Pioneer DV525 DVD Player
Better than Toshiba, Sony or JVC on its price range
I've done some research before I bought this and I think this is better compared to all based on price and performance. If you think the picture is dark , that's easy turn the TV's brightness a notch. Thats  what they are for.   But personally I dont see much or any difference in picture quality  on any DVD players if the decoding method is the same.  This Pioneer DVD  uses 10 bit D/A converter to decode DVD's 8 bit data.  All the latest DVD ,  has also the same D/A conversion capability. If there is anything that can affect the  picture quality is your media or your TV. Your TV is not the same as the  one in the showroom.  To be sure try several DVD players on the same  Showroom, using the same TV, DVD media, TV settings, no picture  enhancement, audio enhancement, no nothing.  I will guarantee you theyre  all the same picture quality wise.  On the audio side,  if you hear any  difference positive or negative compared to other DVD players,..... Just commobn sense, what does it do to degrade the sound  quality? Nothing in fact it can even do 96Khz frequency sampling.  Twice  more than a CD which is 44 Khz.  Honestly now, can you hear 96 Khz? You  could not even hear more  than 20 Khz.... And why would you want to pick up the audio  on the DVD itself using its analog stereo output?  Pick up the digital signal using the fiber optic  or the coaxial  output.  What you get there is digital data.  0's and 1's representation of  the analog signals straight from the DVD, no more, no less.  And feed this  to a dolby digital or DTS decoder capable A/V receiver.  Now thats where  the degredatuion happens when its already converted to analog.  Digital is  not subject to signal interference or noise generated from the equipment  itself.  So the quality of your A/V receiver and your speakers is what  makes a good sound on a home theater system, not your DVD player. So  what  makes this DVD player  head and shoulder above the others, specially  compared to Toshiba!  Its because ithas all the features relevant to a  good DVD player. Plus it has all the features of comparable DVD players on  the market  which is 100 dollars more compared to its price.