Only a quick review here, in case someone is looking at buying a second-hand Pioneer DV-525.
Compared to modern DVD players, it does show its age. Though capable of playing DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, CD-R and CD-RW (not all of which had even been invented when this machine was built!), along with Video CD and SVCD, it will not play MP3 nor display CD Text.
All usual DVD player functionality is in there, including Widescreen support. The remote control is not laid out in a particularly inspired way so it can be a little tricky to use in the dark. I almost always use a universal remote control instead. Reverse play is not very well supported, you can't just play backwards at normal speed unlike a few other Pioneer models.
Pictures are top-notch, even today. Sound is very good too. But mechanically the machines make all kinds of ghastly noises when playing some disks, and this can detract from the audio slightly. It's a reasonably large and substantial looking unit, and inside you can see that this was built to a higher standard than many of today's DVD players. But then the new cost was around £350 when first released, so it was a fairly up-market machine.
Eventually the Pioneeer developed a faulty spindle motor (extraordinarily noisy even for the DV-525). Pioneer have been making defective spindle motors for around 15 years now and seem quite happy to carry on doing so! Even though I could fit the motor myself, the cost of the part was going to be good money after bad. How long would the laser last now anyway?
So I retired my trusty old Pioneer to occasional use in the spare room. I think back now, the multiregion mod on it alone cost twice what you could buy a basic player for today.
Connectivity includes both optical and co-axial digital outputs, very handy in some systems. The SCART socket has RGB outputs, unlike a few really cheap machines of today (2004). There's also an S-Video output. So it's quite well connected, though lacks a headphone socket.
It was a great machine in its day, but I wouldn't pay more than a pittance for a second hand one today because it may well have a short life now.
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13.05.2004 20:35
Enjoyed the review. The DVD player must have been reliable to last so long. Maureem