Great all around player. Good CD audio playback, GREAT DTS and DD playback, reliable, looks good on my shelf, and I like the cool blue light on the front!

I am having a peculiar problem; when playing letterbox features, my Mitsubishi 29" (1990) w/S-video has a "prism-like" distortion on the right side of the screen. Though only about a half inch wide, this refracts light and images and skews them, it is very annoying to the eye. Distortion gets wider when true 16:9 movies are played. I'm hoping it's the TV. Yes, unit is a bit noisy, but you end up blocking it out while viewing a movie.

This has been a superb unit, except for the distortion on the screen. I'm assuming that the TV has some distortion problem with the S-video input (I hope). Other than that, this player is highly recommended. It's picture is brilliant and bright, and the sound quality is above par for an entry-level DVD player. New to the game? Pioneer has been developing home theater products for quite some time. Remember laser-discs??? Buy an entry level Pioneer component and you won't be disappointed.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3801, Cerwin-Vega spks, Mirage spks

Great color and sound.

Once in a while a dvd will not play - ussually because of a problem with the dvd - not the player.

I have used the 414 for over 3 years (obtained it at product release). It has been a great entry level player. I have considered on occasion upgrading to a better unit - but I do not believe I would see a dramatic difference until I buy a digital TV capable of using component inputs and progressive scan.
I have the 414 hooked into a Pioneer 57" 16 X 9 analog TV and the receiver is a B&K 202.


I would rate this product with 5 stars, but it has stopped on occasion when playing a dvd.

Similar Products Used:

None.

24/96 output without downconversion

Compo / s-video not active simultaneously

Lip Sync ??? You must be joking. Never had a problem. Use this to feed a DVDO I-Scan Plus onto a front projector. Works extremely well. Not a single DVD has created problems.

And 24/96 DVD with audio (chesky, etc) play extremely well..

GO GET ONE AND FORGET ABOUT THE BELLS AND WHISTLES ON OTHER PLAYERS. HECK once you turn on a DVD just enjoy the movie...

Well my review of this unit may very well be strange much as the unit is strangely light weight,as other reviews have stated! I have one big concern about this unit. For some reason while playing certain movies and dvds, Suicide Kings dvd and Outkast's cd to be exact, the dv 414 starts to pass a dts signal to my Sony reciever during the middle of the playback. First I thought my reciever was defective so I exchange it for a new one. After hooking up the new unit the same thing took place exactly at the same moments. After that i figured well maybe the optical fiber cord i was using was defective, so i did a coaxial hook up and the same things took place. I have no other choice now but to return the unit. Maybe i should have took my initial choice of the Toshiba 2108 or 3108! Sound, picture and hook up options are all satisfactory.

I did not have a good experience with this player. I bought a new Yamaha RX-V2095 and couldn't decide between the Panansonic 110 and the Pioneer 414 so I took them both home informing my sales rep I would return one. Pictur quality was excellent on the 414 but I noticed lip-sync problems on Twister. Sphere and Godzilla played well then, once again, lip-sync problems on Lost In Space. I tried out it's cd audio quality and I felt the sound was a little harsh compared to the 110, not a big deal sice I have a Yamaha changer, but then on my Alice In Chains "Jar of Flies" CD I was getting skipping. I swithced to the 110 and no skips. To end this, I took back both DVD players and picked up a Toshiba 3108 and have been happy since. It very well could have been a defective player but I have read many posts of lip-sync problems and that was enough for me.

Truly the price/performance leader in current 2nd generation DVD players. DD/DTS out capabilities, Component AND S-Video AND RCA Video outs, 96KHz/24 bit DAC, Optical AND Coaxial Digital outs. Auditioned this against the $750 Yamaha DVD player, Sony Players, and Panasonic Players--audio and video capabilities compared favorably. Only Yamaha and Sony 500D had slight edge in picture quality in my opinion. At around $300, one would be hard pressed to find this combination of features in a DVD player.

I just got this about a week ago along with my new HT system and I really like this DVD player. It is my first one and the picture and sound are fantastic. Music CDs sound very good too. I went with Monster digital coax cable instead of optical and the sound is excellent. I also bought S-video cable and the picture is very nice. Five stars.

Well i got a sweet deal from BB, with a price match from CC for $299.99 = plus 5 free movies from Hollywood video.
For the price there is not a better DVD player! My system includes the Yamaha 1103 Dolby digital receiver, Infinity reference 3 (5 years old) w/emit tweeters (front), Infinity CC3 center channel, optinus (Radioshack) LX pro (rear) Audiosource 10' 100wt SUB, with a 32' INTEQ (Zenith) monitor (w/ digital comb filter). With the Pioneer addition into my Bellogetti A/V rack, my system is now complete. (Connections by Monst cable, digiatal coax, Svideo)

Looks (5); the Pioneer black alum finish is stylish and the amber illumination is a rarity that addes to it distinguished good looks. Note, when watching movies you can turn off the illumination, but be prepared for the ROYAL BLUE light that turns on when a disk is inserted into the tray - awesome, ergonomic, futuristic.

Picture (4.6); Simply beautiful, clarity, color

Sound: (4.9); EXCELLENT - any type of music (hint, play some Jazz)

Remote: (2.0); Sucks - non illuminated (fortunately I've programmed my Ymh learning remote for the necessary functions).

Pioneer has done their homework for this DTS compat, 520 lines of resolution, 10 bit digital converter, 26mhgz audio converter, package all under $350.00 - BUY ONE, YOU'LL LOVE IT!

I have also recently entered into the DVD market with this unt. I am very pleased. I have been a long time LD person and find DVD's and this DVD player to go a great job. I find that the motor is, at times, audible. That is not good. But over all picture quality, sound quality is excellant!
I too found it curiously light wieght but the price was pleasntly light wieght. ($299)

The DV-414 was among the 3 DVD Players I considered. Panasonic A110 and the Toshiba 2108 were the others. I chose the DV-414 because of its ability to read CDR discs. The picture quaility is almost flawless. I did notice some stepping effect on diagonal lines, but it is probably the tv. It can output DD/DTS signals through the digital outs. It has an 96khz, 24 bit DAC for Audio. It does not have built-in DD decoding, so people with only DD-ready receivers should steer clear or get an external decoder. The only thing that bothered me was the fast forward and reverse. It is very jerky; it skips frames instead of playing it faster. The outputs are: 1 RCA L/R, 1 Toslink(optical), 1 Coaxial, 1 Composite, 1 S-Video, and 1 Component. It has the ability to output 96khz audio for DVD-Audio discs or downsample it to 48khz. It can also ouput MPEG for external decoders. The remote is very basic and does its job well. A nice feature is the disc bookmarks, where you can save where you stopped for the last 5 discs. A very solid machine that is strangely light-weight, I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone looking for an affordable DVD player with cutting-edge features.
Price was $299 at Costco in NJ.