WHV301.14_pioneerdv380

18/10/05

3:04 pm

Page 069
DVD player G Approx price: 65

On test

Pioneer DV-380

Fact file

I Progressive scan output I MP3 and WMA playback I DiVX compatibility I JPEG compatibility I Virtual surround sound

Details

FEATURES
HDMI/DVI output: No/no Progressive scan output: PAL/NTSC DVD-A/SACD: No/no Multiregion from box?: No Dimensions: 420(w) x 213.6(h) x 49.5(d)mm Weight: 1.7kg

DISC PLAYBACK

DVD, Dual Disc (CD/DVD), CD, MP3, WMA, JPEG, MPEG4 (DiVX/XviD), MPEG1 & MPEG2, VCD, SVCD, CDR/-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW (Video & VR), DVD+R, DVD+R (Dual Layer), DVD+RW

SOCKETS

Composite video out; S-Video out; RGB Scart; component outs; stereo sockets; co-axial digital audio out

CONTACT

www.pioneer.co.uk

TEST DATA

For a full explanation of test data, please see page 102
Test Reading Rating Video jitter 6ns Good Audio jitter 878.9ps Poor S/n ratio -75.4dB V. good Chroma AM -76.7dB Excellent Chroma PM -74.1dB Excellent Chroma -66.1dB Excellent Crosstalk Frequency response at 5.8MHz: S-video -1.1dB Good Composite -1.3dB Good Component -0.3dB Excellent
n these days of snazzy DVD recorders, DVD-A/SACD combo players and the like, its good to see manufacturers are still keeping the faith in the good old fashioned DVD player.This new, prog-scan enabled machine from Pioneer will live and die by just its picture quality and features.Will it sink, or will it swim? On first sight, the Pioneer DV-380 is a seriously underwhelming piece of kit.You couldnt call it ugly but its generic silver casing and distinctly ordinary-looking fascia leave a lot to be desired.The machines build, while not exactly flimsy does reveal its standing at the cheaper end of the market.The same goes for the rectangular, grey, rubber-buttoned, dour-looking remote control that comes with it. The view improves slightly when you look around the back, with a decent selection of socketry.This includes a composite video out, an S-video out, an RGB Scart and a set of component outs in order to take advantage of the machines progressive scan feature.Audio wise, youll find just two stereo sockets and an electrical digital audio out. As regards features, the Pioneer offers everything youd expect of a machine at this price but not much more.Alongside all the usual play modes (A-B repeat, random, chapter programming and so on), theres a two-stage zoom and display function. Setting up the machine is a doddle via the Home Menu button.This allows you to choose picture type 4:3 (letterbox/panscan)or 16:9 and which outputs to use. It also brings up audio settings including Virtual Surround and Audio DRC, and a Video Adjust menu offering everything from sharpness to Chroma Level adjust. There is also an equaliser which offers sound tweaks for the rare occasions that you might want to
use the player to listen to music. These include rock, pop, live, dance, techno, classic and soft.

Also Consider >>

SONY DVP-NS30 Light on features, but this 65 deck offers solid picture and sound Reviewed: Issue 299

performance

Of course, all this is meaningless if the player cant deliver the goods where it counts in the playback department. Luckily, the Pioneer punches far above its weight when it comes to picture performance, as we found out when we spun the Region 2 edition of X-Men 2.The picture is razor sharp (despite a wee bit of grain), with solid and realistic surfaces on images and discrete, tizz-free edges. Colour reproduction manages to be both vivid and naturalistic at the same time. Skip to the scene near the beginning with Magneto in his holding cell, where the sickly light-green colour scheme contrasts against the dark blue of Professor Xs suit and youll see what we mean. Alongside all the action and explosions, X-Men 2 is also a film full of darker scenes, as in the sequence where Jean Grey and Storm look for the renegade mutant Nightcrawler in his cathedral hideaway.As with all such scenes on DVD, this could have been an impossible-to-watch, disaster area. Luckily artefacting has been kept to an absolute minimum, while the audience sees everything with no unintentional murky areas. Light sources are pleasingly bright too, as with the cathedrals candles or the light coming in through the stained glass windows. As for audio reproduction, those unfortunate enough to be lacking a 5.1 system and relying on the analogue outputs will be reasonably impressed with the stereo sound quality, which is passable. (As for the Virtual Surround, it almost makes things sound actually worse, while the Equalisers arent all that great either.).

JVC XV-N322S PAL prog scan but thats about all features-wise. Good price and ease of use, though Reviewed: Issue 299 Even better news comes with the amount of formats this model can deal with, including DVD+/-R, DVD +/-RW, MP3, J-PEG and DiVX. The DV-380 is a good, solid DVD player, which while not exactly laden with extra features, still delivers up top quality picture reproduction for a measly 65 quid. Well, what are you waiting for? I Phil Mason

Ratings

WHATS GOOD
Great pictures; easy to use; lots of compatible formats; affordable

WHATS BAD

Plain-looking; few features
Picture Sound Features Ease of use Value
##### ##### ##### ##### #####

OVERALL VERDICT

A solid, cheap DVD player for newcomers to home cinema
Issue 301 I What Video and Widescreen TV I 069