Sound, looks, flexibility, MP3, good video quality, Pioneer name

remote is average, small for my long fingers.

I replaced my 3yr. old RCA with this unit based on the reviews on this site. I would say the reviews are fairly accurate. I am really impressed with the audio quality of this little guy. I use Ultralink optical cable to my Denon 1801 receiver and it is a huge improvement for CD listening over the Rca and even the analog outputs of my older Pioneer LD player. An example of this is on Madonna''s Music CD, title #2 impressive instant gives the impression of the music wrapping around you, where my other CD players can''t manage this. Everything is crystal clear and well seperated. I would say the video is a little improved over my old RCA(made by panasonic) and I don''t use the video adjustments too much as I prefer to run via component video and adjust my Toshiba 50" thru THX optimode or video essentials. I decided to go for the 440 as I have had great luck with my old Pioneer LD/CD player (still going) and I just bought my interlaced TV less than a year ago. I figure I''ll upgrade when widescreen is more accepted and HD-DVD is firmly developed as well. If you can find a good price, go for this unit, especially if high quality sound and/or MP3 useability is important to you.

Similar Products Used:

RCA DVD player, Creative Encore

Excellent sound quality Slim design

None yet.

I recently purchased this unit and am very impressed. I wanted a multi-purpose unit that would be used for audio 90% of the time, so this unit was of particular interest to me thanks to the Burr Brown DAC. Audio quality is impressive to say the least. The onboard DAC is far cleaner and smoother than the unit on my Technics SA-DA10. Midrange is smooth and defined. Highs are crisp but not too bright. Video quality seems good on my Sony 27". None of the so-called chroma problem or scan lines are evident. Chroma was a little high but easily adjusted via the remote. No progressive scan though, so if you own a large screen tv you might want to consider the DV-444. Perhaps these issues are more evident on the larger screens, but I will likely upgrade my DVD when the HDTV''s are more affordible. Hopefully by then, they will have agreed on an audio format.

Similar Products Used:

Technics SA-DA10 Mirage 790i PSB Stratus C5

Plays mp3 discs and switches between tracks quickly. Same width as Pioneer home audio equipment.

None.

Very solid unit. Plays mp3 discs and switches between tracks quickly. Same width as Pioneer home audio equipment. I''m very pleased with this unit and I''ve recommended it to family members.

Similar Products Used:

Other Pioneer, Sony, RCA

Good video and audio quality for DVD, VCD, CD, MP3. Extremly silent, stable, smooth and super fast transport mechnism. Wonderful MP3 features and SVCD & VCD supports. Detailed FL display and user interfaces.

None

I have used this DVD player about 4 months. I have asian model of DV440, called DV-533K. Original model of this DVDP is DV-533 saled in Japan. I heard Mitsubishi MPEG2 decoder used in DV-440 has a chroma bug, but i can not detect it and do not care about it. Below 29 inch analog monitor or TV, you can not detect the trivial chroma bug. At this price I can''t blame DV-440 picture quality, but I do not recommend DV-440 to a person have HDTV. If you have large display, do not buy cheap DVDP. DV-440 uses separate video encoder, AD7172 made by best analog expert group, Analog Devices. I thank to Pioneer engineers for roviding video adjust function like fine focus on/off, contrast, sharpness, chroma and hue adjust. In addition, this DVDP has wonderful MP3 features, support SVCD, VCD perfectly and provide very good picture and sound quality for MP3 and VCD. Below is technical information about this DVDP. I found this site at this review board. http://www.annees-laser.com/basepdf.php3?Pioneer

Good video and audio quality for DVD, VCD, CD, MP3. Extremly silent, stable, smooth and super fast transport mechnism. Wonderful MP3 features and SVCD & VCD supports. Detailed FL display and user interfaces.

None

I have used this DVD player about 4 months. I have asian model of DV440, called DV-533K. Original model of this DVDP is DV-533 saled in Japan. I heard Mitsubishi MPEG2 decoder used in DV-440 has a chroma bug, but i can not detect it and do not care about it. Below 29 inch analog monitor or TV, you can not detect the trivial chroma bug. At this price I can''t blame DV-440 picture quality, but I do not recommend DV-440 to a person have HDTV. If you have large display, do not buy cheap DVDP. DV-440 uses separate video encoder, AD7172 made by best analog expert group, Analog Devices. I thank to Pioneer engineers for roviding video adjust function like fine focus on/off, contrast, sharpness, chroma and hue adjust. In addition, this DVDP has wonderful MP3 features, support SVCD, VCD perfectly and provide very good picture and sound quality for MP3 and VCD. Below is technical information about this DVDP. I found this site at this review board. http://www.annees-laser.com/basepdf.php3?Pioneer

Good audio and video quality. Extremly silent, super fast and smooth transport mechanism. Wonderful MP3 features. Detailed FL display and user interfaces.

None.

I have used this DVD player about 4 months. I have asian model of DV440, called DV-533K. Original model of this DVDP is DV-533 designed in Japan. I heard Mitsubishi MPEG2 decoder used in DV-440 has a chroma bug, but i can not detect it and do not care about it. Below 29 inch analog monitor or TV, you can not detect the trivial chroma bug. At this price level I can''t blame DV-440 picture quality, but I do not recommend DV-440 to a person have HDTV. DV-440 uses separate video encoder, AD7172 made by best analog expert group, Analog Devices. I thank to Pioneer engineers for providing Video Adjust function like fine focus on/off, contrast level, sharpness, chroma and hue. In addition, DV-440 has wonderful MP3 features and support SVCD, VCD perfectly and provide very good picture quality for VCDs. For technical information go to http://www.annees-laser.com/basepdf.php3?Pioneer

sleek,slim design. smooth and very quiet.fast loading

very long layer change,scan lines,scan lines,and did i mention scan lines!!

very disappointed! after reading the great reviews on this site,and seeing the high rating after 52 reviews,i had to try this one out,i had to shop three different best buy''s before i found one since they were all sold out,i thought this must be a nice player...WRONG!!! I agree with breck42 and james miller''s reviews,the scan lines are overwhelming! especially with my 60" tv,along with having a very long layer change to boot,this player is going back!! i have not seen this problem with any of the other players i''ve tested. i''m shocked that pioneer would release a player with such a major flaw,since everything else about this player is top notch ,smooth & very quiet,fast loading,sleek and slim design,but what good is a DVD player if it plays dvd''s poorly? if pioneer fixed the problem,i''d buy it back in a heartbeat. i have tried all of the dvd player''s listed below in the last few weeks on my 60" mitsubishi tv,side by side,playing the same movie,at the same time,switching between imput-1 & imput-2 via remote,the panasonic rv-31 won hands down! clear sharp picture,smooth,quiet,very fast layer change,solid construction,imho most players look fine on smaller tube tv''s ,but,a big screen brings out the flaws.if you have a 40" or larger tv you might want to pass on the pioneer dv-440...GOOD LUCK!!!

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toshiba sd-1700,2700,2715,panasonic rv-31,apex ad-800,mitsubishi 4020,yamaha s-796,jvc xvsa-70bk.

slim design ,fast loading,good construction

long layer change,poor picture ,scan lines,scan lines,and dont let me forget SCAN LINES!!!

well i have tried all of the players listed above,in the last 3 weeks and have kept the pany rv-31 since it has the cleanest and sharpest picture on my 60" mitsubishi,while my last visit to best buy,i checked this cool little pioneer out ,i checked out the reviews here first,and was blown away by the high ratings it got,so i tried it,VERRRYY DISAPOINTED!!!! i totally agree with breck42 and james miller''s reviews,the scan lines on this machine are overwhelming!!! i''m shocked that pioneer would put out a product which such a major flaw! they really missed the boat on this one! i have not encountered the problem on any of the other players i tried,and it''s a wonder only a few of us noticed it,i guess if you have a smaller tv you might not notice them,well ,hopefully pioneer will get the hint and fix the problem! then i''ll keep it! back to best buy for a refund! if you want a dvd player with a great picture and sound,try the panasonic rv-31,i have tried all of the above listed players side by side on my tv,playing the same movie,and switching back and forth with the remote via imput-1 and imput-2,i believe this is the best way to test them out,and the pany rv-31 won hands down!super sharp picture,bright colors,and the fastest layer change i have seen! which by the way the pioneer had the longest! good luck!

Similar Products Used:

PANY RV-31,JVC XV-SA70BK,TOSHIBA SD-1700,SD-2700,SD-2715,APEX AD-800,MITSUBISHI 4020,yamaha s-796

low profile appearance great sound fast loading plays everything without a hitch

Bad picture quality Chroma Bug

I''m very disappointed with the 440 because of the high hopes I had for this player. The pioneer does almost everything right, except the most important thing: It''s picture quality is very substandard for a dvd player at this price. The first thing I noticed was the faint but very annoying dark sreaks running vertically on my TV screen. I''m not sure what this is, but I''ve never seen it with my other players. Then I noticed that most of my movies appeared very grainy, with tons of digital artifacts visible. But, the worst part was the dreaded little Chroma Bug. My other players have the Bug, but this pioneer proved to be the very worst at showing it. Basically, this is the most overhyped peice of equipment I have ever run across. I still can''t figure out how it has gotten such good reviews here and elsewhere. Sure it sounds good for music, and plays mp3, vcd''s, cdrw''s, ect...but this is a DVD PLAYER, and it should be at its best when PLAYING DVD''s don''t ya think. Well it doesn''t, and to be honest I believe my Toshiba VCR actually has a better picture. This player is going back to Ultimate in exchange for a the panasonic RA60. My advice to anyone contemplating this dvd player, Skip It. Go with panasonic for a good interlaced player.

Slim Profile Quiet Optical/Coax Digital Outs Sharp Vibrant Colors

Exaggerated scan lines on non-anamorphic 4:3 monitor, destroy "film like" atmosphere

First, be aware that I am (was) using the Pioneer 440 with a non-anamorphic, 32" Hitachi monitor. I have been using a Sony 7000. The first disc I played was Jurassic Park III. (in fact, the motivating factor for getting a new player was because of DD 5.1 droputs with certain titles on my Onkyo receiver) During one scene in particular, but during the entire movie generally, I found the scan lines to be obvious and distracting. The one scene where this was of particular concern was during Chapter 11, when Grant and the missing kid were hiding out in an abandoned truck. A dark scene with only "lamp" illumination on the faces. The scan lines on the faces were atrocious and destroyed any and all sense of "film-like" viewing. I also spun "The Phantom Menace" and "The 5th Element" (Superbit) Scan lines were evident on both, although best, of the three discs, on TPM. By the way, I had to open/close the tray three times before "The 5th Element" would load. Finally, layer changes on the Pioneer are obvious if not overly long; the Sony exhibits seamless changes on all but a couple of more ~400 discs. Another point against the Pioneer. All in all I am quite disappointed. My Sony 7000 does not exhibit over emphasize the scan lines- albeit the Sony anamorphic downconversion IS softer than the Pioneer. Otherwise the Pioneer WAS sharper and colors more vibrant. That being said, good points aside, I found the scan lines to detract to the point where it was unsatisfactory. The obvious layer changes didn''t help. Spending $170 on a player JUST to get DTS compatibility is not worth it, considering I have a current player that performs flawlessly.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-7000