Picture Quality, Sound Quality, Plays MP3's, Slim Design

NON SO FAR

This is a great product for an average home system, awesome picture detail and the quality of sound is amazing. Haven't had any problems with it. This is one of the best pioneer DVD player on the market for the price. Definitely buy this product, you will enjoy it. I give it 10/10.

SOUND!price,picture

None so far

I had a Sony DVP-S360 and it lasted about 1 year and then I started having all the common problems associated with that player.There customer service was a joke!Anyway bought this player because of the reviews and the price.I cant believe the sound quality! I am hearing sounds and music like I`ve never heard out of the Sony.I have digital optical to my Kenwood 505 home theater package with 200w powered sub with S-video to my 55inch Phillips projection screen,not a state of the art setup but for $1900 invested not to shabby. The picture is brighter and sharper than the Sony also.I`m still playing with the settings but am very pleased.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-s360

Slim design, decent construction quality, 192khz/24bit Burr-Brown DAC, MP3, reasonable sound for price, flawless video playback

Audio and video quality were not best I have seen.

I bought this player with several others to demo and keep the one that I like the most. This is a nice little unit that should function well for most people, but I think I am going to return it. My goal was to replace my aging early 1980's cd player and get a DVD player to boot, covering both audio and video.

I have had the Pioneer running about four straight days to burn it in, and I noticed right from the start that it had quite detailed sound, much more so than my old cd player. It definitely outclassed the Toshiba 4700 against which I was comparing for sound - even though both players have 192khz/24 bit DAC's, the Burr-Brown in the Pioneer produced very noticeably better and produced more detailed, accurate sound. Although the Toshiba had virtually every feature one could imagine on a DVD player other than HDCD compatibility (included on the 5700), I returned after a few days without even testing the video playback because I was not satisfied with the sound quality or the build quality. Compared to the Cambridge Audio, the 440 is not as satisfying listening for longer periods. The Pioneer has a slightly harsh, more digital sound to it - the keyboards in Dire Straights' Private Investigations sound electronic on the Pioneer, whereas they sound very close to a real piano on the Cambridge. Cymbals sound a bit brash and harsh on the Pioneer and I also noticed there is a slight vague bassy background sound to music in the Pioneer, that I don't believe should be there.

On video playback, the Pioneer played the Matrix and Shrek without a hitch. I noticed that the colors and sharpness on the Pioneer were not quite as vivid and detailed as on the Cambridge Audio. However, I was using the basic RCA composite video connection with both players (my three-year old Samsung, while a decent regular TV, does not have S-video, let alone component video connections) and the video performance may differ using one of the better quality connections.

The remote on this unit is ok (better than the higher-end Toshiba, which has the numbers and several other useful functions hidden under a cover), but nothing special. Some of the buttons could be better placed and the Cambridge seems easier to use without looking at it. Most people will probably replace the remote with a univeral remote, though. It also seems, from several of the other reviews below, that this Pioneer has better display and playback features for MP3 files than most other DVD players on the market, so that might be a very useful feature for the compilers out there (haven't tried using MP3's on the Cambridge yet, but it does have MP3 playback). The 440 also seems to have decent build quality - it feels solid and weighs the same or even slighly more than the Toshiba, which had a case twice as high.

I'm going to continue to burn in both the Pioneer and the Cambridge Audio for a few more days and compare them again to see if either player improves or changes. At this point, though, I like the sound, the video, the looks and the ergonomics of the Cambridge better, so I anticipate keeping that unit. However, if I had not compared the 440 to the Cambridge, I probably would have been really happy with the Pioneer, as it's a very decent product, especially for the price.

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge Audio DVD300; Toshiba 4700

Performance Per Dollar, Packaging

The remote is functional but could be nicer. Its awfully hard to use non-backlit remotes in a dark room....

Considering the price, this player is an astounding bargain. I am unqualified as a videophile, but I am completely impressed with the picture quality of this unit on my Panasonic Superflat TV. It is truly excellent by any definition I might hold. I just can't see spending much more given the performance that this little guy provides at a rock-bottom price.

The audio side has me questioning my ears. I am afraid I am growing old or becoming timbtrally deaf. Let me just say that, IMO, it simply outperforms my 750 dollar Rega planet on almost every front. It destroys the old, modified Marantz CD 63 I have - that comparo is not even close. I am amshamed to say this - but my ears detect not so subtle differences with the highly regarded Rega. The DV-440 is detailed, airy, while still being smooth. You hear vibrato, timber, and decay that is absent in the Rega. Maybe not the last word in ooomph - but it plays like a true high-end unit of several years ago. I know audio and this damn thing has me scratching my head. I thought I was smart buying the Rega to avoid spending big bucks on digital audio. When you throw in support for MP3 CDs plus DVD - you almost have to giggle about the DV440.

Similar Products Used:

Numerous CD players (NAD, Rega, Marantz, others), my first DVD player

Excellent sound and video quality, size, speed, reliability

no progressive output, if you need that

I bought this dvd player after reading reviews for over a month. I literally looked at everything from an APEX to a Sony 9000-ES. I decided that this Pioneer seemed to have the best price/performance ratio, so I persuaded my wife that it was time to give me a dvd player for christmas.

I have to say that this was a much better purchase than I thought it would be! I was skeptical that I really needed a dvd player, but I was itching to get one anyway. I am glad I scratched the itch. The picture quality is excellent on my 32" panasonic tv, and the sound quality is excellent. I use the internal DACs because I only have a prologic preamp (rotel 960AX), and they do an excellent job for both movies and surprisingly music.

Actually, I really want to comment on the music capabilities of this player. While I do not use it to play CDs because I have a Rega Planet 2000 that I love, I was actually blown away by how good music sounded on this player. While it is still bright for my taste, the only DVD player I could even stand to listen to before this was the Sony 9000ES.

For a while, before I bought the Rega, I considered getting a dual purpose machine for both DVDs and music. After listening to a number of DVD players for music, I barely could stand the experience. This player is an exception to the rule, though. It actually does an OK job on the music, believe it or not. Not up the the standards of the Rega--not even close. But much better than any $159 cd player you could find.

Overall, I would call this one of the best bargains I have ever found in AV. I would not hesitate to recommend it.

Associated Equipment:
Rotel 960AX
Carver 705TX Amp
NHT 1.5s
NHT AC-1

Similar Products Used:

no dvds, rega planet 2000 cd player

X-cellent Sound and Picture

None yet

This review is for the DV-533 the twin to the DV-440. This is my first DVD player and it is X-cellent, iv'e looked at others but wasn't impressed with them, iv'e read a lot of reviews on this little giant and believe me they are all true. I have it running thru a PIONEER VSX-D859TX A/V Reciever and a SONY 41in. TV, and a JBL speaker system. Playing CD's I hear music that I didn't hear when playing thru a SONY CD player, and the picture is sharp and clear. If your looking for a good entry level or any level for that matter DVD player give this PIONEER a look.......

Similar Products Used:

None

Audio and video quality is excellent, Flawless Tracking, SRS TruSurround mode, Quiet trasport mechanism, Fast Read/Resume, last memory. Can play MP3 CDs.

None so far. Just bought.

Being new to the market, finding this site and reading the reviews, has really made a big difference. I went out and purchased the Pioneer DV-440 with great expectations and was not disappointed. Everything I've read is true. This machine worked right out of the box, like any top notch machine would and was a snap to set up. This DVD player is outstanding value. First of all, audio and video quality is excellent. I'm sure there are better(and much more expensive) players out there but I see no reason why I would want anymore than Pioneer has given me. The dual digital outputs allows me to buy any brand digital TV in the future. The SRS TruSurround mode give me excellent sound through my stereo TV speakers. A big PLUS right now.
The quality and workmanship of the product is superb. The DV-440's ability to play MP3s burned on CD-Rs is a pleasant "bonus" feature.

Similar Products Used:

APEX D-500W (Piece of junk, was lucky to get money back)
Smarter to buy name brand.

can read all possible formats, good sound quality

remote is not bad but buttons' location sometimes not very appropriate

I have spent one month readinr reviews in the internet and various products specs in order to figure out which one is the best for me. I wanted reliable player that can read any disc of any format with high quality sound and picture. I statistically figured out that
1.Pioneer's dvd players got the higgest average score in reviews on this site!
2.There is very rare reviews about problems with Pioneer dvd players (it means that pioneer generally produces relable dvd players!!!)-almost all the other brands have problems with some of their dvd player models, like famous SONY 360-330-300 family- with shortered life span of the laser.
AND JUST SOME FACTS:
3.DV 440 has 192kHz D/A convertor fom Burr-Brown for high quality audio(do not forget to connect audio cable to your reciever)
4.According to reviews the video quality is very good.(I do not care about it now, since I do not have TV at all, but it is always good to know that you have good set up for your future TV.
5. Can read DVD,MP3,SVCD,CD,CD-R,CD-RW.
There is a one bad thing : it has some problems with "standart" SVCD- it has some problems with high bit rates at SVCD (more than 2520(video)+192(audio) but for your own SVCD that is not a problem.-Most of the people do not even know about "svcd" so that is not so important.
Frankly I have nothing to say about video ,since I do not have TV, but all the other things looks like very good.

Similar Products Used:

o.k. that is my first dvd player

Great Sound, Sleek look, Flawless Tracking, Outstanding Picture

None yet

For the price, this player delivers an amazing picture coupled with outstanding sound. I love the Component outs!!! With my previous player I was unable to get the DTS to work, even though I have a Yamaha receiver with a built-in decoder. This unit sent the signal properly and it sounds great!! I have a fairly new Hitachi 53SBX10B 53" Analog Big Screen and quite frankly, this DVD player coupled with this amazing TV rivals many Digital sets with a progressive scan DVD!!! I can wait a few more years for a true digital system. Buy this unit!

Similar Products Used:

First Generation Philips DVD Player- No comparison

Good Overall Quality for Cheap Price

None Yet

Bought a JVC 511BK for about $250 a little over a year ago. The JVC Player stopped readings discs after about 15 months. After reading this board, that is a very common complaint with JVC DVD players...they're crap after a year.
Bought the Pioneer for $170 at Best Buy as a replacement. Couldn't be more satisfied. Pioneer has a quality product! I can definitely tell a difference with the sound. Pioneer is also much faster in reading the discs and responding to the remote.

Similar Products Used:

JVC 511BK <----Crap!