- 54MHz / 10-bit video DAC
- 27MHz clock reduces jitter and picture noise
- Superb spec : 540 lines horizontal resolution
- 1 x SCART socket with RGB output
- S-Video output
Product details
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It's not short on features either: it's capable of playing finalised CD-R and CD-RW discs; it's also able to play MP3 files. You can even select individual tracks from an on-screen menu. There are plenty of settings to experiment with including sharpness, gamma, chroma, hue, contrast and detail levels. There is also a basic mode if all the possibilities get too much for you, or you don't understand them. This is a sensible idea that should be used more. It makes the player simple to use, without having to cut back on features for more experienced users. Another well thought-out idea is the internal memory, with which you can save personal sound and picture settings for later recall.
The remote is a little cluttered with similar small buttons and hitting the right button in subdued lighting isn't always easy. Inside the slim box the DV-444 boasts a powerful set of signal processing electronics with separate sound and video circuitry and a very low signal to noise ratio. One feature that is used to promote the DV-444 is a progressive scan mode. Basically this means the player can send complete images to your television rather than two separate fields used to produce an interlaced picture. This is much more useful on American systems than on the British PAL standard. PAL runs at 25 frames a second and films are generally played back at this speed, despite being filmed at 24 frames per second. This explains why DVDs have a shorter running time than cinema releases. The speed difference isn't enough to make much of a noticeable difference. The main problem is the altered pitch of the sound. American NTSC system runs at 30 frames per second, which is too fast--and some clever jiggery-pokery has to be done to synchronise the frame rates which involves repeating some parts of the pictures. This is where the progressive scan mode can help by cleverly combining the frames to reduce distortion. The DV-444 doesn't do what is called a 3:2 pull-down however, which limits its effectiveness somewhat. Where the progressive scan does make a difference in the UK is when you have a 100Hz television capable of coping with the non-interlaced signal giving reduced flicker. Thankfully when running in standard interlaced mode the DV-444 produces excellent results with good colour reproduction and crisp detail. The DV-444 is stylish and capable and can seemingly play virtually any disc with aplomb. --Miles Berkeley
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First rate player!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Pioneer DV-444S DVD Player (Electronics)
After looking around to buy a second dvd player i stumbled across the pioneer 444s. after reading several great reviews of the player, i brought one. after getting it out of the box, you straight away realise how stylish this player is! it is the most slim line player i have ever seen! within five minutes i was playing my dvd's, a great feature of this player is that when you goto the setup menu for the first time, it guides you on setting up the player to work best with your home entertainment system. but the best thing about this player, which i have never come accross on a player before is the ability to select different picture formats! for example you can have cinema mode, which gives the picture more of a cinema look, the other two options are standard and animation ( animation is great for films like " a bugs life " ) the sound is awesome, with or without a home cinema system. i would reccomend this player to anyone looking for a great player at a very good price.
37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than the Budget models,
By A Customer
This review is from: Pioneer DV-444S DVD Player (Electronics)
I've been using an old Panasonic model for the last couple of years, but thought it was time to upgrade. I made several viewing and listening tests at local Hi-Fi stores - looking at a range of models - mostly sub £300. The Pioneer DV-444 stood out from the crowd - great picture, as you'd expect - but the sound was what won me over in the end to this model. Far superior to many of the competition - especially when playing CDs. I also like the fact that it's slimmer than many of the other boxes around.I was tempted to buy it at the time... Resisted, knowing that I'd probably find a better deal online and I did - at Amazon. Good job. It turned up within 48hrs too.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic,
By A Customer
This review is from: Pioneer DV-444S DVD Player (Electronics)
This is a great DVD player. The picture quality is superb, the sound is great and it even makes a decent CD replacement. My Pioneer is doubling as a DVD/CD player right now and it's great at it. Set up is easy (I was watching DVD's within 5 minutes of getting it out of the box) If you're looking for a great DVD player without paying hundreds, then this is the model you want without a doubt.
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