Excellent sound and video quality. Good build quality. Quiet operation. Relatively fast disk load/change time. 3 year warranty (in Canada).

Remote a little weak and cluttered.

I've had this player for a little over 3 months now and have had nothing but outstanding performance from it. No skips, lockups, or hickups whatsoever. The video playback is excellent. I currently run it with S-Video as my TV doesn't have component inputs, so I'm not getting the true picture. All the tweaking is available with component outs, so I can only wait until I take the plunge and by an HDTV set to get maximum performance from component output and progressive scan. Even in it's current setup, the picture quality is great (IMHO). Audio performance is excellent as well with both DVD and CD's. The "CD Mode" is a great feature in a changer like this. Sounds much better as a transport than my Kenwood CD-425 playing audio CD's. Sound in DD & DTS playback was a big step up from my old DVD player. I love the look of the Elite units and it matches well with my receiver. Build quality is excellent, beefy enough to satisfy most, although the remote is not the greatest (don't use it anyways so no biggie). Can't go wrong with a 3 year warranty either, which is what makes me a happy Elite owner.

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Pioneer DV-525

Solid performance right out of the box. Features. Tweeter had a price break, and for $350+tax, I don't think you can go wrong with this unit.

Yeah, the remote, but I can live with it. Hell, my pre-amp doesn't have a remove to begin with! It's from 1985.

This model is manufactured April 2002, so it's the latest. My choice was made directly as a result from reading reviews in this group. So far, having seen Harry Potter, Bob Dylan, Vanilla Sky & Pearl Harbor, the C36 is running extreamly well. She locked up twice and removed some dirt, which then allowed the unit to play perfectly. Don't know if it's more touchy than others, but skipping on CD's is not an unheard of event. I'll keep an eye on that. I am happy with the load time and play time. The unit runs very quietly, and cool. Having the 'exchange' option is an added bonus, especially when switching audio CD's. She's hooked up to an origional David Hafler-200 amp and Hafler-100 preamp, going to a pair of Meadowlark Heron speakers. Pearl Harbor was rumbling the house and Dylan's, "don't look back" sounded amazing. The picture has been georgious, on my 12 year old 25" RCA TV. Unfortunitly, neither my TV nor sterio can take advantage of the digital world, but when I upgrade, I'll be prepared. The handset is not the best, but it is functional. I wish it were backlit, however it does have a cool feature where the buttons are "glow in the dark" and they seems to last about 2 hours. The audio is very good, however it lacks a bit on the upper tones. The bass is delivered very well and the midrange is also great. This makes up for the lack of the upstairs punch. CD's come accross extreamly well. I played Annie Lennox's "Medusa" and it sounded excellent. Again, maybe a bit too soft on the highs. ELP was a bit more flat than my regular CD player, but then again, this is music from the 70's. The unit has lots of good features, and the frame-by-frame displayed excellent picture quality and little if any breakup. I can imagine having an S-video hookup would look like. After a few months I will review again, to be sure I'm giving accurate information.

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First DVD

Exeedingly good image quality on ALL discs. Very good audio.

Apparently it doesn''t do 3:2 pull down, so you can''t brag to your Home Theater mag reading buddies.

I''m big on video equipment, I used to be more into it, but I still try to keep up. I don''t neccsarally BUY all the latest gadjets*cough*DVD-A/SACD*cough* or the highest end, but I do think I was the first on my block to have a Dolby Digital reciever. I bought this player after my DV-414 was returned to me from a ''f(r)eind'' DOA. My mother payed half to keep me from taking her to small claims court. The audio quality is astonishingly better. I didn''t expect to notice a difference through my TV speakers(no speakers hooked to my receiver at this point, I wouldn''t hear this player''s DAC anyhow) but it has far more clarity. The difference in video is ridiculous. I can''t believe how much better my DVDs look. I had both hooked up component interlaced, and it''s like a THX certified DVD VS a mediocre, used LD. I only have a 27" TV(hey, I sell shoes, whadda you expect?) but when I popped in Tenchi Muyo(digitally mastered, THX certified) It was clear as day. The digital noise reduction help a great deal on my low quality DVDs(of which I have a few). I has no negative effect that I can see on my high quality ones. I won''t comment on the remote, as mine was the floor model, and they had to give me a remore for an older higher end model, and I won''t comment on the menu because it''s better than my 414, but my 414 was one of the first players under $500 to have a DTS output...

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This is far better than any of my other equipment.

Sharp picture, incredible sound, good remote, progressive output

still trying to find one...

I have been shopping for a DVD player for a while now, and came very close to buying the 6200 when I stumbled across this one store which allowed me to do a thorough head to head with 3 players with a similar price range ($450-$500US). In the end, the overall winner was my Pioneer Elite C36.. Toshiba has the nice zoom feature, but inferior picture and sound, Denon had the best sound of the three, but the picture wasn't on par with the Pioneer or Toshiba. Highly usable, glowing remote, plays CD-Rs, 5 disc carousel (not found on the 6200 or 3700), and picture that'll blow you away, whether on Progressive or normal Interlace, all at a very reasonable price (especially considering the price of other high-end progressive scan players)

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Head to head with Denon 3700, Toshiba 6200...

Super picture and sound, flawless operation, quality construction, 5-disc changer, progressive scan, compatible with DVD, VCD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, sharp looks, great price.

It would be nice if it had a back-lit remote (it has glow-in-the-dark buttons)

I've used this product for 6 months, and I've been nothing but happy. I bought the DV-C36 after lots and lots of research; the reason I decided to buy it is because it has the best combination of performance, quality, features and price. Since I have champagne taste and a premium-beer budget, this is the player for me.

At this point I don't yet have a high-def TV, so I can't comment on its progressive scan performance. The interlaced picture (using Monster M1000 S-video cable) is fantastic. I optimized the setup and playback with the Video Essentials DVD, and I've seen zero artifacting or pixelization. This player handles dark scenes especially well. DVD layer changes are great - 1 second or less (honestly, I've only even noticed it once or twice so far).

This product replaced my aging CD changer, so sound quality was a top priority. Stereo playback is excellent; the soundstage and imaging is great, but not superb. Where this player's audio perfomance really shines is its dynamic range handling and the deep, accurate bass playback. These characteristics happen to fit perfectly with my musical tastes: heavy alternative and techno. Multichannel audio for movies is superlative: it is crisp, dynamic and precise in either Dolby Digital or DTS. This means I can still get goosebumps in the intense film scenes without having to crank my receiver "up to 11."

I've had only one problem with disc compatibility: the American Beauty DVD wouldn't load properly - it also made the drawer open automatically half the time! Of course, I almost soiled my shorts when this happened. Thankfully, it was just a bum DVD - I exchanged for a different copy of AB. Problem solved.

The changer feature is cool - I like to be able to have a number of DVDs to choose from using only the remote; plus, it is nice to watch 2-disc DVD sets without having to get up and swap discs. I can also play hours of music in almost every CD format. It does not have all the latest cutting-edge capabilities like SACD, HDCD or DVD-Audio, but I don't have a few grand to toss around, either.

Looks and construction are top-notch. It has the traditional slick Pioneer Elite design: glossy black with gold trim. The front panel is not too busy, not too plain. It also has a cool blue light to indicate DVD format. The back has composite, S-video and component video outs, along with analog, digital optical and digital coaxial audio outs. The jacks are gold-plated where applicable, too.

You will not find any other DVD player on the market with the combo of the DV-C36's performance and features anywhere near this price-point. For around 400 bones, it's a huge bargain.

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It's my first DVD player

Progressive Scan, 5 Disc Changer, Elite Series, Great Audio (CD Mode)plays all discs (CDR CDRW,VC, SVCD)

None

I bought this DVD to replace my Sony DVP-7700, I liked the fact it had Progrssive Scan, and was a 5 Disc Changer. The remote for suach a great component sucks, but most of us have Ht remotes we use besides the component remote. Picture on the Mitsu 46807 is incredible, detail is extraordinary. Sound on CD and soundtrack of movie is top notch. I would recommend this DVD to anyone who wants a 5 disc changer and Progressive Scan for a reasonable price. The CD Mode on the player is nice if you dont remember which discs are which, this will only play CD's.

My Setup:
Mitsu 46807
Marantz SR7k
Pioneer Elite DV C36
Integra CD PLayer (Going away soon)
Paradigm Minis (rear)
Paradigm cc-350
Monitor 7's
Klipsch pdr-12

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Sony DVP-7700, Harmon Kardan DV-50

The remote could be better. Backlite and maybe a zoom feature.

I wasn't a big fan of Pioneer at first. The Big screens and car stereo's are top notch. But, I have always heard excellent things about the Elite name. I was steering towards the H/K, but after reading the reviews and speaking to some sales friends of mine, I decided to look at the Pioneer. I am glad I did. Not only did I save $150.00 or so. But, the Pioneer is more of what I was looking for.( DVD perforemance, not so much for CD's.) I have a Sony DVP-CX870D. It's a 300 CD/DVD player, and it sounds great. The picture is more film like, then the Sony. And where the Sony won't play, CDR's or CDRW's, the Pioneer will. I wanted to have a home piece, that would play MP3's, but I will just use me CDR-30, for now.

I put in The Patriot, and U571 to test it out. The sound and detailing was outstanding. I don't have a Progressive scan TV, but I do like the benefit of having it for later.
I have an 43" table top projection Toshiba. About 900 lines of resolution. And with this DVD player, I don't think I could ask for a better picture for the money. I would and do, highly recommend this product. It is Awesome baby.

My set-up consists of:
Rx-v1000 Yamaha receiver
DVD-C36 Pioneer
DVP-CX870D Sony(CD/DVD player)
CDR-30 (CD-recorder) H/K
MDS-JB940 Sony-mini/disc
FL-8550 Harman/Kardon CD-player
BL-D22 Technics Turntable
HU-570 HIFI stereo-vcr
Mi91f- sony HiFi VCR
VVD-9550 Dual deck HIFI VCR
260-Sonance amp(2-channel)

Speakers-
Paradigm Monitor9's(front), CC-350(center), Mini Monitors(rears), PDR-12(12"powered sub)

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Harman/Kardon DVD-50; Toshiba SD-6200

Price and value. Good sound and progressive scanning. Great picture.

Layer changing a little slow.

Boy, I have had this dvd player for 6 months and this site finally put it up for review. About time! This is a great dvd player. The picture is very colorful and full of life. It eliminates the wave on edges of far objects that my toshiba 3109 could not do. Starship troopers looks 100 fold better than my old toshiba or my old pioneer.Sound is the same as my toshiba. It had great sound too.I bought this for the convenience of the 5 disc changer. I am saving up for the c-37 elite. I use straightwire silver s-video cable for my elite. It is wonderful. I like that the c-36 has two lasers and a cd only button that turns off the video portion and gives slightly more transparency. It is subtle though. Good for the price but not high end. I will say that this dvd player is a little on the bright side. But most of it is cured by my dragon 5.1 de-jitter filter. This is a fantastic product by the way.

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Toshiba 3109 pioneer 302d

Multi-disc, Plays CDRs and RWs

None that I can see

My 13 year old Philips single disc CD player finally completely fried itself out. Since I thought I would mainly use this for listening to music, I wanted a multi-changer that played all CD formats. In fact there are very few out there. Apparently the HK DV-50 will also do this but it hasn't shipped yet, and it appears the HK's have nothing but problems according to the reviews. I listened to a handful of Marantz and Yamaha CD players as well (the OSE's and the 775s had noticeable sound quality in the stores) but in the end compromised a little by getting the 36. I feel that the sound is very very good, but probably not Marantz quality (am running it through an old HK amp, Polk 5 speakers). Picture looks excellent to me, although I'm not one to judge since I'm not really into the finer points of the video aspect. All-in-all I think it is an excellent player if you are looking for one player to do it all and you want to be able to play CDR and RW. I have been extremely satisfied with it.

The biggest thing I knowticed was the picture...My TV just lit up as if it was reborn. Audio is superb in all aspects and so easy to use.

Remote isn't the most pleasing; however I've used Pioneer elite for a while and I guess its an aquired taste for some.
None other that.

This DVD player doesn't need a Review or a summary. I had tested it up against 3:2 pull down players and for me there's no difference. I couldn't see spending 500 to 2000 for what? Anyways if you have the money and want a player that does DVD,VCD,CDR,CDRW,SCD and progressive scan, go and pick this up you will not be sorry.

My System includes
- Panasonic Gaoo 32" TV
- Denon AVR-4800 RECEIVER
- Pioneer Dv-C36 DVD
- JVC HR-4800 VCR
- Von Schweikert Vr 2200 Mains
- Von Schweikert LCR 10 Center
- Misson 753 rear
- No sub don't need one with the Von Schweikerts
- MIT/Tributaries cables all around

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Denon, Marantz, Panasonic but too expensive and not as good of picture.