Audio, video, and build quality.

No zoom feature, fast forward is limited to 3 settings and is not smooth.

This is my second review of this product. You can read my first review as it is still listed. It is now 03/04 and I have had the unit for several years. I have gone through an immense amount of pain with this unit, but like a man fully recovered from a car accident, the sun is shining again. I just recently got the unit back from Harman Specialty Group as Madrigal is no more. The unit works flawlessly now and what a joy! It has the best audio and video of any CD or DVD player I have tried. My unit has the PVP progressive scan card in it and it is connected to a Panasonic Tau HDTV that was calibrated. All I can say is that the picture looks fantastic and the audio is magnificent. The fact that I don't have SACD or DVD Audio capability is fine with me. The PMDT is linked to the AVP2 and they are a pair of performers. I have yet to hear SACD or DVD Audio that impresses me more than listening to a well recorded CD on my system with Revel Performa speakers. These Proceed products are discontinued so you should be able to get a very good deal on them if interested.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba, Marantz and Harman Kardon DVD players.

Standard setting Video & Audio. Exceptional build quality.

Annoying disc read, and disc tray errors caused by operating software.

I have owned the Proceed PMDT since December 2002, and I use the latest version 3 software. I purchased the PVP Progressive scan card option 30 days later. I also own the Pioneer Elite DV-09 (since dec 1999), using Modwright's transport ,cd/dvd player, and bybee filter modifications. I own over 600 dvd titles, and have put them all through both units. I am also a member of netflix.com and have put another 150 of their rental dvd discs through th PMDT. Only a very recent dvd title (steven speilberg's "Taken") completely refused to play in the PMDT. A few others have pixilated and either stopped, or continued to play. This is very annoying however, it has also happened with my pioneer elite, and with a 1st generation toshiba I had 1997 - 1999. Using the latest software the PMDT is very reliable however, not as reliable in reading disks as even a mid-fi unit. The sound & video quality is in a category of their own. Whether the standard setting video & audio is worth putting up with the mediocre disc reads is a personal choice. My choice was to keep my Pioneer Elite as a back-up in case the PMDT failed to read a disk. I had to use the pioneer only once to view "Taken"! After using all the above units, I rate them as follows: Reliability in reading disks - 1) Pioneer Elite DV-09 2) Proceed PMDT 3) Toshiba Picture quality - 1) Proceed PMDT / by even wider margin with the PVP 2) Pioneer Elite DV-09 3) Toshiba Sound quality - 1) Proceed PMDT 2) Pioneer Elite DV-09 3) Toshiba Build quality - 1) Proceed PMDT 2) Pioneer Elite DV-09 3) Toshiba My equipment: Proceed PMDT Modwright Pioneer Elite DV-09 Proceed HPA3 L,C,R Proceed BPA2 Rear L,R B&W Signature 805 L&R Front HTM Signature Center M&K ss150 Rear L,R

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite AX-10, DV-09, 1st generation Toshiba.

Looks pretty sitting in my A/V cabinet with other high priced/over-engineered equipment.

Nothing more embarassing than having a room full of guests and not being able to get the unit to read a DVD..

I have owned the Proceed PMDT for the past year and a half, and have had a love-hate relationship with the unit from day one. It is one of the most beautiful looking and well-built DVD players on the market. However, as those who wrote before me, I have been plagued with "software issues" from day one, despite having the latest (12/02) upgrade offered by Madrigal. Basically, the unit will not a) recognize that a DVD or CD is in the tray, and/or b) will lock up and fail to open the disc drawer. As the salesman who sold it to me admitted, "It's a great unit when it works". And this is what you get for a retail price of $6,000.00. Shame on Madrigal for releasing such an unreliable product. The unit will be discontinued with elimination of the Proceed line. Someone make me an offer. 

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The only DVD player I've owned.a

- Strong and solid unit. - heavy-duty aluminum drawer is so strong you could sit on it. - Amazing software and setup options - Very user-friendly interface (remote, front-panel and on-screen) - Will go through most DVD layer switches without any pause. - software and hardware upgradable.

- a bit slow at startup (but still better than pre-V3) - does not (yet) read DVD-Audio.

Forget everything you've read about the PMDT so far. I've had a PMDT since December 2001, and I've seen some of the problems it had. They were all software problems. Version 3.0 of the PMDT software is out. You should not judge the PMDT without V3. I am running V3 since Jan 2003 now, and it works so flawlessly that you can now concentrate really on the movie and music without fearing that the image will break up or something. The different setups you can do with the software is so amazing you'll think other DVD players just have prehistoric software. There is nothing bad I can say about the image quality or the sound. Just be assured that you'll get the greatest and finest picture you can get with DVD. Of course, it's not a DVD for everybody considering its price. It's not the DVD player you'll connect to your 21 inches TV. If you're looking for the best or searching for this nifty little feature the PMDT has and the others do not, go ahead: go to your nearest dealer and have a look and listen to it for some time. It's really worth it in a home theater environment

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD-3107 Toshiba SD-3108 Sony DVP-7700S Apex 1100 (!)

Superb build quality, relative ease of use, excellent audio-visual capabilities.

None so far. However, cutting all power to the PMDT when in standby mode usually requires a total power down procedure to re-boot it afterwards (remove mains lead and count to ten before reconnecting). I'm told this is a standard safety device on some high end players to protect power sensitive circuits.

So far so good. I needed a combined cd/dvd in one box to save space. I have the PMDT rack mounted and it works superbly alongside JBL's amazing Synthesis Two 7.1 Theatre System and Seleco's 900 data projector. Picture and sound quality are both excellent. The problems outlined in previous reviews are mainly software orientated and regular upgrades to the latest versions should resolve them. The PMDT is certainly not very forgiving when playing any disc of dubious or poor quality. Even the slightest hint of dust will generate the 'unrecognised disc' message. Normally a quick wipe or blow with an air brush remedies the problem. Although I am a new owner of the PMDT (less than 6 months) I have fully researched its strengths and weaknesses. Clearly at this end of the market there should be no weaknesses at all but I remain convinced that this is one of the top ten machines currently available. Where this machine falls within the top ten is totally subjective and depends hugely on the equipment used with it. Yes there are cheaper machines that do SOME of the jobs better. However, none of them, in my opinion, demonstrate the precision, flair and dynamic range of the PMDT. At this end of the market the law of diminishing returns plays a huge role. However, if you want superb audio-visual quality and are prepared to shell out for it there are few one-box players capable of coming close!

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None at this price level.

I am still looking

1200 characters is not enough

I have had the pmdt for over two years,and it seems like ten.It has been back to the uk main dealer Path uk.FIVE TIMES.I have asked for my money back but the guys at proceed have gone deaf.I AM OFFERING IT FOR SALE

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I do not think anyone else has the cheek to charge this kind of money for this level of product

Works well with other Proceed components

Expensive Does not play many DVDs

I agree with most of the reviews presented. The PMDT works well with the AVP and has fine performance, but it doesn't work with many DVDs, even with the latest software.

Pretty to look at

Software lockups, drawer lockups, noisy, expensive

This is the one product that I suffer the most buyers remourse. I got this last year during a sale at Definitive Audio(Bellvue). I thought that I was getting the best of all worlds(good DVD, CD and modular upgradable design), but I was wrong. Silly me, I got suckered into the sales pitch. I used to travel quite a bit for work, so I only could listen to it for 5 days during the first two months that I had it. Once I had a chance to really listen and view it, I realized that I made a big mistake.

There were software issues which caues that player to choke on many DVDs. In my opinion, the software issues are caused by Proceed not testing their code and also by not following DVD encoding standards. Everytime there is a change in DVD encoding(e.g. Region 1 encoding for the Patriot), Proceed has to come up with software fixes. Unfortunately, this usually takes several months and the end user needs to track the Madrigal website or bug the dealer to find out when the software is out.

Lately I have also been having issues with the drawer locking up. The drawer opens up about 3/4, stops, trys to open a little more and then closes. This happens on an infrequent basis, but it happens enough to make me wonder what other hardware issues will I run into. Lucky for me, it has a 5 year warrenty, but I am still stuck with an albatross.

The picture quality is good, but at this price point and with with the rapid changes in technology, there are better ways to spend your money.

As for the sound, it is good, but not great. For a machine that is supposed to sound very good, it is better than a majority of inexpensive machines. There are better sounding machines for under $2,000, which is probably a better use of hard earned cash.

For the money, I suggest that you stay away from this machine and invest in either an Ayre DVD/CD player or get a great CD(e.g. Linn Genki) and a good DVD player.
Also to get the Proceed Progressive Video Processor(modular upgrade), you will have to shell out another $1500. I hate to see what Proceed will continue to charge for upgrades to DVD-Audio or any other technology changes.

Very detail in presenting the music, it seems that PMDT can remove all RF signal so then the sound, vocal sound so correct and clear

Too expensive

This transport is very very impresive. The sound reproduction is very very detail, crispy and smooth, without the distraction of the RF noise. I compare to Sony 7700, they were so different....zzzzz, PMDT sound very superior. However, the price tag of US$4995,..hmmm, quite expensive. That is why I can't give full rating for the value, coz..the price is big big....huge higer than SONY 7700

Similar Products Used:

Marantz THX Ultra, Sony 7700

Reference quality digital transport

Features

The first thing to realize about the PMDT is that it is first and foremost a high end CD transport. With that in mind you can understand the price. Just look at what Accuphase charges for their transports! Having said that how does it perform? Let me tell you about some tests I conducted with the PMDT before deciding to buy it. Test #1:
The PMDT and AVP vs high end Wadia CD player and a high end preamp, both configurations using a Brystron amp and Aerial Acoustics speakers. The cost of the PMDT and the AVP equaled within $1000 the cost of the Wadia and the preamp. I found the sound quality to be identical for both systems. Test #2: I compared the PMDT to my Rotel RDD 980 CD transport, the PMDT was noticeably better. Test#3: I compared the PMDT to my Toshiba 9000, the PMDT had better sound and video quality to the 9000. Let me say that both the Rotel and the Toshiba are very fine components; I still use the Rotel for CDRs, I traded in the 9000 for the PMDT.
Test#4: Here is the real kicker! At a Tweeter store they had in the same room, the new Sony DSD player and the PMDT, both connected to an AVP and Proceed amp (HPA2) and to Vienna Acoustics speakers ($5000). I had with me a remastered CD that Tweeter also had as a DSD disk so I was able to compare the Sony player playing the DSD disk against the PMDT playing the CD. The Sony DSD was just slightly better than the PMDT playing the CD. I then played the CD in the Sony player and used the Sony as a player and also as a transport; the PMDT was better in both cases. The PMDT also has excellent ergonomics and a great remote (Theater Master nonprogrammable).

On the minus side the PMDT has some poor features compared to the Toshiba 9000. The Toshiba 9000 has an excellent zoom mode that works great if you're watching a widescreen DVD on a 4:3 television. The PMDT has a terrible zoom mode. The 9000 has excellent fast forward modes, the PMDT doesn't, and the 9000 gives an excellent status report when queried. The 9000 did have some problems reading some disks and had a very poor drawer. As I have already said the PMDT has superior audio and video which is what the PMDT is all about.

In addition, if you have the AVP, the PMDT is a very handsome mate and the two make an attractive couple!

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Toshiba DVD-9000