Great Crisp Picture, Good Sound Separation, reasonably sized package.

Not very many features.

I Originally purchased the RCA RC5910P 5 disc changer to replace my Sharp 650U that constantly froze on playback of many different movies. After seeing the image produced from the RCA I was not very satisfied. I used the recommendations on this site to purchase another player (the Pioneer 333) I compared the RCA side by side with the Pioneer 333 and there is a GREAT difference in picure quality. The Pioneer is MUCH clearer and sharper. I had to change the Pioneer DVD setting from "Cinema" to "Standard" to get the ver best picture. There is a "softening" effect with "Cinema" that I found undesireable. I am using an S-video connection to my Sony 32" set. So far I am VERY impressed with this Pioneer player.

Similar Products Used:

Sharp DV-650U
RCA RC5910P 5 disc changer

Great Crisp Picture, Good Sound Separation, reasonably sized package.

Not very many features.

I Originally purchased the RCA RC5910P 5 disc changer to replace my Sharp 650U that constantly froze on playback of many different movies. After seeing the image produced from the RCA I was not very satisfied. I used the recommendations on this site to purchase another player (the Pioneer 333) I compared the RCA side by side with the Pioneer 333 and there is a GREAT difference in picure quality. The Pioneer is MUCH clearer and sharper. I had to change the Pioneer DVD setting from "Cinema" to "Standard" to get the ver best picture. There is a "softening" effect with "Cinema" that I found undesireable. I am using an S-video connection to my Sony 32" set. So far I am VERY impressed with this Pioneer player.

Similar Products Used:

Sharp DV-650U
RCA RC5910P 5 disc changer

Plays CDRs

Can't figure out how to make widescreen movies to occupy the whole screen..

Hi,

I am newbie to home theater. I purchased my components based on reviews on this site. I got: Sony 36XBR250, Energy Encore Speakers and DV-333 DVD Pioneer player.

I was looking for DVD player that could play CDRs and Pioneer was the only one I could find.

Can anyone recommend me, how to set up DV333/XBR250 to show widescreen movies in full screen? A friend of mine mentioned that he used zoom in feature for this (he has a different components). Is this possible at all?

Thanks,
Mark.

Similar Products Used:

None.

Excellent performance per price ratio!Superb DACS.

Plain looking...but heck,it has a simple audiophile ellegance

For the last few months I had wanted to upgrade to a more expensive DVD player..I had been happy with my Toshiba,but it had a few quirks that annoyed me..I was actually prepared to spend as much as 1000 dollars since I had just recently upgraded my home theater system with high-end components...Well....after reading many home theater magazine reviews,I determined that the Pioneer was the way to go...Though inexpensive by audiophile standards this unit does not skimp on performance..I dont need built in DTS or DD decoders since my reciever has top notch chips..Also,this takes some cost out of the unit..SECONDLY,Pioneer players pass TRUE 24/96 digital signals through there digital outputs...VERY FEW players in any price range offer this!!.If your reciever has good 24/96 DACS be prepared to hear great things!!There are CDs available that are recorded in 24/96 and these give us a hint of 24/194 DVD-audio to come....I use a DVD player for movies only,(though will use this to play my dozen 24/96 CDs),because of this a single tray unit is fine..Also,I feel that multi tray players compromise sound in the mechanical department..You dont get alot of cost adding extras with this Pioneer,but seriously how many of us audiophiles would ever use picture degrading zoom,or other gimicky features?!I have over 200 DVDs and I can tell you that I insert disk,push play and watch...If you have a DTS/DD reciever and a good quality TV 32inch or better,with component inputs,you need spend not a dime more then the average price for this unit!!.If you have a projection TV you might want to consider Pioneers Progressive-scan capable model.Of course this feature does cost several hundred dollars more...

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Toshiba SD-3109

Will play all available formats, with uncompromised video and audio quality and a full set of features

extremly small remote control. You will loose it unless you tie it around your neck

CD-R/RW compatibility. Every DVD video player also plays CD's, but not all kinds of CD's. Only a few can also play CD-Recordable (CD-R) discs. This 333 will indeed play CD-R's with using twin wavelength lasers. One reads DVD material while the other laser reads CD. 96/24 compatibility. When people think of DVD, they rightly think of its awesome picture quality. But DVD also offers awesome sound quality, which this 333 player also has. In particular, it accomodates stereo sound sampled at 96kHz and with a resolution of 24 bits- far above the CD standard in terms of frequency response and dynamic range. I also need to point out this player does not come with an onboard decoder of any kind. You will need a receiver or another source to decode and appreciate it's ability for movies. Other features include: Optical/digital output, componet video out, 4 slow forward speeds. In my experiance thus far, I truly feel that the 333 is the best DVD player money can buy at this level in a player. "See you at the movies." Best regards to all.

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first DVD player

very quick loading,playing. Some nice useful features. CD-r's is a plus. Doesn't look too cheap.

Looks a bit cheap. Ya i know what i said. Very light unsure of build quality but hey its 200 bucks. REmote is tiny not lighted. Menus are cheap looking. No 3d sound but hey not big deal.

OK so i was doing my research and this is the best for the money. Ok fine it doesnt play mp3s but thats tacky is sounds like sh*t on the apex which is a piece or crap too. Its horrible built quality and it has mucho problems (read the reviews). I picked this over the more expensive sony and toshiba units cause one this plays cd-rs which is very useful. For music and all my illegal movies that i download such as vcds is great.
Remote is very small but its practical. neat option is where u press a memory key and when u take that dvd out and play other ones.. then come back to it - hit recall or something then it will start right to it bypassing warning and into material. SO far so good - the quality is just as good or close to my toshiba. Its hard to tell really then again most of u who are looking at this will be using cheap composite video so forget about video quality u already have it bad enough! haha well im gonna have to go that route cause i cant bring the 56er big screen(svideo) to college! so im ghetto too.. goddammit no receiver either.. even more bootleg ill be using - dare i say it! stereo ?????

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Toshiba 3108, Toshiba 2200, SOny 7700

Price, excellent picture/sound quality, outputs, overall quality/finish, fast loading-time!!, 24/96 D/A, CD-R/CD-RW capability.

Noisy loading tray (only when loading), weight (feels a bit "cheap")

Hi!
The Pioneer DV-333 is promoted as the new version of the Pioneer DV-525. It has several new features, and I believe that the fast loading time is a major one. This is a very nice improvement. I was initially amazed by the step up in picture quality that I took by throwing my old DVD-player out and replacing it with the new Pioneer. The picture is sharp and defined but still gentle to the eye. The colours are great and I have not experienced any sync-problems. I saw "Fight Club" yesterday and used the THX calibrating feature that came with the disc. This is a great feature which I urge you all to use. The image is now optimized and I won't have to worry about preferences again.

There is not much to say about the audio-quality. My speaker upgrade has shown that the limitations have now come down to the mastering/original recording of the CD. The Pioneer does its job very well and there is no need to bother about the audio-quality. I have not had the opportunity to evaluate the 24 Bit/96Khz output, since my receiver does not support that... I would most certainly expect an even higher sound quality if one would take advantage of the 24/96 feature.

Í have not yet found any major flaws in this player. One would expect the player to be a couple of pounds heavier, but when it's placed in the rack, no one can tell :-) A zoom-feature might have been nice, but if you don't have it, you don't really "need" it. ;-) It has the basic features and a really great audio/video quality, considering the price. I have had some problems with DTS-movies,("drop-outs"), but I believe it has to do with the discs. The price tag in Sweden, (I.C.O.S- modified, regionblock-free etc.) is about $450-500. That is a very reasonable price here, although US residents may think it's overpriced...

If you consider a DVD-player in this price-range, there is not much to think about. It gives you great value for your money without compromizes in quality. I am very satisfied and will probably not replace this player until the DVD-R "breakthrough".

My current Home Theatre setup:

Sony 29" Triniton TV
Pioneer VSX-808RDS Receiver
Pioneer DV-333 DVD-Player
Infinity Reference Series MkII Speakers (Front, Center and Rear)
All cables from Acoustic Line

Kindest regards, Magnus Persson, Halmstad, Sweden

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KiSS 1502 (Crap!)

Picture, audio, set-up, features

No zoom

Picture quality and audio are great, and I've seen a lot of units. My Marantz 7000 ($800) isn't any better. I use the S-video connection through an NAD T770 receiver to a Panasonic Superflat 27". A great setup.The Pioneer dv333, for the money can't be beat!!! The setup features are excellent. The different video modes are actually brightness control, with Animated being the brightest, and Cinema the darkest. Audio setups allow you to select Mpeg 96k out- no other unit I've ever tested did!! Audio level and separation are among the best. The error correction circuitry works like magic. TIP: If you rent dvds, I recommend an inspection of the disk before playing it. If it soiled, simply wash it with warm water and a mild detergent. However, be VERY carefull when drying it off!!! Only use VERY gentle pressure, if any, and an Ultra soft towel..Paper towels WILL scratch the disk!! Cleaning the disk may solve some of the many "drop out" problems people have with these things.
This unit has a feature I love. That is you can access the setup menus WITHOUT stopping the video first. Every other unit I've ever tested requires you to stop the disk first to get to the setup. This can be very annoying when you are trying to select the proper brightness level.
Pioneer has done their homework on this unit. What you get for your money is fantastic. An excellent buy !!!
When I get my Marantz back from repair (It has terrible error correction on both dvds and cds and can't read cd-rs) I'm going to try and get a credit for my $800 toward an Anthem 5 channel amp.
To summarize, I highly recommend this player to anyone wanting the most bang for the buck in video performance. It beats more expensive units hands down.

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Marantz dv7000,sony,samsung,Technics,NAD 5500,Panasonic

provides great color/audio, simple to use and setup.

noisy while being played

The Dv-333 is a great entry level dvd player. it provides outstanding picture and audio quality and has so far had NO problems playing such movies as: Detroit Rock City, Boogie Nights and Jimi Hendrix live at Woodstock. I still use my pioneer laserdisc player from 1990 which operates flawlessly to this day and i expect this dvd player to last as long as well. I would complain that it seems too lightweight but relatively its online with everything else out there outside of units costing much much more. The only complaints i have are visual. first the Pioneer tag on the left corner of the unit seems extremely cheesy and i'd really just prefer a designation like the one Yamaha uses for their products, second the color and style of the LED is a bit gay but all in all for the money, convenience and picture/audio you'll get its well worth the low cost. one last thing, Pioneer is one of the few or maybe the only at this pricepoint that has a 1 year parts and labor warranty..something to consider.

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sony-panasonic-jvc-

picture quality

scarce on features

My Toshiba broke so I decided to try the Pioneer. I believe the Toshiba had better extras such as a dimmer control and better scan. The Pioneer in my opinion has a better picture and sound. I have had zero glitches after about 20hrs of playing time. So far I love this machine. Highly recomended for the price.

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toshiba sd1200