Summary:
I won this player in a contest about a year ago and I must say that I am very satisfied with it. I watch a lot of movies and the sound is just great. I use it togehter with Harman/kardon avr 35, Dali 606, Dali sc-7 and some other cheap rear-speakers. The sound with audio cd`s is also very nice

Strengths:
Plays both dvd and audio-cd`s very well. Plays dvd`s from all regions. Plays Video-cd and cd-r.

Weaknesses:
A bit noisy, which is a little annoying when playing at low levels

Summary:
Overall this is a great DVD player for the beginner , especially as it will be very cheap nowadays. Sure it has flaws but they are overall minor.

The remote control buttons are small and not very well laid out, try navigating a menu in the dark ... impossible (even after a year).

The only reason I would replace this unit is because of its (sometimes) loud noise it plays when running a film.

Strengths:
Great Picture + Sound and Mutliregional Player. Will play CDR,VCD. Looks great , Can turn off LED display.

Weaknesses:
Bad Menus , Clumsy Remote Control Design , Noise level from the DVD drive can vary between LOUD and ok.

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer PC DVD Drive x6DVD 32read.

Summary:
First, let me list the components in my system, so there is a baseline to work with.

Rotel DPL pre-pro (haven't upgraded to DD yet)
Rotel RMB100 monoblocks (L&R channels)
Rotel 60 watt/ch amp running center and surrounds.
NHT 1.3 main speakers, 1.1C center channel speaker,
Cambridge Soundworks Surround II surround speakers,
Cambridge Soundworks Powered Sub (12") and Slave sub
Mitsubishi 31" TV

My initial impression wasn't great of the picture quality, mainly because I had a problem with my S-Video cable. Using the composite video output, the picture was still noticably better than VHS, but not as sharp or clear as I expected from the DVD medium. Once I replaced the faulty cable (Straightwire - same brand that I use for my audio connections), things improved dramatically.

The Pioneer produces a sharp, focused image. Colors are surprisingly vivid on good DVD transfers - fully saturated, yet still sharp. So far, I've not noticed any artifacts - only a clear, sharp picture that blows away VHS in every way.

Comparing the sound of the Pioneer to the sound of my NAD model 5000 CD player showed a few weaknesses, however. Vocals are not as defined or full, and the sound overall is less natural. It did excel in one area, that being the bass. While I prefer the sound of the NAD in the midrange up, the Pioneer did a good job on the bass. It seemed to have more output in the low regions than the NAD. I'm not sure it's better defined so much as equally well defined with a bit more oomph. For music listening, I'll stick with the NAD, though, even though it's getting a bit long in the tooth (as is the rest of my system).

Note that the above weakness in sound reproduction seems limited to CD playback. DVDs sound fine. It's not a high-end player by any means - when it comes to sound - but this can be improved by using a higher end pre-pro that has good internal DACs. I'm using the player's DACs, since I only have a pro-logic processor. The picture quality - the reason I purchased a DVD player - is very good, though. I'm sure you can get a better picture with a high end player, but you'll spend 4-5x the $249 I paid for this player - and even then I doubt you'll see a ton of difference unless you have a very large, high end rear or front projection system. If you're like me and have a 31" set, it's not worth the extra money to buy a high end model, unless you're looking to use your DVD player to play CDs, too. The high end models do sound better.

For value - high marks for this unit. Four stars overall. Great picture, but weak CD playback. I can't rate it on it's Dolby Digital or DTS output, though (but keep in mind that the D/A conversion - and most of the sound characteristics - will come from the processor it's hooked to).

Strengths:
Picture quality, price.

Weaknesses:
CD playback.

Summary:
Best value for ppl who only cares for surround & bass. Vocalist stay away!!

Strengths:
Very good bass delivery yet controlled. Almost flawless surround delivery in DTS & DD 5.1 format.

Weaknesses:
Vocals can be improved. Picture is shaky though.

Summary:
I intended to buy a Pioneer DV606D initially but chose this.
I am very happy with this unit. The audio sounds great and the picture output is good. I needed a multisystem capable player and found one without having to shell out an exorbitant amout

Strengths:
Region Free. Value for money. Has all the necessary features like DTS, Dual-voltage and multisystem. Can play video CD's.

Weaknesses:
Menu's are confusing and are intuitive, takes a while to


figure out.