I recently performed an A/B comparison with the 414 and the new Proscan PS8680Z DVD player. First off let me say both players had excellent pictures, the differeneces were not major. However, they were noticable. On every disc I tried the Pioneer had noticably more Chroma noise and looked subjectively slightly less detailed. Still an excellent picture. I did like the simple front panel layout, but not the remote or menu system - both were challenging for me to use right off the bat. I did not evaluate the digital audio performance of this player, but the analog outputs produced pretty good sound - much like a decent $300 cd player. On the sample I had however there was a noticable hum/buzz at high volumes with the player in pause mode - probably not noticable at normal listening levels. Overall, I feel this is a good player - probably worthy of 3 and a half stars overall. It really is a terrific value. If it would have equalled the performance of the Proscan I would have kept it - hence I would give a solid three.

I picked up this DVD player after careful consideration and comparison between this and three other DVD players:
1) Sony DVP-S300: Picture was very good, but I felt it was a bit too soft and "videoish" almost artificial. Great forward/reverse slow motion and smooth forward/reverse scan. Good remote control. No DTS, no component video out. Slight pixelation on a few DVDs ie. Twister and Face-Off.

2) Panasonic A110: Slightly better picture quality than the Sony, no pixelation on any DVDs; also great forward and reverse slow motion and smooth forward/reverse scan. OK remote control. DTS out. No component video out. Does not pass PLUGE test and will not output 96/24 over optical out. This one had the longest layer switch of the four.

3) Toshiba SD-2108: Just too damn buggy! Two retailers in my area stopped carrying them because of too many problems. They were returning more of them than they were selling. I liked the picture and the ability to set the black level. Best remote of the four. Zoom feature, DTS out and component video out a plus. If it weren't so buggy, I might have bought this one.

4) Pioneer DV-414: Best picture of the four. No problem on any DVDs. Nice picture quality adjustment feature- setting to Cinema mode gives a measure of depth to the image-cool! Passes PLUGE and Snell& Wilcox Zone Plate tests, DTS out, component video out, 96/24 over optical out, and quick layer switch. The remote's not so great, no zoom, the reverse slo-mo and reverse/forward scan is jerky, like a laserdisc, but that was a non-issue to me; all I'll ever use is forward slo-mo and that's crystal clear.

So, the Pioneer won. But I was really splitting hairs. All the DVD players were great and each merited 3.5 - 4.5 stars

I'm actually giving the DV-414 4.5 stars, but the extra 1/2 star is because it only cost $350.00!!

I looked at two players DV-414 and Toshiba 2108 with component video connections. Decided on the Pioneer but took it back becouse the picture seemed to "hang" on moments with little movement on the screen. Bought the Toshiba and am very happy with it. No problems and the remote seems easier to use.

I bought the DV-414 and have been relatively happy with it's performance. The audio for movies was not as harsh as the 3107 Toshiba, but the Toshiba had a better scan and slightly better picture. The cd audio quality cannot hold a candle to my Adcom GCD-700, but if you don't have a cd player, this will surely fit the bill. The DV-414 has a multitude of features for a relatively low price . I do agree that the motor noise in the player is quite loud, but for the price they had to skimp somewhere. Overall, I'd recommend this player to anyone who wants to get into DVD or someone who wants a second player for the bedroom.

Bought the Pioneer DV-515 which is essentially the DV-414 but with 10 direct keys (same front as the DV-606).
Picture quality and sound was good.
Quite disappointed with :

1. Remote buttons layout : "stop" button is just next to the "left-step"
button. Easy to accidentally press on "stop" while stepping and lost the picture. Should have the "pause" button swoop location with the "stop".
2. Need to press "Last MEMO" to bookmark rather than just "stop" as in Sony and Panasonic model.
3. Fast / Reserve Advance tends to skip frame and not "fast" playing
continuously as in some other model (sony).
4. Slow motion play is good in forward but reverse slow play only has one speed
and looks like frame-skip.
5. LED Display is either on or off, and no inter-medium dimming.
Also can't dim the LED from the remote. Has to reach for the unit front
panel.
3. No indication of sensing DTS signal.

Good points :
1. If changing menu setting or accessing menu during moive play, it
resumes play at where you stop after exiting the menu.
2. "Condition" for memorize setting by disk is excellant.
3. Ease of use.

First, I am glad that the folks that maintain this page have started banning those who post questions in the review area. I stopped coming to the site because the ratings were so screwed up by folks who asked a question and then left a 5 star or 1 star rating.
I originally planned on picking up the Toshiba 2108 but many bug reports have been associated with the player (audio drop outs) and their customer service could not tell me the production codes for the new players that corrected this.

I picked the DV-414 player up a little before Christmas from the evil empire (Circuit City) for an incredible $299. I would go into the incredibly lousy purchasing experience but it isn't appropriate here. Suffice to say that the only time I will buy from them from now on is to take advantage of their price matching during competitors loss leader sales.

Anyways, on with the review. I honestly have had a hard time telling the difference in video quality between the various DVD players on the market. The picture is just so astoundingly better than cable or VHS that no matter which I watched I was blown away. As such I focused on other perks. This player has component video out, passes the pluge test, and passes DTS DVD signals (they're actually out!.) At $299 there was simply nothing comparable.

I have it hooked up to a Yamaha RX-V795 (995 wasn't out yet), the Energy Take 5 system + 8 inch powered sub, and a 27" JVC TV via composite (?!?!) video. Will be updating the TV to big screen w/ component video inputs some day. First movie I watched was Zorro. The picture and sound were incredible! Even via component video DVD blows away every other input I have.

Some folks have complained that this player is too light. Big deal! How often do you carry your DVD player around the house? Not too much I imagine.

One thing to note. The remote on this unit pretty much bites. When watching the movie in the dark I am *always* hitting the wrong buttons. No illumination or nite-glow at all.

Other than that I give the player a big "thumbs-up" for its combination of features, picture, and value.

I AGREE TO MOST OF THE GUYS HERE..... THIS DVD IS ONE OF THE THE BEST. AND YES, THERE COULD BE A BETTER ONE OUT THERE BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE....TWO TO THREE TIMES MORE...NO WAY!!!
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE WOULD RATE IT ONLY TWO STAR,
I WONDER WHAT THEY BEEN DRINKING LATELY..OR MAYBE THEY WORK FOR COMPETITORS.

IT'S HIGHLY RECOMENDED...SO GET ONE NOW AND SEE AND HEAR IT TO YOURSELF.
THE PRICE IS ???? JUST LIKE BUYING A HI-FI VCR.

I recently entered the market for DVD and decided to buy the DV-414, it has been working great and the picture is the clearest of all that I looked at, but there's one small problem I found. If you watch really closely the lips don't quiet move with the audio when I use Dolby Digital which is why I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5...

I have to concur with Gary (prior post)...this is a great DVD player. I also previewed the Toshiba line, Panasonic, Sony and RCA. The remote is easy to use, the picture is crisp and clean and in the 3 months I've had mine, I've yet to run into any material that the player has been challenged with. I think the blue light on the front panel is kinda cool also.

I've had it for 5 days, watched 3 movies and love it. Period. No problems that I've read about here. Like the blue light, too. 299.00 is worth every penny. Also - not too many bells and whistles which I usually tend to hate - Gee, maybe thats why its so light!