Pioneer DV525 DVD Player

Other products by Pioneer

Product Details

Product Manual [708kb PDF]

• Item Weight: 6.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 10 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002SSVY
• Item model number: DV525
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #148,118 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Review
Pioneer has long been the leading force behind laser discs and is now a strong contender in DVD players. The DV-525's picture quality is whistle clean and palpable, in part due to Pioneer's own Twin Wave Laser and Viter-Bi RF Decoding Process that reads past and corrects signal encoding errors. This deck passed the problematic "Matrix" test with aplomb, and also glided perfectly through a finger-smudged and scratched-up rental disc that did not play on another DVD machine.

This DVD player also deploys jitter-minimizing digital server circuitry to smooth audio CDs as well as video discs. If you desire a buttery sound, lacking in metallic digital brightness, this is your ideal playback partner. It's also one of the few DVD players that can properly play CD-R discs made on a home burner (another product category where Pioneer is very active).

Given its modest price, we can't expect the DV-525 to be the most feature laden of DVD machines. For example, there's no visual fast-scan option, and the remote control is not backlit. You get just one pair of composite video/audio outputs in the jackpack--along with component and S-video, digital coax, and optical audio outputs, but no headphone jack.

Still, the basic performance needs for movie and music playback are all well met, and the deck does offer some cute special touches, including picture black-level adjustments to compensate for your specific viewing situation. The dynamic audio adjustment is especially useful for late-night screenings of discs heavy with explosive sound effects--so you can damp down the blasts without wiping out the dialogue track as well.

If you're looking to jump into DVD, this Pioneer will gladly show you the way.

Pros:

Rock-solid video reproduction

Audio performance free of digital edginess

480i component video outputs

Both coaxial and optical audio jacks

Bitstream data monitor capability

Cons:

• Nonglow, non-universal remote control
• No headphone jack
• Limited trick play options

Product Description
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) is hot. And Pioneer's DV-525 player is a popular choice. With good reasons. For one, the 96KHz/24 bit digital output delivers superior-fidelity from DVD discs. For another, the DTS digital output means the ultimate in theater sound, along with 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 it has a good memory - the DV-525 recalls set-up conditions (language, subtitle, aspect ratio and mode) for up to 15 discs.When connected to a receiver or amplifier with a Dolby Digital or DTS decoder through either the optical or coaxial digital outputs, you can enjoy the phenomenal experience of video through five discrete full range channels, whether for stunning sound effects or crystal clear dialogue. 10-bit Video D/A Converter delivers faster video signal processing than conventional methods, minimizing digital artifacts for enhanced digital video quality. Twin-Wave Laser Pickup Equipped with a 650nm laser diode for playing DVDs and 780nm diode for playing CDs, Video CDs and CD-Rs. Bit-Rate Meter provides a display of the average bit-rate being used to decode the video from scene to scene, giving you an quantifiable indication of the effort put into the mastering process. Serious moviephiles will enjoy using it to compare transfers of various films. Multiple Viewing Angle Capability gives you the ability to select viewing from various camera angles on DVDs encoded with the feature. Currently it is seen mostly on informational productions. DVD A-B Repeat allows you to program a "start" and "end" to a DVD segment that you choose, and continuously repeat as you determine. It's great for trying to learn those old Clapton licks, or using with instructional videos.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Player on par with higher priced products, November 29, 1999

By	Eric Davis "Eric Davis" (Drexel Hill,PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent picture and features, and plays CD-Rs!, March 6, 2000

By	A. Palomba (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been doing quite a bit of research on what DVD player to get. After looking into a sorts of different brands and I came down to two: the Sony S330 and the Pioneer DV525. For those of you who are not familiar with Pioneer, they were the leaders in developing laser disk players. So DVD is something they know very well. Both have pretty much the same features and picture quality is fantastic (even with RCA connectors). They thing that ended up selling me on the Pioneer is that it will play CR recordable media like audio CD and video CDs. That is a big deal to me because this DVD player doubles as my CD player. I have a lot of CD-Rs with rare music on them. The Pioneer performs flawlessly, no glitches of any kind. I was very pleased. As for the sound quality of the Pioneer I would not be able to say because all the sound is going through my Yamaha receiver. I definitely recomend getting a dedicated audio receiver to do audio decode (DolbyDigital, DTS). It makes all the difference in the world. If you plan on getting a receiver Yamaha is the only way to go. My only gripe is that the buttons on the remote are too small.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Purchase delayed due to research, well worth the wait!, April 3, 2000

By	Barry Bembry (Maryland) - See all my reviews

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!