1. MP3 playback
Wonderful GUI Menu for MP3
Wonderful function for MP3 (random play,program play etc)
2. Video Adjust
Fine Focus, Contrast, Brigtness, Sharpness, Chroma, Hue
3. Robust DVD mechanism
Very fast response & robust reading capability
4. Wonderful outlook design, Very slim.
5. Beautiful VFD display
6. Wonderful Picture & Sound Quality
7. And many many many many. No need to comment...

None. It is true.

I have Pioneer DV-533K, Asian model of DV444. I have used many DVD players, but Pioneer DV-533K is BEST. It is not a lie.

I abandoned multi-channel DTS, Dolby Digital and finalized to 2 channel.

I think Pioneer MP3 function is BEST. It has many unusual functions for MP3 playback. For example, MP3 navigator, random play, folder play, fast search, and etc..

VFD display information is perfect.

Audio & Video quality is excellent for the price. It has also video adjust functions.

Analog Devices ADV7172KST is used for video encoder and
Burr-Brown PCM1742 is used for audio DAC.

And it has many many functions.

I think I will use Pioneer DV-533K for very long time.

It is BEST DVD product for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic, Sony, Philips, Pioneer

For Pioneer MP3 function lists go to the following site.

http://www.annees-laser.com/pdf/pioneer_mp3-playback_tech4_us.pdf

New Pioneer MP3 function is best. There is no model can beats Pioneer MP3 function.


For this model technical information go to the following site.

http://www.annees-laser.com/pdf/pioneer_dv-444-545_tech10_us.pdf

DVD-444(EU), DV440(US) and DV533K(ASIA) is same model.

1 year parts & labor warranty is longer than most. slim design. quiet transport. excellend interlaced video and sound from DVD's.

CD playback was disappointing after reading all the favorable comments here

I think there is too much hype over the Burr-Brown 192/24 DAC in this unit for the following reasons...

#1 Don't be fooled by marketing. It shouldn't be assumed that a 192/24 DAC is better than a 96/24 DAC, especially for listening to 44.1/16 redbook CD's.

#2 The DAC is only 1 of many components which will influence the overall sound quality for CD listening. The analog output stage, the power supply, and/or the transport could be weaker links - for example.

#3 If you're using the digital output for CD listening, then you're not even using the Burr-Brown DAC in the Pioneer 440! I bet there's at least one person who posted a review here that is using the digital output for CD listening, and thinks it sounds good because of the Burr-Brown DAC -- when really it's the DAC in your receiver that is being utilized.


Anyway, this is not a bad sounding player. It definitely sounds better than the Toshiba SD-4700 I am returning. I'm just disappointed that the Pioneer doesn't sound better than my 13 year old budget Philips CD player. The Pioneer 440 is a little harsher, and a bit more digital sounding than the fuller, warmer, and more natural sounding Philips CD player. These differences are only noticeable in an A/B comparison. Most people will be pleased with the sound of the Pioneer, and I probably wouldn't have noticed if someone hooked it up to my system without telling me -- and played a CD from the Pioneer instead of the Philips.

Also, I can't really hear the difference between using the analog or digital outputs for CD playback, which shows there's not much difference between the DAC in the player and the DAC in my receiver.

It's been playing rental DVD movies flawlessly. The Dolby Digital/DTS tracks in movies sound excellent. Compared to the Toshiba SD4700 -- it's much easier to access chapters/tracks quickly, and the time remaining display is convenient on the Pioneer.

I'm considering a Cambridge Audio DVD300 to replace the Pioneer, as the Cambridge should have as good or better CD playback quality than my old Philips CD player

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD-4700
Philips CD player

Great picture, great sound, like the new ff/rew features as compared to the DV-333. Also the slimline case came in handy.

The TruSurround feature. I'm using a '93 Sony Trinitron, and I thought the TruSurround might help the sound. On some DVDs it's fine, but on others, most notably Speed 2, you have to crank the volume up to 8.5 to hear the dialog. At this point, the ship's horn sent the cat flying out of the room.

Basically, for the money you can't beat this player. I've always bought Sony stuff up until recently, but the Pioneer players just seem to be better overall. The picture and sound are great, and I've had no problems, which is more than can be said for some of the people I know who bought various Sony products in the past few years.
Now all I need is that extra $100,000 to spend on a nice media room, and I'm all set.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DV-333. Paid $189 for that, so for $20 less a year later, you get this.

Media Support-DVD,CD,CD-R,CD-RW,MP3,VCD,SVCD
Fast Loading
Quiet transport
Excellent video and audio
Thin, excellent product build

No zoom feature
Remote could use lighting-small buttons
Pioneer customer service sucks.....

At last a THIN DVD player. This one has all the necessary features, minus a zoom, with great video and audio quality.
In fact, maby say the CD sound quality of this DVD player surpasses many quality stand-alone players.Fast loading of DVD's, CD's and VCD's. Have not had any freezing yet on any DVD's.Solidly built, with a 1 year parts and labor warranty!
Just be aware that Pioneer customer service needs a lot of work-slow to respond and useless in most cases.
This DVD player is a keeper. Highly recommended!

Similar Products Used:

Samsung M301,Philips DVD 712AT, Sony DVP NS-300, Toshiba SD-1700

Price, Picture and sound quality

None

If you want a low-cost DVD player with great picture
and sound quality, check out the Pioneer 440. Can be bought
almost anywhere for under $200.00 I now have it hooked up to a 11 year old 32 inch SONY using the Composite (RCA)
jack, and the picture will ruin you for cable or satallite
TV. I will try the s-Video option this week. I wouldn't
waste any extra $ buying a more expensive DVD player,
spend your money on good audio & video cables and software.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

Similar Products Used:

None, First DVD player

Fast Read/Resume!! Excellent audio and great picture. Can play MP3 CDs. The diplay is very visible/readable (orange tint).

MP3 interface on the unit is strange, but the onscreen (tv) interface is not too bad. Some of the buttons on the remote are in strange places, but you'll get used to it!

So far so AMAZING!! Well, anything would seem amazing after using the JVC-511 :( The DV440 reads, loads and resumes DVDs very quickly and the sound is excellent. It is extremely thin, which is not necessary for some people, but for the price the other features make it well worth it. As with any DVD player I would recommend buying some sort of extended warranty or service plan, especially one that allows you to bring it to a local store rather than having to ship it to the factory. Even the best DVD players are bound to get old and burn out or stop working, so having a guaranteed functioning player for 3 or 4 years for an extra $40-50 seems worth it!

Similar Products Used:

JVC-511BK

Slim heighth, outstanding picture (typical for DVD) and sound, simplified setup, 1 year parts & labor warranty from Pioneer (many others are just 30 days labor).

None so far.

I picked this up for a relative - a birthday present. I was looking for reliability, performance, and cost. Based on prior experience and reviews, I tried to limit my brand search to Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, and Toshiba and didn't want to go over $200.

Because of what I was going to hook up to, specific needs were digital to analog audio conversion (older receiver can't do digital) and dual audio outputs (connect to both receiver and TV directly so receiver wasn't always needed). The Pioneer DV-440's BurrBrown 192k/24k DAC stood out here as a notch better if you use the analog audio out. For the dual outputs, the Sony NS300 model accommodated here (the DV-440 does not) and I was very tempted, but the lower ratings on audioreview scared me away. I just bought a couple of RCA Y-cables to split the analog audio out from the DV-440 and it works great. The sound on CDs and DVDs did not disappoint.

In fact, I'm jealous. My Hitachi DVD works OK (see my old review) but if I were in the market to replace it, the DV-440 would be my choice.

Similar Products Used:

Hitachi DVP305U

Excellent picture and sound. Easy to setup and navigate. Plays everything I've tried so far, including MP3.

Nothing with DVD or CD. Displays only 8 letter name for MP3 files.

This review is for DV-533, which is multiregion version of DV-440. I've bought it from www.bhphotovideo.com , since they ship it internationally.
It's my first player, but I've spent quite a time reading reviews all over Internet and comparing features.
I would certainly suggest this one to somebody looking for good value and industry enabled code free. Mine is playing all regions and in addition to MP3 playback I've got all I need.
No questions about video and sound quality, and I have only Pro Logic receiver. MP3 quality is also very high and MP3 navigator is very handy for over 200 songs per disc.
Previous Pioneer models got bad reviews for noisy tray, this one is completely silent.

Similar Products Used:

-

Sound & Picture

Progressive Scan

My first DVD player. WOW! I have a 32" TV I don't plan on replacing for awhile so progressive scan was of no value to me. A low cost quality entry was my Quest and I found it in this player. I'll upgrade later when HDTV becomes affordable and the SACD, DVD-Audio war is over. Even before I hooked up the SVideo and digital coax, I was extremely impressed with the audio and video quality the 'traditional' connectors provided. Shrek christened the machine...the whole family was thrilled.

Similar Products Used:

None