A great Starter
Written: Aug 03 '01
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Pros: Good features, low price
Cons: remote
The Bottom Line: With a solid, simple look, higher-end features and a low price point the Pioneer-343 is hard to beat.
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| Serly's Full Review: Pioneer DV-343 DVD Player |
I picked up the pioneer 343 while I was looking for a 333. They are exactly the same model, with the same features, so reviews of the 333 should be considered in making your decision.
This is my first DVD player, and is limited by my current setup, a (small) TV that only accepts a co-ax input and a dolby surround receiver (not digital). At first, I thought I could run my player's signal through my VCR in order to watch it. But the security features of DVD meant that the picture brightness would fade in and out. I needed to pick up an RF modulator from Radioshack, and that set me back an extra $50 (CDN).
That being said, I now refuse to rent anything but DVD's. The picture and sound blow VHS away and the "extras" can be very entertaining and educational for a not-so-avid film buff as myself.
As for the player it offers enough features, that as my technology surrounding it improves, it will not quickly exceed the player. Optical audio and component video outputs ensure I can get the most out of the player in the future. For now the RCA connections give me full sound and an extremely clean picture. Disc noise is a slight problem in quiet scenes, but I've put it in a new stereo case and I don't here it anymore.
The other bright point of this player is that it can playback your CD-R and RW discs... and, should you have a powerful enough PC you can make your own VCD's... a decent enough MPEG can look "ok" in VCD format in the little bit of testing I've done.
The only real weak point of the player is the remote. Everything is there, but the buttons are quite small, and my instincts tell be that the chapter search and ff buttons are reversed (a number of times I've wanted to see something again and ended up a scene or two to early).
All in all, I'd say for the price, the features, audio and video quality and the flexibility of the 343 make it an attractive starter DVD player.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 250
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Epinions.com ID:
Serly
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Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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