has one of the best pictures i have ever seen but overall i would truly say it worth every bit of your money get it at bestbuy it is the deal around enjoy it

the remote is hard to use

it is a pioneer 525 model

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sony s 330

Dual laser pickup (plays CDRs). Cheap for features.

Remote. Noisy Drive.

Got this as my first DVD after reading all the reviews here and elsewhere. It does look plain and cheap, but for the price, I couldn't have asked for much.

Haven't had any problems with any DVD's so far, but then again I haven't bought too many though. The remote is really poorly designed though and it is a bit noisy, but it doesn't bother me.

Overall it's a great bargain.

No problems with using this product. Excellent picture quality, variety of video/audio output connections, and great value.

Remote control: chicklet buttons. Takes awhile to get familiar with the control buttons.

After looking at several brands/models, I decided on the DV-525. The audio/video connections was a plus in the decision. I'm very happy with this player and haven't had any problems using it (GUI and manual easy to use/read).

Have watched Matrix, Seven Years in Tibet, Entrapment, The Haunting, Titantic, Saving Private Ryan, and Gone with the Wind. Watching the movies on this unit has been awesome.

An impressive unit. I have recommended this to family members and friends.

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First DVD player

CD-RWs, CD-Rs, CD, DVD, VCD formats

None for the price, mister.

I wrote a review here about 6 weeks ago saying how much I like the 525. It is still working great with no lip-synch problems or other difficulties.

The reason I had to write another review is: I just realized it plays CD-RW discs! Maybe I should have known this before, but... I didn't. Now it's a brand-new toy. I can make and re-make "mix" CDs. Try that with your Sony!!

The discs are Memorex CD-RW and the whole setup goes into a Pioneer 498 receiver with JBL speakers. Yes it sounds a little better than CD-RWs played on the PC.

Most of these reviewers forgot that it is important that they state the display unit (brand & screen size) that is being used in their reviews on top of the sound equipment used. It is obvious that on small tv such as 32" or smaller, the picture quality can seems to appear good which is not entirely accurate to judge DVD's player ability to display video. Try watching it on a large rear projection tv (50" or larger), you will notice a significant picture quality difference. I don't know about others but I am sure most people don't care what discount they get in buying the product. Cut throught the chase and get to the point.

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PIONEER DVL 09

Great picture and sound

None

I had a hell of a time hooking this thing up to my old RCA television. I did not realize that the RCA tv's had to be set to channel 91 in order for the dvd signal to be displayed. Once I got it up and running I was amazed at the picture quality and sound. (Receiver is a Yamaha 795a).

The first CD I purchased and played was the Matrix which played perfectly.

However I have noticed some problems recently.

1. Saving Private Ryan first started slowing down and then eventually freezing at a certain point in the film causing me to jump a chapter ahead at which point it played flawlessly.
2. Blue Streak's extra material (music videos) would either start and then the picture became pixelized and freeze or not load at all.
3. Tarzan (Disney) Would play great until there was a scene with quick moving action at which point the picture would become pixelized, move frame by frame until eventually freezing altogether. I also noticed that the selected sound field on my receiver also started jumping to different settings while this was happening.
4. I have had the same problem with one more dvd but I cannot remember which title it was.

For the most part everything has played quite well and if problems do crop up they seem to be in the extra features. I don't know if the above problems had to do with the dvd's themselves or the player as I have rented many other dvds which have played cleanly.

I am getting paranoid enough now that I am considering returning it before the exchange period expires and getting the Toshiba 2109. Maybe I will take the Tarzan DVD with my and see how the Toshiba fares playing it and make my choice based on that.

Overall an excellent player for the price with amazing picture quality and sound. I would suggest renting some dvds such as the ones I mentioned and taking them with you to the store and testing them out before making your choice.

Have an awesome day.

D.

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None

Pioneer audio/video quality; versatility; relative cost;
multitude of features

Lack of some features:
video black expansion; zoom; multi-speed scan;
second audio RCA output; universal remote; headphone out;
karaoke

I don't think it's fair to compare this unit with my Toshiba SD-3107 'cause the Toshiba, although it's a generation or two older, is almost a reference model (like the Sony S7000).
This explains the features I placed in the "Weaknesses" box.

All in all this is a great player, and would recommend it to everybody. I got it from Best Buy for $229 + tax, and it comes with 6 free DVD's.

I would like to commend the following features:
- capability of playing CD-R's and VCD's
- ability to access setup during playback
- 3 picture modes (standard, animation, cinema)
- dynamic bit rate display
- audio/video outputs
- Dynamic range adjustment

I am the the type who reads the manual cover to cover and test all the features. I tend to overtest the specs, believe me it's usually too thorough for my own good.
I tested this player inside and out, and I only have one major complaint:

In a blank (blue) on screen displays (colored white) have a shadow that may be part of the desing or maybe it's because of my Sony Trinitron. But i can live with this as video playback is excellent!

Try at least an S-video or better component (if your TV has the connections). This is the best buy for your money. I was a little iffy on the other brands that are not known yet (Konka, Apex, etc), which costs just about $30 less than this model.

The sound reproduction (using the optical out) is excellent.

This rates a 5 for me!

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Toshiba SD-3107

Price and Features

Spinning Noise

I really liked the picture quality of this player. And before buying I also checked this site for reviews. I thought I could bare the noise problem that some people post here, but unfortunately after 4 weeks (and 8 movies later) I had to return the player. The spinning noise was quite irritating, even after closing the door of my entertainment unit, I could still here the high pitch spinning noise coming from the player.

Componet out, S-Video out, DTS, Dolby Digital

Noisy

This player has all of the bells and whisltes for such a low price. I got it for $212 at Sears. The only real complaint I have is that the disk spinning is noisy. I have it enclosed in my TV cabinet, so it really isn't noticeable. The picture is great and the audio is excellent going through my Pioneer Elite VSX-24TX. So far it has been a great purchase for me.

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None

Great picture

Noise when playing DVDs

I bought this DVD player after reading the great reviews written here. Unfortunately I seem to be one of the few people that had problems with "noise" while playing movies. I could really only hear the disc spinning (motor running?) during very quiet moments but it was annoying enough for me to try another machine. I picked up a Toshiba 3109 for $220 at Ubid (great price but they make a killing on shipping... about $26.00 OW!). Even after placing my ear up to the Toshiba I could not hear anything. If the minor noise doesn't bother you, the Pioneer is a great machine.

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Toshiba 3109