Pioneer DV C503 - DVD changer - black
High quality, versatile, good value performer
I selected the DVC503 because I wanted a multi-disk DVD player with excellent image and sound quality, Dolby and DTS support (but no decoder built in), but also as a replacement for my 3-disc CD player. So CD and CD-R support was critical. CD-video support is an added bonus, but I can't see myself using it much.<br />The DVD image quality is superb -- it is definitely worth using the component video outputs if you have a TV that supports them. I have seen other DVD players run into problems with scratched DVDs and/or highly compressed scenes giving poor picture quality. No such problems with the Pioneer. The player loads DVDs quickly and starts playing them quickly, and I have yet to come across a DVD that doesn't work -- even with a wide variety of DVD's of varying quality from netflix.com.<br />Regular analog stereo sound is great, and the unit performs very well with regular CDs -- sounding just as good as my old NAD CD player. Digital audio outputs go to your external Dolby and DTS decoder via coax or optical interconnect.<br />I took off one star for the fact that the unit often does not recognize audio CDs. You have to open the sliding tray, re-seat the CD and try again. Reading the Amazon reviews, this seems to be a problem for lots of DVD players, but it is still irksome. On the other hand, the Pioneer does have a CD-only mode which makes the unit behave more like a regular CD player for those times when you just want to listen, and this goes a long way to compensating for the CD recognition problems.<br />The Pioneer remote is logically laid out and easy to use. The on-screen menus are simple to understand, and once you have the unit set up it's unlikely you'll need to use them again. The Pioneer remebers where you were on a DVD if you push the Stop button, so that you can pick up exactly where you left off. Some other DVD players don't seem to have this option.<br />The price of the unit seems very competitive to me, especially when I compare it to single DVD units that often don't have component video output. I have no need for a built-in Dolby digital or DTS decoder, as any recent surround-sound receiver contains those functions already. There's no point paying for extras you already own.<br />I am glad I bought my Pioneer DVC503, consider it good value and would recommend it to anyone.DVD units that often don't have component video output. I have no need for a built-in Dolby digital or DTS decoder, as any recent surround-sound receiver contains those functions already. There's no point paying for extras you already own.<br />I am glad I bought my Pioneer DVC503, consider it good value and would recommend it to anyone.