Rating: 
Summary: Purchase delayed due to research, well worth the wait!
Review: After about two months of reading reviews and asking questions, I had it narrowed down to the DV525 and Toshiba's SD1200. Both were on sale last weekend. The latest issue of Home Theater magazine has a good article on the Pioneer, but was still worried about the dark picture I was reading about, also the artifacts on the Toshiba display. I wrote to the author of the review; he was kind enough to respond and reiterate his thoughts on the Pioneer being a worthy DVD player. He then pointed me to the technical editor of the magazine who had more hands on time with both players. The T.E. also responded (same day!)with what finally swayed me; Both are excellent players, but if it were him purchasing, would take the Pioneer for a 4:3 display, and the Toshiba on a 16:9 display. Sold to the man with the 4:3 set. Took about 10 minutes to connect and setup. 30 minutes to calibrate picture (I'm picky and want a clear, sharp display). Started the first movie (Godzilla 98) and could not stop grinning. Excellent picture, great sound even from Pro-Logic receiver. Heard no transport noise at "low theater" volume. No problems with The Matrix. Why only four stars? Nothing is perfect, but I haven't found anything wrong. Excellent player!
Rating:
Summary: Great Player on par with higher priced products
Review: After having owned this DVD player for about a month...I feel that I have made a great choice.. This player comes with s-Video and RCA outputs.. as well as Component video outputs.. something you don't see on less expensive players. This player also has a optical digital out for connecting to a digital 5.1 reciever (yes.. you will need a full reciever, not just a 'ready' one).I find that the picture quality is superb, even using my yellow rca vidoe out on an old sharp 25" tv... all the way up to a Proscan 32" tv. Hookup is easy with NO hassles. Sound is excellent when simply hooked up to your tv.. but you will need a decent reciever to hear the 5.1 or DTS audio.. Remember.. the sound is only as good as the speakers / system you hook it up to... most small built in tv speakers just don't do DVD justice.
Rating: 
Summary: Pioneer...THE NAME SAYS IT ALL!
Review: After having owned this DVD player for about a now for 3 1/2 years ...I feel that I made a great choice. (Replaced by the 333 and then improved again with the 434 Progressive Scan model in 2002.) I had been thinking about getting the Pioneer DVL-888. THE reason...Well it was not only a DVD player, but it plays Laser Discs, (Pioneer WAS the Major Player in developing this format!), CD-Video's, and KAROKE DISCS! They are really only the ones to get this type from! (It has a competition mode in it for Karoke: total up the scores of players, and a lot of other neat stuff, like mic imputs and on-screen scoring, etc.) Well, the old cash on hand was practically bare'n, so I said let's go for it and get the 525! I bought it and got "PATTON", Windham Hill: "WINTER SOLTICE ON ICE" (GREAT MULTI-VIEW DVD)and "Mannheim Steamroller LIVE CHRISTMAS CONCERT" (has discription of the songs and the players as an optional feature). Since then "WALKING WITH DINOSAURS (Excellent 3 HOURS with an added 29 minutes of how-did-they-do-it scenes you can option to play at the same time as the whole program! NEAT!) This player comes with S-Video and component RCA outputs, as well as component video outputs. (NO RF or Cable outs, why would you? YUCK!) Component video is something you usually see on expensive players. This player also has two ways to hookup for the audio DIGITAL SIGNAL: 1 each of optical and coaxal (RCA JACK). YES, you should get a DOLBY DIGITAL RECEIVER not just a 'READY' one or a SURROUND SOUND ONLY. It is the only player to have a 15 memory position in it to remember how you like your DVD to play everytime! Can't get that on your bargin basement players or even some of the so called great players! Hookup was easy. With my multi-control link to my Pioneer receiver I have TWO controls to operate my DVD. I didn't have any problems accept staying awake to play with the "New Toy" I had a few problems understanding the directions and finding things like the digital rate info., BUT WOW what a picture on my 14 year old 25" SONY XBR and my Sheffield CD's NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD. (Direct to vinyl record Co. and for-runner of the BEST recording techniques in the business, does DOUG SAX ring a bell?) ALL my CD's sound much better than my 10 year old cd changer with then the latest 1 bit chip. I'm hooked up to Pioneer VSX-D606S Receiver, THE FIRST DIGITAL RECEIVER ON THE MARKET!, and a complement of JBL SPEAKERS, the mains are RS-52 2 way's 6 1/2" that will take all 105 RMS WATTS PER CHANNEL (4x125 Music Pwr=500 Watts) that the receiver puts out in Dolby DIGITAL SURROUND! The Sub-Woofer is Line Powered. Remember, the sound you get is only as good as the system you've put together! If you've got crappy speakers you'll get crappy sound! I'M GLAD, I'VE GOT A REAL GOOD PLAYER FOR THE MONEY. I've heard nothing but bad reviews for the Toshiba's and "too expensive" for the Sony's, even tho the Sony's are good players. GET one, you'll enjoy it better than buying a "bargin one" at TARGET or K-mart. I'm an ex-stereo salesman and it took me a LONG time to decided. Once I saw the new 525 in action, it didn't take any longer, just the amount of time to get out my credit card! Check out the NEW COMBINATION UNITS> DVD's with Speakers and Amplifiers included! Good values now starting at $[...], what used to be the SALE PRICE THIS DVD 525, I still OWN! See the PIONEER's, THE SONY's, THE PANASONICS', and the more expensive, KENWOOD'S, ONKYO'S, and DENON's for more combos!
(Updated Aug. 11, 2003)
Rating:
Summary: Smartest Choice
Review: After years of messing around with home audio I finally decided to go the DVD way. I bought the DV-525 because of all the great reviews I read about, I took it home and hooked it up and was literally amazed. I could not believe the picture quality. I thought that the picture I got with normal cable was the best my Panasonic 20 incher would show, but now I feel like I'm at the movies. Hook-up to my Dolby Digi Reciever was easy and I was watching with full Digital surround in minutes. About the remote it really angers me how everyone complains that its too small, I have 9 A/V components, I use ONE remote like all the rest of you SHOULD. The Pioneer remote is just for when the batteries on your universal die, GROW UP..
Rating:
Summary: Not Perfect.... But Close Enough
Review: Although the complaints about this player are true, that should not stop you from buying this machine. I investigated, read over 500 reviews, and asked around. I heard about the pros and cons of this particular player and decided to buy it. I am very pleased with the results. PROS- Great picture, Great sound, Dolby Digital ready, Plays damaged discs with ease, and Overall a great player. CONS- (these are really picky) Drawer a little noisy when opened and closed, Dialouge not as loud as music or sound FX, and Remote buttons a little small and not backlit. The pros far outwiegh the cons in my opinion. If you are looking for a DVD player that is easy on the wallet, look no further than the Pioneer DV-525.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent player!
Review: Being fairly critical of electronics, I did go and look this gift horse in mouth. Results: I am so COMPLETELY pleased with this player, both from my experience and what I've found by post-mortem research of the competition! Especially nice: the "resume" feature that mimics the handling of a VHS tape: you can press STOP, power it off, and then come back and pick up where you left off automatically. One MINOR drawback is Pioneer's obsession with tiny remote control buttons which are a bit hard to find and use in the dark. But, I was able to compensate fine by using my All-in-One universal remote, which was the plan anyway. One feature that would have been nice: a pass-through S-Video that toggles between the player or a line-in; I had to buy a selector A-B-C-D switch since my TV only has one S-video input. No other wishes or complaints. Picture and sound on any movie (esp. "Matrix") are rock steady and look and sound fantastic!
Rating: 
Summary: Pioneer DV-525
Review: DVD is hot. And Pioneer's DV-525 player is a popular choice...With good reasons...It has a Resume Function that lets you stop a movie and then resume playback where you left off. You also have a Component Video Output that brings you enhanced picture quality on component-compatible TVs. An auto-gain level adjustment cuts the disc-jitters. And its got a good memory -- recalls set-up conditions language, subtitle, aspect ratio and mode for up to 15 discs. Below are some features that might help. DVD Player Type - Single DVD Player Built-In Digital Decoder - No DTS Compatible - Yes Simulated Surround Sound - Yes Video D/A Conversion - 10 bit Audio D/A Converter - 96kHz Sampling Frequency, 24 bit Resolution Video CD Compatible - Yes DVD Audio Capability - Yes Headphone Input - No Remote Control - Standard Component-Video Outs - 1 Composite-Video Outs - 1 Coaxial Digital Outs - 1 Optical Digital Out - 1 S-Video Outs -1 Karaoke Controls - No Multilingual Display - Yes On/Off Display - Yes Warranty-Parts (years) - 1 Warranty-Labor (years) -1 The DV-525 Is A Good Choice For A 1st Player...With The Standard Features And Pioneer's Good Reputation With Laser Products Make This A Player That Will Last For Years... Chris Prinzivalli
Rating:
Summary: VERY IMPRESSED!
Review: FOR ANYONE THINKING OF BUYING A DVD PLAYER, LOOK NO FURTHER. THE PIONEER DV-525 IS VERY IMPRESSIVE; THE TV SCREEN IS CRYSTAL CLEAR AND CRISP AND THE SOUND IS TRULY AWESOME. YES! THE REMOTE IS NOT BACKLIT (BUT I DON'T CARE ANYWAY! ). JUDGE A DVD PLAYER ON HOW IT PERFORMS, AND GUESS WHAT? THIS MACHINE PERFORMS!
Rating:
Summary: Great Quality, Great Price, GREAT BUY!
Review: For starters, the TV hookup was very easy using their color-coded audio/video jacks. After some very easy on-screen setup menus, I was ready to watch my DVDs... and WOW! The clarity of the picture, the sharpness of the sound. Really wonderful! I read on other reviews that some players can't handle more recent DVD releases. Well, this one handles them all! I watched Christmas Vacation and then Pleasantville and You've Got Mail with no problems.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Performer
Review: Home video will never be the same. Pioneer delivers a great unit that features stunning video and sound quality. Imagine watching a concert on DVD and being able to see all the fine hairs on the performers arms, yes I've experienced it (it was almost creepy). Home video sound hasn't been this good before either, the player delivers the 5.1 audio without fault to my Dolby Digital reciever (Yamaha). With alot of the manifactures including built it Dolby Digital decoders in the DVD players, it's nice to see that Pioneer has opted to let the 5.1 sound decoding be done by that of the reciever (WHERE IT BELONGS). My only complaints are that the display is somewhat bright, you can turn it off, but their are times when it might be nice to just be able to dim it. My other complaint is that the remote is somewhat small and the buttons are all similar in size (they needed to make some larger or changed their shape), and it needed to have some backlighting or glow in the dark buttons. However it is my belief that the size or shape of the remote shouldn't be what the player is judged on, it should be the player itself. Happy Viewing.
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