Great sound, picture and price

Construction, remote

This is an outstanding entry level player. The picture is rich with vibrant color and the sound is very involving. This player supports all formats (dvd, cd-r, cd-rw, vcd, cd) and connections to the TV and A/V. It can also pass a 96/24 digital signal to the A/V when allowed by the disc; something alot of expensive players cannot do.

Like most players in this price range the construction is a little light so don't use it as a frisbe to impress the neiborhs.

Paid $229 and if you can find it for this price or lower you should defiantly pick one up.

Similar Products Used:

1st DVD player

This is my second DVD player.

I first bought a sony and after a day of playing movies decided to return it. It locked up on almost every one of the rented movies.

After that I researched the DVD player and decided to buy the Pioneer based upon reviews of the player and the price.

Though I could've bought it on-line for between $149.00-169.00 plus $22.00 shipping and handling, I decided the price at Best Buy was not too bad...because I could take it home same day and if it had a problem, return it quickly. That is also where I purchased the Sony.

Overall, I am happy with the player; but, I have noticed on serveral occasions that rented DVDs would cause problems to the player. For example, "Meet Joe Black" caused the player to completely locked-up. I had to power off and restart. Then it did the same thing at the same spot.

At this point, I wrote down the hang point of the movie, powered down and inspected the DVD for flaws and noticed some circular scratches on the movie side.

I then re-loaded the DVD and started play at a point just after the point where it locked up. It then played out the rest of the movie fine.

For movies that I have bought, the player is great!! It only seems to have problems with discs that are scratched. So I tend to be wary of rented DVDs and will only rent VERY recent releases.

I now wonder if that was the problem with the Sony?

But my research of DVDs showed that price had no effect on picture quality or most functionality.

The more expensive players had more editing features (most of which I did not need). Also, I wanted a player that did not do audio decoding. I believe that the DVD component is there to read the digital video and audio bitstream from the disc and send it to the appropriate output. It is the job of the AV Receiver to do the decoding.

Once you reach this conclusion, you will find that price really has little to do with the picture quality.

I am not a big fan of Pioneer; but, I have been very happy with the player.

I believe now that I may have paid about $20.00 too much for this player though.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 360

This is my second DVD player.

I first bought a sony and after a day of playing movies decided to return it. It locked up on almost every one of the rented movies.

After that I researched the DVD player and decided to buy the Pioneer based upon reviews of the player and the price.

Though I could've bought it on-line for between $149.00-169.00 plus $22.00 shipping and handling, I decided the price at Best Buy was not too bad...because I could take it home same day and if it had a problem, return it quickly. That is also where I purchased the Sony.

Overall, I am happy with the player; but, I have noticed on serveral occasions that rented DVDs would cause problems to the player. For example, "Meet Joe Black" caused the player to completely locked-up. I had to power off and restart. Then it did the same thing at the same spot.

At this point, I wrote down the hang point of the movie, powered down and inspected the DVD for flaws and noticed some circular scratches on the movie side.

I then re-loaded the DVD and started play at a point just after the point where it locked up. It then played out the rest of the movie fine.

For movies that I have bought, the player is great!! It only seems to have problems with discs that are scratched. So I tend to be wary of rented DVDs and will only rent VERY recent releases.

I now wonder if that was the problem with the Sony?

But my research of DVDs showed that price had no effect on picture quality or most functionality.

The more expensive players had more editing features (most of which I did not need). Also, I wanted a player that did not do audio decoding. I believe that the DVD component is there to read the digital video and audio bitstream from the disc and send it to the appropriate output. It is the job of the AV Receiver to do the decoding.

Once you reach this conclusion, you will find that price really has little to do with the picture quality.

I am not a big fan of Pioneer; but, I have been very happy with the player.

I believe now that I may have paid about $20.00 too much for this player though.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 360

Good picture,cheap.

Difficult to locate buttons on remote.

I got this player for $227/-. Its strong points are excellent picture and its ability to play all the DVDs I tried without freezing.Audio sounds fine while playing movies but on audio CDs sounds a little harsh when played through its analog outputs (using its internal DAC). I guess it should sound better when played through its digital outs on a reciever with good DACs. Remote is adequate but backlighting would have been good especially when watching movies with the lights turned low. Its appearance is unimposing but then hey you can't have it all for $227 !

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD1200, HK DVD5

Great sound Quality, good picture

Wish It had easier remote.
Zoom feature would be nice.

This is my first dvd player for the TV.
It was a little difficult to set up the functions.
The manual helped a lot. Still some things where trial and error. Still having trouble setting up memory features.
Running a Denon 1800 reciever and the sound on coaxial cable is great. Running S-video and clarity is good it allows you to set the tone of the movie video. Cinematic, animation, or normal. Plays all the movies that I have tryed plus all the features well.
Strong point is definitely the sound.

Similar Products Used:

PC Dvd

Remote could use backlighting.

Just got this player today. It was pretty lightweight, about 8 pounds. Easy setup if you really care to run through it, the defaults are what I used for the moment anyway. Ran 2001 and return to oz, both looked quite nice. I cranked my reciever for Also Sprach Zarathustra, and it was good. This is my first standalone DVD player, so I can't talk about much personal experience with many others. I have used a friend's sony, and the Pioneer loads and plays about 2x as fast. As someone else mentioned, there is some tray noise when loading, but it's unnoticable to me and my girlfriend while playing movies. I'll wait a couple of months and if anything changes write some more about it.
$219 + $19 shipping from some online store whose name I can't remember right now :)

Similar Products Used:

PC DVD

Price and picture quality

Remote and menu

I got this player over a week ago and I am very happy with it so far.I started out with the Sony DVP-S3000 and that was a fantastic DVD player.The only reason I bought another one is because I wanted DTS.The first player I bought to replace the Sony was the new Toshiba SD-2200.I had problems with it from the start.I kept getting loading errors with brand new DVD`s and it had a shimmering problem.I sent that back and ordered this new Pioneer.The picture quality is outstanding for a player this cheap and the audio is very good as well.I am not very impressed with the remote,but it is an improvement over the Toshiba`s.So far it has played everything I have thrown at it and the loading speed is great.I think this is the best DVD player for under $300.00.I highly recommend this player to anyone.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP-S3000 and Toshiba SD-2200

Simple to set up and use, Will play DTS and DD encoded discs.

none noted

I am very happy with this player. Picture quality is good and sound on movies and CD's is excellent. No start up/ operating noises have been noted thus far. ( Unlike the Toshiba )The disc tray seems a little cheesy, but I find it acceptable for a unit in this price range. I highly recommend an audition/purchase of this machine.
Toshiba 36 TV ( using S video input )
Technics processor
Sony preamp, Sony JB930 mini disc
EFE magic box
ATI 1506 amp
EFE front and center speakers
Infinity rears

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba 2109

Vibrant picture, booming sound, fast loading

no zoom,unimaginative design, not enough of the "extra's" that simimlarly priced players have

As a first time DVD player owner, let me say that the after 10 years of owning a 2-head, monoaural, no-name-brand VCR, this little player came as a godsend. The DVD format outclasses any other by far, technically and aesthetically. As I first took the 333 from the box I was surprised at how light and hollow it felt (maybe all that empty space in the casing is to prevent overheating). After the somewhat difficult setup I was ready to test out this baby. The 333 allows one to watch a movie in 3 modes, Cinema, Animation, and Standard, and I tested those modes on American Pie and Titanic. I didn't really notice a difference except that every thing looks darker in cinema mode, which may make dark scenes harder to make out. Overall, the picture was sharp and the colors were vibrant, even using the composite outputs. Hopefully, after upgrading my tv I will get to notice an even better picture with component video. I saw some artifacting in the background in American Pie, but that's pretty much the only visual blemish. As for the sound, I don't have a home theater setup, but nonetheless, the tv speakers were booming. I wish that Pioneer would have included Virtual Surround sound ( which is included in a higher end model). And a zoom feature,plus smoother scanning, would have made me happier. If I had money, I'd buy a 2nd dvd player w/ those extra features. But if you already have a home theater setup(with a widescreen tv) and need a DVD player, enjoy the Pioneer dv333. But if you are equipped only with a 25" 10-year-old tv, try looking first for a player with a zoom feature and virtual surround sound.

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Panasonic RV-30

Super sharp picture on my Sony 32"!! Great sound!!

Only minor ones. So light it seems cheap. Display does not dim, limited special features.

My first comment is that Costco is a great place to buy electronics. They will accept returns for products that break, or otherwise are undesirable from many years ago without receipts. If they EVER sold the item, and find it in the computer, they will refund your cash!

Now about the unit. I first purchased the RCA 5 disc changer from Costco to replace my Sharp DV-650U because it constantly froze on movies. I loved all the features on the RCA but after watching The Matrix I was very concerned that the image was not even as sharp as my old SHARP. I returned to Costco to purchase the Pioneer DV-333 based largely on the reviews from this site, and the fact that it was $50 less. As it turns out I connected both units to my TV and used an S-Video switcher. I had two copies of 101 Dalmations and cued them in to sinc. The picture on the DV-333 was MUCH SHARPER, and clearer. I tried various adjustments on the RCA but could not improve the picture. The Pioneer DV-333 is a much simpler unit with less "features" but honestly, all I want to do is watch movies with the best sound and picture. This Pioneer does a GREAT job.

Similar Products Used:

Sharp DV-650U
RCA 5 disc changer RC5910P