with a Yamaha RX-V793 and now a RX-V995, no problems. All I can say is I'm so glad that I "UPGRADED FROM A PANASONIC DVD-A310", for a savings of $200! The picture on anamophic downconverting is much clearer than with the Panasonic 310. The 310 also had the worst glitch that I've ever seen. It caused chapters to be skipped on dual layer DVDs at the layer switch. When I called them on it, they knew it had the problem, but no fix for it. It went straight back to the store. I'm glad it was a poor product. I wouldn't have known how good the Pioneer was if it wasn't for that 310. I'm still very glad I have it, even after the rest of the new players came out. The 414 still beats them all hands down. The new Panasonics have even more problems and the Sony's are questionable. They seemed to have caught their ES9000 Pre-amps audio synch problem. This was the main cause for all the so-called DV-414 synch problems. It was really Sony's ES 9000 pre-amp causing the synch problem. They have recently fixed the problem with a firmware upgrade on the pre-amp. Happy watching!

I purchased a DV-414 back in October 1998 and want to say first off that I have NEVER had a player-related audio sync problem with this unit. And I have viewed over 50 movies on it during that amount of time. Video and audio quality are both excellent. Compared to my friend's Panasonic and my father's Toshiba DVD players, I think the Pioneer clearly has a better picture. Anamorphic down conversion is also excellent on this unit, especially when compared to the Toshiba I have had some experience with. The only complaint I have is with the jerky picture scan function, but I didn't buy a DVD player for that feature anyway. Overall for the performance, features and price, you cannot go wrong with this unit in my experience. Don't be scared off by the overload of audio sync complaints you hear on the net. If you aren't sure, pick one up at a store like Best Buy where you can return it within 30 days if you do have a problem. Like I said, I certainly never have with mine after 6+ months of ownership...