Don't mean to brand belch, but for those of you who are not quite ready to move to Blu-ray or HD-DVD, Pioneer announced a new player in their Elite line, the Pioneer Elite DV-46AV DVD player is supposedly available this month for a suggested price of $299. Don't see it on the Pio website yet.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/press/release/detail/0,,2076_310069593_316080415,00.html

New Pioneer Elite DVD Player Delivers Impressive Audio & Video Performance
Long Beach, CA June 7, 2006

Impressive audio and video processing performance and a wide range of playback capabilities are only two of many reasons consumers will want the Pioneer Elite® DV-46AV DVD player introduced today. True videophiles will want this product for its exceptional audio and video resolution that is a result of a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI®) output with video up-conversion up to 1080i. Audiophiles will appreciate its ability to play many types of discs including SACD, DVD-Audio, WMA and .mp3. Everyone else will appreciate its sleek styling and the prestige that comes from owning a Pioneer Elite product.

“As with all of our Pioneer Elite DVD players, consumers know they’re getting the finest audio and video reproduction quality, along with a number of cutting-edge technologies,” said Chris Walker, senior manager of audio video marketing and product planning at Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. “The DV-46AV incorporates the best of our design and engineering for a full-featured unit that users will be proud to own.”

Multimedia Performance: Play Almost Any Kind of Format
Pioneer brings to market a DVD player with wide compatibility, including: DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-R, CD-RW, digital music formats WMA and .mp3, DVD-Audio and SACD for multi-channel music, as well as viewing DivX® video and JPEG files with Photoviewer.

Video Performance: Sharp, Bright, Accurate Pictures
With Pioneer’s PureCinema™ progressive scan circuit, the player faithfully reproduces original film frames using 2:3 pull-down inverse telecine technology with a progressive display. If a DVD does not indicate telecine conversion, the PureCinema circuitry will process the signal with advanced motion detection and create a new progressive image. This helps to ensure that the final image seen on the television is as close as possible to what the director had in mind when creating the original movie.

Users can directly connect the Pioneer Elite DV-46AV to a television via the HDMI connection to ensure a single, pure digital connection that eliminates unnecessary processing steps. By limiting the need to convert video from analog to digital and back, it’s easier to provide the best picture quality. Pioneer’s Twin Pixel Resolution Expander technology up-converts traditional DVD video signals to display on high definition screens. Consumers with an HDTV at home will especially appreciate the ability to make a standard DVD look more like HDTV.

The DV-46AV has 10-bit digital video processing to output the highest quality signal through HDMI. It uses a 108MHz/12-bit video digital to analog converter (DAC) for a clearer picture and sharper image.

Audio Performance:
The DV-46AV ensures high-quality audio processing capability for music and movies with a 192kHz/24-bit digital to analog converter. This great audio processing matches the player’s remarkable video output. For maximum 5.1 surround sound quality, the unit offers Dolby® Digital, DTS® and SRS TruSurround® decoding. If a user chooses to use only the front channel speakers and subwoofer, the unit provides Pioneer’s Virtual Surround mode, which creates a “virtual” surround sound effect in the absence of a 5.1 speaker set-up.

The Pioneer Elite DV-46AV DVD player is available this month for a suggested price of $299.

Pioneer's Home Entertainment and Business Solutions Group is a leading manufacturer of plasma televisions and monitors, Blu-ray Disc® and DVD products, A/V receivers, speakers and other audio and video accessories. Its focus is on the development of new digital technologies including Digital Network Entertainment™. The company markets its products under the Pioneer and Pioneer Elite brand names. When purchased from an authorized dealer, consumers receive a limited warranty for one year with Pioneer products and two years with Pioneer Elite products.

PIONEER and ELITE are registered trademarks of Pioneer Corporation.
DOLBY is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories.
DTS is a registered trademark of Digital Theater Systems, Inc.
HDMI is a registered trademark of HDMI Licensing, LLC.
SRS and TRUSURROUND are registered trademarks of SRS Labs, Inc.
DIVX is a registered trademark of DivX, Inc.

Interesting. This is a break in their trend for the last 6 years or so. I wonder if it's based on the new Pioneer (non-Elite) players.

larry

When I saw this I had a tinge of regret for getting the 79avi, but this new one doesn't seem to have i-Link. It's maybe like a 588a with HDMI added. Makes sense to reserve (for now) HDMI for their Elite line, and keep the i-Link/HDMI combination on their flagship DVD player...

Still, this looks like a great player for the price-point.

Larry

When I saw this I had a tinge of regret for getting the 79avi, but this new one doesn't seem to have i-Link. It's maybe like a 588a with HDMI added. Makes sense to reserve (for now) HDMI for their Elite line, and keep the i-Link/HDMI combination on their flagship DVD player...

Still, this looks like a great player for the price-point.

Larry


They have HDMI on their standard universal player, the DV-696AV.

I'm curious if the picture quality will come close to the 59/79avi. For component use, it doesn't it only has 108MHz/12-bit, where as the other mentioned Elites are 14 bit/216 I think.

It doesn't upscale via component, 12bit/108Mhz is plenty. Don't get caught up in bigger numbers. For good analog output, DACs are only part of the equation.

larry

It doesn't upscale via component, 12bit/108Mhz is plenty. Don't get caught up in bigger numbers. For good analog output, DACs are only part of the equation.

larry

Larry,

I'm thinking of component 480p performance (mostly for CRT RPTV folks). Players with 14/216 seem to perform better than 10/12 bit, 54/108mhz players that I've used before. I'm know this isn't the only reason, but part of it since the quality of digital to analog conversion is important in this context.

Interesting. This is a break in their trend for the last 6 years or so. I wonder if it's based on the new Pioneer (non-Elite) players.

larry

I don't know if its so much a break in their trend. Looks like an upgrade to the entry level Elite DV-45A that has been out for a while.

I don't know if its so much a break in their trend. Looks like an upgrade to the entry level Elite DV-45A that has been out for a while. The 45A is not entry level. It was their top of the line player when it came out. Succeeded by the 47a(i) and then they finally got decent video with the 59avi and 79avi. This line of players is a succession, not a tier. Given the age of the 45A, there better not be any commonality between it and the new player, except, maybe, the transport. Otherwise you're getting "old news". :)

larry

Is there a release date on this player?

Bump...Heard these were shipping anyone seen one yet?

Does it do 480i over HDMI?

Still don't see this on the Pio Web-site .

Google only turns up hits mentioned on AVS and the June Pio press release .

Would like to see one . Kind of kills the 79AVi though :(

Scott................. :)

Is this an HDMI 1.2 compliant SACD player? Perhaps its intended to work with the newer HDMI 1.2 receivers from Pioneer in order to support SACD via HDMI.

Bump...Heard these were shipping anyone seen one yet?

Does it do 480i over HDMI?

I have not seen it. An ebay seller, Unitedonlineshopping is selling it and Yawa sells it through its Chino, CA store. The Unitedonline site mentions HDMI Output with 720 and 1080i Up conversion.

Yes I see this for sale on ebay and a few online sites, but can't find any information about it on the pioneer site. I wonder if it is the first HDMI 1.2 compatible DVD/DVD-Audio/SACD source device, meaning with an HDMI 1.2 receiver you could listen to SACD via HDMI without conversion to PCM.

Just a friendly "bump" up :)

It's really getting frustrating waiting for the "official" word from Pioneer on this model , apart from the Press release .

I E-Mailed my local Dealer and he said he hadn't heard anything about it . So I sent him the Press release :p . I'm still waiting .

It may be an OPPO 970HD in the wings instead .

Scott..........

Is this player likely to be any good for SACD/DVDA playback? It's cheaper than the Elite 45a being cleared out in places, but I don't know if the 45a was considered good for SACD/DVDAs...

I bought one (retail at local Tweeter), and no SACD over HDMI. This player is nothing compared to the 59AVi or 79AVi. It is a half-depth lower-end player. I wanted it to for digital SACD to my 84TXSi receiver, but no luck.

I am going to keep it around for a week or two, so I may be able to answer any questions.

SACD over HDMI without success here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8416735&&#post8416735)

Brent

Here's the machine in question....

http://torontohifi.com/images/pioneerdv46.jpg

and a review (http://torontohifi.com/review49.php). I wonder if it's worth buying this over the internet at less than MSRP? Especially there won't be a warranty given Pioneer doesn't authorize sales of its Elite components online.

I bought one (retail at local Tweeter), and no SACD over HDMI. This player is nothing compared to the 59AVi or 79AVi. It is a half-depth lower-end player. I wanted it to for digital SACD to my 84TXSi receiver, but no luck.

I am going to keep it around for a week or two, so I may be able to answer any questions.

SACD over HDMI without success here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8416735&&#post8416735)

Brent
Thanks for the update - also have the 84TXSi - without SACD over HDMI AND no i-link (84TXSi has 2 i-links) this one is gone from my list.

I bought one (retail at local Tweeter), and no SACD over HDMI. This player is nothing compared to the 59AVi or 79AVi. It is a half-depth lower-end player. I wanted it to for digital SACD to my 84TXSi receiver, but no luck.

I am going to keep it around for a week or two, so I may be able to answer any questions.

SACD over HDMI without success here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8416735&&#post8416735)

Brent

Hi Brent ,

Can you check the Manual and see if it passes 480i over HDMI and what the colour choices are i.e RGB 4:4:4 or YCrCb 4:2:2 etc .

Thanks for keeping us informed .

Scott..................... :)

The 46AV does pass 480i over HDMI along with 480P, 720P and 1080i. You can select a resolution from the menu system or cycle through them using the remote.

The HDMI color options are RGB, Full Range RGB and Component. These can also be cycled through using menus or remote directly.

Brent

Hmm... I wonder how it will compare to the 79AVi in terms of being strictly an HDMI transport.

Is the 10-bit Digital Video Processing of any value when we output 480i ? I don't think so . This should only come into play when we start de-interlacing and scaling.

Correct me if I've got it wrong :cool:

Scott.................

I still don't know how they can claim it's HDMI 1.2 when it doesn't support SACD/DSD via HDMI... Heck they could just claim it's HDMI 1.3 and just say it doesn't support any of the HDMI 1.3 features, like they have with HDMI 1.2.

Any additional news on this unit? Interested in picking up a new DVD player while I hold out for an HD player til next year.

Just had to join AVS Forum so that I could make my comments on the new DV 46 player.

I purchased one for 299.00 at my local Tweeter with a 60 day price gauruntee (i expect it to drop in price 50.00 before Nov.). I am deliriously happy with the results. This player is in my HT system and is connected to a Pioneer Plasma 4350. I am using a RS HDMI connector and am utilizing the upconverting feature. This thing is unbelievable. I put my recent copy of LOTR in for a moment to see if I would experience a difference. WOW! I ended up watching the dvd all over again. The detail is almost HD quality. The difference is not incremental. It is a new viewing experience. Oh, and get ready for a new revelation in audio dynamics. I had to recalibrate the volume of all of my speakers. The resolution of all of the background sounds were now clearly evident. The center channel speaker revealed the smallest conversation whispers.

Go get you one and try it.

They have HDMI on their standard universal player, the DV-696AV.


Wish they would release this player in the United States.

Could anyone tell me this DV46av(dv696av in Thailand) modify SDI ???
i think about to get this player . i know i can use HDMI 480i to my Lumagen but i want to get through pure 480i.
How about does the movies SQ on the DVD compare to DV59(969avi) or DV79(989avi) ?
Please help and sorry with my poor English writting

I wonder how this compares to the Oppo970 and 971, Denon DVD1930ci and Toshiba HD_A1 for SD PQ?
http://www.avperfection.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=32 :confused:

I too, am one of those folks who's "waiting" on the format war to subside. That's assuming it ever does. So I've been looking around at different options for video upconversion and audio performance etc. This player seems to be an option, but I am curious as to how it stacks up against other SD players within this price point as well as the Toshiba HD-A1.

Hey all,

OK, so before I start let me first say I'm not a video/stereophile by any means, but I do appreciate good quality. Here goes. Today I bought the new pioneer Elite DV-46AV player and got it connected via HDMI to my Pioneer 4360 display (BTW, my set is not calibrated... I basically leave it on the standard mode right out of the box).
I haven't had too much time to fiddle around with all the settings, and there are quite a few of adjustment options. I merely set the player to 16*9 and upconversion to 1080i.

The player itself is not big or heavy. It actually does not sport the "build quality" that ppl usually refer to the elite line with. Additionally, the remote is pretty cheap in looks and feel, but it does work very well. The players response is also very fast. Now to the picture!!

My past dvd players include a PS2 and the new LG LDA 731 (connected via HDMI @ both 720p and 1080i). Right of the bat, the pioneer blew the LG out of the water. I only briefly viewed some scenes from Batman begins and X-men 3. I saw no macro-blocking and the motion looked extremely good. The video upconversion is by no means subtle. It makes a big difference. I have no experience with the Oppo or other upconverting players, but I am very happy with this one.

The color is a bit on the red side, but I know there are settings to correct this. I also played an MP3 audio cd and once again the player worked very well. I don't have an audio system yet so I can't comment on the audio performance.

I have mid-terms coming up, so as I get more time I'll try to post more info. I'll also try to get one of those calibrating dvds to test the player!!

I would love to know how much of a difference there is in video upconversion between this player and the Denon 2930ci. I know there is alike a 2* cost difference!!!

This player is definately worth the money.

Thanks for the initial impressions on this new Elite. Haven't been able to find out much on this player yet. Do you know what chipset that it is using for the video processing (Faroudja, etc.)?

i don't think this player (or any pioneer products) uses the faroudja chipset. thus far i haven't seen any macro-blocking.

I have had some more time to play around with it and after making some video adjustments within the player's menu (and trust there are a lot), the upconverted image continued to get increasingly better. The image is still not as sharp and "popping" as true HD, but it does improve significantly over std. 480 i/p.

Just bought this (dv-46av) player today and it doesn't work!I had it hooked up to my sony wega kdf-42we655 via a hdmi cable.All i got was audio,no video.I gave Pioneer a call and was told that, they have a problem with this unit. The hdmi output does not work with some hdmi input.I was told that the unit would have to be repaired through a authorized service center.I'm not too happy about this,but i just have to send it in to be repaired or upgraded.Well there goes my weekend.

Just bought this (dv-46av) player today and it doesn't work!I had it hooked up to my sony wega kdf-42we655 via a hdmi cable.All i got was audio,no video.I gave Pioneer a call and was told that, they have a problem with this unit. The hdmi output does not work with some hdmi input.I was told that the unit would have to be repaired through a authorized service center.I'm not too happy about this,but i just have to send it in to be repaired or upgraded.Well there goes my weekend.

Take-2: I would just take it back to where you bought it. I don't know of many places that if you bought it and it was bad right out of the box that you can't take it back to where you bought it and get another one.

yeah i second that.

exchange it for a new one. the store should have no problem doing that.

we need some more opinions on this player!

Yea I third that.
I would like to know how this stacks up to the oppo 970, is it any better in any way other than looks and warranty.
and better yet how is it deinterlacing and performance with jaggies and film based material compared to the oppo 971HD and Denon 1930ci?
How does this compare to Pioneer's non-elite universal player? is it the same inside?

Take-2: I would just take it back to where you bought it. I don't know of many places that if you bought it and it was bad right out of the box that you can't take it back to where you bought it and get another one.
Well from what the tech was telling me was,all of the dv-46av's are having this problem.This information he got from the engineers while i was on the phone with him.He said the engineers are aware of this problem and a software upgrade is the solution.So my dealer has one more in stock,but suggest that i not take that one as it might have the same problem that i'm having with this one.We suggest that i return this unit,and get a new one from pioneer that has the software upgrade so i do not have to bother taking it to a repair center.

i ust bought one of these players today as a hold-over till HD shakes out. so far so good.

2 gripes:
a little slow to power up but not too bad.
faceplate buttons are under the tray, you can't see them when it's open.

i'll have to pick up an HDMI cable and see if it has any trouble with my SXRD...

looks good. Any additional features, How much does it weigh? any other colors?

just under 6 lbs.

black only as far as my dealer can tell. it's still not on Pioneer's web site.

Hmm... I wonder how it will compare to the 79AVi in terms of being strictly an HDMI transport.

Depends if it suffers from QUE like all other pio players. Mind, I'm using a 79AVi at the moment feeding 480/576i to an external VP and QUE isn't much of an issue really, although haven't compared to a good SDI modded player.

John.

I bought this on Thursday and have been more than pleased so far. I have it running into a 42" Hitachi 42HDS69 (1080i) over HDMI set at 1080i. PQ is amazing and made me a believer in upconvert players as I had gone back and forth for so long. I realize you cannot add resolution to a 480p source however its wonderful what a good scaler can do. "The Office" on DVD looks about 80% close to what it looks like on cable HDTV, perhaps even more. I'm very happy with the unit, the setup is easy and thorough, the remote is decent but could be better, SACD is a plus, and it looks attractive. I'm surprised how light it is. My Elite receiver is 40lbs, I think!

do any of you'll have any experience with other upconverting players such as the oppo or the new denons (especially the 2930... I know double the price, but i still wanna know!!)

I too am impressed with the 46av but also would like to know how it stacks up when compared to others since i have no prior experience with upconverting players (except the LG).

Also, how do you'll have it configured?

I have pio pdp 4360 set on factory standard and the 46av @ 1080i:

sharpness standard
brightness -2
contrast +4
gamma low
hue 0
chroma -4
NR on

hdmi color is set to component (the player is connected via hdmi, what's the difference with rgb and full rgb... my manuel is not in english)

These were done by eye and not with a calibration disc.

any suggestions or other settings i can try?!?!

Pioneer Elite DV-46av is now on the website,but it's just an overview no picture.

I don't see any reason to buy this player over an Oppo. There are two general categories of performance for DVD players.

Players using scalers and deinterlacers from Silicon Optix, Gennum, or ABT.


Players that don't. (Typically use Genesis chips with Faroudja).

If a player fits into the first category above, it's a step above the Oppo, and will offer the best-available deinterlacing and scaling. If if falls into the second category, it won't, and is not worthy of consideration as a >$200 product unless it has some special feature you need.

Looks like this Pioneer uses the 10-bit Cortez from Genesis, which would put it squarely into the second category.

For some people, Oppo 971 is a deal breaker because of macroblocking problems. In such a case, a non-Faroudja based player is preferrable. This is a situation where the new Elite 46 player could be attractive.

bdtv,

Which other DVD players are using Gennum and ABT?

I seriously thought about buying this until I saw it. I saw the Elite DV-46 yesterday in a store hooked up to a 55" Samsung LED 1080P DLP and it didn't look very good. Granted the TV probably wasn't calibrated properly and the DVD running was the Matrix II or III I think. I went through all modes 480i and p, 720P and 1080i and p and didn't see to much of a difference. I wasn't too impressed at all but could have been the TV or the DVD.

FYI; Faroudja is a division of Genesis so that is why most if not all use the Genesis chip set.

Well just picked up one today at my local BB/Magnolia for $270 after 10% coupon. So far I'm very pleased. I am using comp. on my new Hitachi 65F59A CRT RPTV(not yet excessively calibrated) . Tried HDMI and wasnt happy with any of the settings. Given what I have been hearing about some of the HDMI issues with the F59 series I wasnt surprised. Way to grainy and full of artifacts. Watched Over the Hedge over component and was absolutely blown away. No regrets with this combo so far and hope to give a good run through of some of my collection soon to get a good feel for it. Now to purchase some DVD-A/SACD discs to see what it can do.

Bill, glad to see that it looks good on your TV. It was hooked up to the TV I was looked at through the HDMI input so maybe it the HDMI output on the DV-46 isn't that good and maybe it isn't your TV's issue. I think I have resigned myself to wait a little for HD-DVD prices to drop some more.

Does this player output 480i over HDMI?

I haven't used it, but the owners menu shows it can output 480i,480p,720p, and1080i over HDMI. It's easily selected by the remote.

Awesome, thanks Bill.

Any info on it's ability to pass high-res audio via HDMI (native or converted to PCM)? I'm basically looking at the 46AV as a possible alternative to the OPPO 970HD.

I wonder how this compares to the Oppo970 and 971, Denon DVD1930ci and Toshiba HD_A1 for SD PQ?
http://www.avperfection.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=32 :confused:
I don't know.. I have a few players including the A1.. the A1 is quite good on SD.. it does not do blacks properly on my TV while my others player will, assuming they are not running through Video Conversion on the VSX82.

I asked about the 46A on a tech support call to Pioneer. They admitted there is a known problem with the HDMI on the 46A being noisy. I asked if newer stock in the retail channel would be likely to have this problem and he said yes. The reason I was calling tech support is that the Video Conversion/Scaler on the Elite 82 and I assume the 84 is, excessively contrast to the point that most DVD players will be way to dark through it, way beyond adjustability.

Again they admitted the contrast problem on video on the 82 was a known issue and gave me a case number.. good grief. This is the basic stuff that somebody like Pioneer should get right the first time.

Any info on it's ability to pass high-res audio via HDMI (native or converted to PCM)? I'm basically looking at the 46AV as a possible alternative to the OPPO 970HD.


From owners manual "The HDMI connection is compatible with 2 channel liner PCM signals (44.1kHz to 192 kHz, 16 bit/20 bit/24 bit), and Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG audio bitstream, and multi channel linear PCM signals, (5.1 channel signals up to 96 kHz, 16 bit/20 bit/ 24 bit). It is not possible to output SACD source from the HDMI connection"

Hope thats what you were looking for.

From owners manual "The HDMI connection is compatible with 2 channel liner PCM signals (44.1kHz to 192 kHz, 16 bit/20 bit/24 bit), and Dolby Digital, DTS, MPEG audio bitstream, and multi channel linear PCM signals, (5.1 channel signals up to 96 kHz, 16 bit/20 bit/ 24 bit). It is not possible to output SACD source from the HDMI connection"

Hope thats what you were looking for.

That's definitely helpful, thanks. The 970HD is capable of converting SACD to PCM then outputing via HDMI. Given that manual quote I doesn't sound like the Pioneer has this feature.

If anyone connects this player up to an external video processor I'd be interested in the results. I'm considering it paired up with a VP30.

If anyone connects this player up to an external video processor I'd be interested in the results. I'm considering it paired up with a VP30.
If you're going to connect it to an external video processor, I would think the cheapest unit with 480i output would be the way to go. The Oppo is half the price and will have the same results over 480i into an external processor.

If you're going to connect it to an external video processor, I would think the cheapest unit with 480i output would be the way to go. The Oppo is half the price and will have the same results over 480i into an external processor.

True. My secondary concern is audio capabilities though. If I can get the same video performance as the OPPO, with better audio performance, than the Pioneer is the better choice for me.

Hello Everyone,

I've had this DVD player for a couple of days - I got it to replace a Panasonic RP-56 that was starting to act strange - and for its SACD capability. Here are my thoughts on this player:

1. CD/SACD: I spent most of the time playing 5.1 SACDs and to me the player sounds very nice. Whether it sounds better than other players I cannot say, since this is my first SACD player. Unfortunately, the player suffers from one usability issue - there is no simple way to switch between different layers. As far as I can tell, if you want to listen to the CD layer, or switch between the 5.1 and 2.0 DSD tracks you have to stop the disk, go into the initial settings menu, and make the switch there. There is no button to cycle between layers, and unfortunately this means that there is no easy way to compare between the PCM and the DSD mixes.

I listened to the SACDs using the analog outputs with all my speakers set to "small." The player does not seem to apply these settings to regular CDs.

2. Movies: I briefly played the Gladiator just to make sure that the player can play DVDs. I did not notice any major differences between this player and the Panasonic. By the way, the player was connected to my EDTV CRT television with component cables. The player was set to output in progressive scan mode, and I listened to the audio via both the coaxial SPDIF and the 5.1 analog outputs. I did not test HDMI since I don't have an HDMI capable TV, and didn't try out the composite and s-video outputs either.

3. Usability: as mentioned earlier, there is not single button to cycle between the SACD layers - pressing the "audio" button on the remote while playing SACDs does nothing. You can display the track length and the remaining time on track and disk by pressing the "display" button.

It takes about 15 seconds for the DVD player to start up - what is confusing to me is that for about 5-10 seconds there is absolutely nothing happening on the player display to indicate that the player was turned on. On the other hand, the player turns off almost immediately once you press the power button again.

Another thing is that when the player is off pressing the eject button on the remote does not power on the player - pressing the eject button on the faceplate does.

Once you pop in a disk it takes about 10 seconds to recognise and play the disk. The player is pretty responsive, except for the power on issue mentioned above.

All in all, pretty decent, but not outstanding.

Regards,
Sejin.

Thanks for posting this. I'd love to give this one a shot.

:cool:

True. My secondary concern is audio capabilities though. If I can get the same video performance as the OPPO, with better audio performance, than the Pioneer is the better choice for me.
Apparently you're not using HDMI for audio then...

Apparently you're not using HDMI for audio then...

In my current setup, no. My receiver does not have HDMI inputs/outputs. So for the near term I want a player with a decent analog output stage, but has the capability for HDMI audio output for the future.

Does ths unit have a audio direct mode or a video bypass?
Thanks.

I just found out about this player today when browsing ebay. Does anyone know what the crossover point is for SACD & DVD-Audio?

If anyone has a link to the 46AV manual, please post. Pioneer is taking forever to post info about this player on their website.

You can find the manual on one call dot com. Search for DV-46AV.

If anyone has a link to the 46AV manual, please post. Pioneer is taking forever to post info about this player on their website.

i've got one, what do you want to know?

Does ths unit have a audio direct mode or a video bypass?
Thanks.

no audio direct mode, not sure what you mean by video bypass.

no audio direct mode, not sure what you mean by video bypass.
I think he's talking about turning off the video circuitry and getting audio output only.

You can find the manual on one call dot com. Search for DV-46AV.

Excellent, thanks!

I think he's talking about turning off the video circuitry and getting audio output only.

it doesn't have either, at least not that i can find. you can dim the front panel display, but not turn off the video circuitry altogether. seems an odd omission.

just posted a comparison of the DV46 and the Oppo 970 here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=754689

Thanks for sharing your impressions.

Pioneer finally puts the dv-46av on their website.Picture along with complete overview.

DV-46av vs DV-490?

Besides the SACD and DVD-Audio, plus 480i over HDMI, is there any reason to get the Elite DV-46A vs the "regular" DV-490?

EDIT: apparently the DV-490 does do 480i over HDMI... at least according to Post # 6 of -> http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=674462

I asked about the 46A on a tech support call to Pioneer. They admitted there is a known problem with the HDMI on the 46A being noisy. I asked if newer stock in the retail channel would be likely to have this problem and he said yes.


did they say if they were planning a fix for the noisy HDMI?

i too noticed it was grainy looking...

Just bought this (dv-46av) player today and it doesn't work!I had it hooked up to my sony wega kdf-42we655 via a hdmi cable.All i got was audio,no video.I gave Pioneer a call and was told that, they have a problem with this unit. The hdmi output does not work with some hdmi input.I was told that the unit would have to be repaired through a authorized service center.I'm not too happy about this,but i just have to send it in to be repaired or upgraded.Well there goes my weekend.
I guess the current shipping units have this corrected now, as the one I just got works fine with my Sony KDF-42WE655...

Still need to tweak/adjust the TV and player, but...

480i via component looks slightly better on my old Pioneer DV-440 compared to this DV-46-AV... :eek:

HDMI 480i looks different.. I can't put my finger on what exactly what it is... but 480i via HDMI looks better than 480i or 480p via component, and slightly better than the DV-440 via component, but not a MAJOR improvement.

HDMI 720p and 1080i... I can't really tell a difference between them.. and I'm not sure I can say I see much improvement here either...

Maybe after I tweak??

I guess the current shipping units have this corrected now, as the one I just got works fine with my Sony KDF-42WE655...

Still need to tweak/adjust the TV and player, but...

480i via component looks slightly better on my old Pioneer DV-440 compared to this DV-46-AV... :eek:

HDMI 480i looks different.. I can't put my finger on what exactly what it is... but 480i via HDMI looks better than 480i or 480p via component, and slightly better than the DV-440 via component, but not a MAJOR improvement.

HDMI 720p and 1080i... I can't really tell a difference between them.. and I'm not sure I can say I see much improvement here either...

Maybe after I tweak??I totally agree with you here.I just picked up my 3rd DV-46av from my dealer since 10-20-06,after trying to find one the will work with my sony kdf-42we655.My trouble with these units were,the hdmi would not sync with the hdmi on my tv.So i have been waiting for a newer unit with the software upgrade that Pioneer said that was in the works and as of 12-1-06 i finally got my player that works.Theres not a huge diffirence between 1080i - 480i that i can see,but i will say my previous player was the pioneer elite dv-45a and the dv-46av does do a better job at the 480 level then the dv-45a maybe cause the 46 does it through hdmi and the 45 through component.I will like to see in 2 weeks or more if i'll be able to see a big differance in 480i thru 1080i.Right now its hard to see a differance.

...I will like to see in 2 weeks or more if i'll be able to see a big differance in 480i thru 1080i.Right now its hard to see a differance.
I'd love it if you would share any tweaks/adjustments you make...

I'm not good at that.. in fact, the only tweaks I've made to my TV, were those suggested to me by a friend because he did it, and saw improvement.... (I wrote down my values, and changed to his)... Everytime I tried on my own, I couldn't really get it to my liking :confused:

Right now, I'm using the Default settings on the TV for the HDMI input, and the default settings on the DVD player.

I'd love it if you would share any tweaks/adjustments you make...

I'm not good at that.. in fact, the only tweaks I've made to my TV, were those suggested to me by a friend because he did it, and saw improvement.... (I wrote down my values, and changed to his)... Everytime I tried on my own, I couldn't really get it to my liking :confused:

Right now, I'm using the Default settings on the TV for the HDMI input, and the default settings on the DVD player.
Please share the values your friend suggested that you use,and when i find a viable setting for the dv-46av/sony kdfw42we655 i will post it.

Like many others I am anxious to see how this player compares to the Brand new OPPO 981HD. Seems like it is being released on Monday for orders on their website.

In another thread "Oppo Digital DV-981HD / Brain Dump"- Post 104 there is a review - out today of the new OPPO
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=760726&page=4&pp=80

The interesting advantage is 1080p output on the Oppo 981 HD

But I wonder how the Audio performance on SACD or DVD-A stacks-up in comparison using multi-channel analog 5.1 outputs. I would like to see a comparison of both in terms of Multi channel audio.
The Oppo has no component out connections only digital. But does have multi channel analog-out to receiver.

Please share the values your friend suggested that you use,and when i find a viable setting for the dv-46av/sony kdfw42we655 i will post it.Ok, well, no suggestions from him for HDMI DVD because he doesn't have... BUT...

Input # 6 = Cable = Cable box @ 1080i via component... Looks GREAT!!
Input # 5 = DVD input = DV-440 @ 480i via component.... Looks GREAT!!!
Input # 7 = HDMI input = DV-46AV @ either 1080i, 720p, 480p, or 480i... Um.. yeah... :confused:

setting Cable DVD HDMI
Mode...............Standard....Standard......Standard
Picture.............51...............57................50
Brightness.......38...............36................36
Color................34...............36................36
Hue..................0.................0..................0
Sharpness........27...............35...............54
Color Temp.......Neutral.......Neutral.......Neutral
Noise Reduct.....Low...........Low.............Low
Mild Mode..........Off.............Off...............Off

I've tried using the same settings from both the cable and DVD input for the HDMI input, but it just doesn't look right... I can't describe it.. I mean, I know what looks good and what I like when I see it, but I just can't describe it.. I guess that is why I have such a problem tweaking....

When connecting the DV-46 up using the component cables from the DV440, leaving all else the same (i.e. just move the cables from old DVD player to new), the DV46 just doesn't look as good as the DV-440... either 480i or 480p.

On the Dv-46, I have only use the menu to tell it I have a 16:9 screen tv...

EDIT: btw, when Cinemax HD was showing all the star wars flix.. I pop-ed the same DVD in my DV-440 and switched between them... I could NOT see much if any differences... I mean, they were really close... I was impressed but the DV440's picture... But the DV-46 doesn't look as "sharp".. it looks kind of "fuzzy" and darker??

The player performs well, but doesn't appear to be very user friendly. The television has to be off when when starting a surround DVD-A or SACD; otherwise the output defaults to stereo. Turning the television back on blanks playback for a couple seconds. I've yet to successfully hear DVD-A surround from the HDMI inputs.

Has anyone else experienced this? I find it quite annoying, and would be extremely pleased to learn that a setting change or two (or several) would improve the situation.

I'm using a Sony STR-DE845 reciever and a Samsung LN-S3251D television.

I purchased a Denon 1730 from tweeter, then saw the DV 46. I returned the Denon and got the pioneer. I am very dissatisfied with the pic quality. I connected via HDMI. The pic is worse than the 1730. All the backgrounds are very grainy. I can't even tell the difference between 480i and 1080i. Many other owners seem to see a big difference when using the upconversion, which is why I went with this model, also cause I am buying a pioneer elite reciever next week. I don't know if maybe the upconversion chip is faulty or what the deal is. I watched Pirates-Dead Mans Chest last night and it looked awful. I put in a few other movies that I know had an awsome pic using last player and they looked terrible. I exchanged it at the end of the 30 day period, don't know if they will let me return the pioneer and exchange again for something else. Iwill be really unhappy if I get stuck with this player.

Ok, so I set my Sony TV's "overscan" setting to -1. (other choices are 0 and +1)...

At 480i or 480p the full screen is taken up. So, watch a movie like Monsters Inc. and the picture fill the entire screen, edge to edge as it should.

Switch to 720p or 1080i... and I get about an 1/8 inch or so back bar at the top, and about 3/4 to 1 inch blackbar at the bottom.

Switching Overscan to 0, and +1 help, but do NOT eliminate the black...

Ok, so I set my Sony TV's "overscan" setting to -1. (other choices are 0 and +1)...

At 480i or 480p the full screen is taken up. So, watch a movie like Monsters Inc. and the picture fill the entire screen, edge to edge as it should.

Switch to 720p or 1080i... and I get about an 1/8 inch or so back bar at the top, and about 3/4 to 1 inch blackbar at the bottom.

Switching Overscan to 0, and +1 help, but do NOT eliminate the black...
Is this supposed to occur?.

Is this supposed to occur?.I'm not sure... I know that my Motorola HD Cable Box (comcast) putting out 720p or 1080i via component does NOT do this. Even with overscan set as -1, I have full edge to edge coverage on 16x9 material.

But I have no other HDMI or 1080i/720p devices to try to see what happens. That is.. I have no way to know... is it just an HDMI @720p/1080i issue of the TV, or is it the player's up converting feature that is causing this?

This does remind me of the Sony DVP-70 up converting discussion which also mentioned an image shift problem on SOME TV's, but that was slightly different.. IIRC the DVP-70 actually shifted the top edge up and off the screen, leaving the black at the bottom... Apparently this was fixed with the DVP-75.

I had planned using the DV46 in the living room to hold me over until the "format wars" die down, moving the DV-440 into the bed room... but right now, I'm starting to lean towards returning DV46... leaving the DV-440 in place in the living room, and just getting some CHEAP $30-40 player for the bed room... :eek:

Is this supposed to occur?.
It depends on the movie. A lot of movies are 1.85:1. 16:9 is not 1.85:1 It is 1.7777:1. So, if you have a setup with very little to no overscan playing back a 1.85:1 title on a 16:9 display if played correctly you will get very small black bars at the top and bottom.

I emailed Pioneer about the horrible picture I was getting with my new DV46. I told them I cannot see a difference between 480 and 1080 (connected via HDMI). I asked if the upconversion chip could be faulty. There reply was "there is a firmware upgrade available, this might help?" With a question mark as if they weren't sure.

I contacted the authorized center that they suggested for the upgrade and they did not know if it would fix the problem or not. He said he has had many customers just take the player back to the store.

Has anyone else that had issues with the lousy pic had the firmware upgrade installed? Did it help? I don't know if the store will let me return it, and I don't want to be stuck with a $300 piece of junk. Guess I won't buy the elite reciever I was looking at.

It depends on the movie. A lot of movies are 1.85:1. 16:9 is not 1.85:1 It is 1.7777:1. So, if you have a setup with very little to no overscan playing back a 1.85:1 title on a 16:9 display if played correctly you will get very small black bars at the top and bottom.Ok, but I have to ask... when displayed (due to 1.85:1 vs 16:9 or 1.777:1) should they be "even" i.e. equal size at top/bottom?

I wonder why the "black bars" are not there in 480i, or 480p... but are there on the 720p and 1080i?

As I watch more movies.. I see some are sharp and look great.. others have a few "good scenes" that are sharp and clear, but others which are "blurry"

Ok, maybe I am now beginning to notice depth of field issues (due to aperature of lends on the camera when scene was filmed).. that I 've never noticed before?

Or just the up conversion on this player "struggling"??

Example... 99% of Into the Blue looks clean and sharp. at least as good as when I watched on the DV-440. But Superman Returns, looks kind of fuzzy almost the entire movie.

Starwars Episode 3 has about 50% of the movie looking sharp, but the rest doesnt...

:confused: :confused:

Ok, but I have to ask... when displayed (due to 1.85:1 vs 16:9 or 1.777:1) should they be "even" i.e. equal size at top/bottom?

I wonder why the "black bars" are not there in 480i, or 480p... but are there on the 720p and 1080i?
Well, the very small black bars are encoded on the DVD (just like 2.35:1 movies). So, it would be up to the person that encoded the movie.

Sorry to monopolize this thread but...

Ok, not sure exactly what I did.. BUT it looks way better than it did...

TV Settings for HDMI Input are now...

Mode...............Standard
Picture.............55
Brightness.......37
Color................34
Hue..................G1
Sharpness........51
Color Temp.......Cool
Noise Reduct.....Medium
Mild Mode..........Off

Wide Mode.....FULL
Game Picture....0
4:3 Default.....Off
Overscan........-1

DVD Player settings...

Initial settings menu...
Video Output...
TV.......................16:9(wide)
Component out...Progressive (grayed out)
HDMI Resolution...1280x720p
HDMI Color............Component

Video Adjust menu...
Sharpness.......Standard
Brightness.......+3
Contrast..........0
Gamma.............Off
Hue..................0
Chroma Level...0
BNR..................Off
(settings updated Jan 4, 2007)


I still have the "image squash" I mentioned earlier... unless I run at 480i or 480p... but the overscan = normal setting on the TV helps make it less anoying at 720p/1080i.

With the movies I've watched, I don't see the graininess like newtvowner or David R. Hendrickson mentioned.

Not sure I can say I see a MAJOR improvement over my DV-440 (component 480i)... but The DV-46AV now looks either equal and/or slightly better... and it is now to the point that I am seriously considering keeping the DV-46AV...

Anyone have any suggestions of some "good quality" DVD's to watch to see the "best" picture quality? I've watched Fifth Element (ultimate edition), StarWas II & III, Terminator 2 & 3, Monsters Inc, Die Hard 3, Into the Blue...

One area the DV-46AV definately out shines my DV-440... playing back 4x3 Letter boxed DVD's with the TV in "ZOOM" mode, so it removes the Pillar Bars.

Like The American President, Armageddon, the recently released StarWars 4-6 which include the "Theatrical Version" on the Bonus Disc.

With the DV-440, these were un-watchable... no better than VHS quality when ZOOMED with the TV... In fact, I could not tell the difference between the VHS to DVD copies I made of the THX Letterboxed StarWars films (box set purchased in 1995).. and these store bought DVD's....

With the DV-46AV, they look nearly the quality of "normal" 16x9 DVDs! WOW what a difference :eek:

Mark,
Glad to hear you got a goog pic out the dv46. As for other dvd's try: I-Robot, Underworld-evolution, Hellboy, and Over the Hedge. All of which had crystal clear pics, before I bought the DV46 that is.

Mark,
Glad to hear you got a goog pic out the dv46. As for other dvd's try: I-Robot, Underworld-evolution, Hellboy, and Over the Hedge. All of which had crystal clear pics, before I bought the DV46 that is.
I have I-Robot...forgot about that one... I don't have the others :(

Btw, you mentioned the "new firmware" before... any idea how/where to check the firmware level on this? I can compare what mine has vs yours? Maybe that can help you figure if it will help?

I emailed Pioneer about the horrible picture I was getting with my new DV46. I told them I cannot see a difference between 480 and 1080 (connected via HDMI). I asked if the upconversion chip could be faulty. There reply was "there is a firmware upgrade available, this might help?" With a question mark as if they weren't sure.

I contacted the authorized center that they suggested for the upgrade and they did not know if it would fix the problem or not. He said he has had many customers just take the player back to the store.

Has anyone else that had issues with the lousy pic had the firmware upgrade installed? Did it help? I don't know if the store will let me return it, and I don't want to be stuck with a $300 piece of junk. Guess I won't buy the elite reciever I was looking at.I'm in the process of having this done to my dv-46.Just waiting to receive the repair card from pioneer.But i do feel like you do,this may stop me from buying pioneer elite again cause of all the trouble i had with this player.

I just moved from the UK to Canada and purchased the DV 46 AV. As this is a new player on the market, I haven't seen any way on making this player region free so I can play my region 2 discs. Anyone here attempted this? I would love to know how. Thanks.

Mark,
I don't know how you would check. Thanks for the offer. I know the sticker on the back of mine says it was made in August of 2006. I also got good pq out of dodgeball and little nicky. Little Nicky has good color and you can see textures of clothing and stuff real well. Most recent dvd's that say mastered in high def on the back have pretty good pq.

Take2,
Please let me know results of your firmware upgrade. I am curious, becuase I was under the impression it was to fix communication problems betwen HDMI output and Input on certain tvs. I am getting both audio and video, but do not see a difference between 480 and 1080. So I don't know if it is a issue with my tv or if the upscaling is not working with mine. Pioneer support didn't seem to know when I emailed them. I will try calling on Monday.

Mark,
I don't know how you would check. Thanks for the offer. I know the sticker on the back of mine says it was made in August of 2006....
Sticker on mine says July 2006?!?!?

hmm.. long time from production to get to store??

This is going to sound like a dumb question, but does the Pioneer Elite DV-46AV Upconvert to 720p or 1080i over the component video connections or only the hdmi connection? I ask because I love my LG LCD HDTV but it only has one hdmi input and if this can do it over component than that is a better option for me. From what I hear hdmi on this player can be fussy anyway and I already have a quality component video cable. I currently use a DV-45A from pioneer elite. Good but hoping upconversion wil show less artifacts and more detail.

Ok, but I have to ask... when displayed (due to 1.85:1 vs 16:9 or 1.777:1) should they be "even" i.e. equal size at top/bottom?

I wonder why the "black bars" are not there in 480i, or 480p... but are there on the 720p and 1080i?

i just created a new post about the exact thing - only difference is that my saving private ryan movie stayed FS, but i tried shrek and some WSOP dvds from espn and they all didnt.

i too am perplexed.

edit - jurassic park III stayed FS as well. i wonder if its a disc mastering issue?

This is going to sound like a dumb question, but does the Pioneer Elite DV-46AV Upconvert to 720p or 1080i over the component video connections or only the hdmi connection?...
Upconvert via HDMI only....

I'm a previous owner of the DV-45A, which I loved for many years, but it recently went south. So I purchased the DV-46AV. assured by the folks at Star Power that it is a replacement model for the DV-45A. Upon getting it home, I realized that it is anything but. First of all, the DV-45A was a solid player, expertly-constructed (it was once the top-of-the-line Pioneer Elite player), and flawlessly designed--the 46AV is a lightweight, plasticky-appearing unit that feels very pedestrian and cheaply-made. Although its audio quality seemed on par with the 45A, the video (in 480P mode), seemed inaccurate, with horrible color-timing (I fiddled with the hue and gamma controls for almost an hour, and still couldn't get rid of the pastel-like, pinkish tinge to the fleshtones). Worse, the thing takes forever to boot up, and almost as long between menu selections. I also experienced some tracking problems on lightly-scratched discs.

In a word, the unit is a huge disappointment--it is nowhere near the quality of higher-end Pioneer Elite models.

I haven't tried the OPPO unit, but I picked up a Denon 1930ci instead, and I love it. It's solidly-built, fast as hell, looks and sounds great, and is very ergonomically-designed. For a mid-priced player, it is worth the extra $50 compared to the DV-46AV.

I will say that I didn't test the HDMI option on either player, because I don't have an HDMI-compatible monitor. Those of you who are enthusiastic about that technology (I'm not) may have more to say about that aspect of these two players. Personally, I'd rather have an excellent 480P player for now until HD becomes affordable--then I think the whole issue of upconversion will be moot.

As posted earlier, I couldn't see a pic difference b/w the 480 and 1080 on my DV46. The store was nice enough to let me return it since it was past the 30 days. They said they had to replace two models in the store already. I brought home the new one. I can see a difference b/w the 480 and 1080, but 1080 still doesn't look all that good. I now wish I would have purchased a different brand, like an oppo, or perhaps the 1930ci like the member above.

I am going to try the firmware upgrade and see if that helps. Might be a compatability issue as some others mentioned, and upgrade may fix it.

Bottom line, I am highly dissapointed in this player and would not recommend it to anyone.

other than the quirky formatting issue i posted about above, i have no complaints about this player. i havent been as keen on the details as some of you probably have, but i am happy with it. i can discern a difference between 480 and 1080i and i prefer the 1080 setting. more noticable on some dvds rather than others.

i have heard others mention this firmware update, however i cannot find a DL for it anywhere. is it only available through pioneer?

after playing with it.. and the TV's settings... watching a bunch more DVDs, I'm relatively happy with the DV46-AV... and I am seriously thinking of keeping it. I only have a few days left to decide...

It plays all discs I've put in (retail, copied, +R, -R, +RW, -RW, +R DL copies).. picture quality now is good... there are still a few "blurry" scenes.. (like in Day After Tomorrow, there was a close up of someone's face that looked blurry, but the other scenese were sharp and clear)... and DVD Menus look "blurry" rather than "sharp"

I think my DV-440 gave a more "natural" color to the pictures...

Yes, if I paid FULL Retail ($299) + HDMI Cable... the DV46-AV would definately be going back... but since I got it cheaper... (I can't say here for what or how, sorry..)... I say its acceptable.

Just a few days left to decide.... hmm..

after another inspection today, i noticed that i am having the same issue as mark had described above - when playing 1.85:1 dvds, which theoretically should fill up the screen, it instead leaves a small horizontal bar on both the top and bottom of the screen black. the two bars are even in thickness.

i am going to order an oppo and compare. this thing may very well be going back. we'll see what pioneer has to say.

If your display has overscan disabled, 1.85:1 material will have very small black bars at the top and bottom of the screen (since regular HDTV is 1.78:1).

If your display has overscan disabled, 1.85:1 material will have very small black bars at the top and bottom of the screen (since regular HDTV is 1.78:1).

and because the px60's dont have overscan adjustable in the service menu, i have to live with it, eh?

however, i have determined it is ONLY happening when the dvd player is set to 720p/1080i. why is it not doing it for 480i/p? will ALL upconvert players do this when choosing 720p/1080i as an output format?

Are people who have either gotten the firmware updates or a newer shipment still having problems with the blurriness and other PQ issues mentioned before? I'm trying to decide between this and the Oppo 981.

I am going to try to get the firmware upgrade this weekend and post the results if any. So far the new one I got has the same lousy pic as the last one. My current one says manufactured in October, the last one was August. Not sure what date they were supposed to work out bugs.

As posted earlier, I am on my second DV 46AV. I still can't see a difference in pq b/w 480 and 1080. I wanted to get firmware upgrade this weekend, but didn't have time. Tonight I went to watch "full metal jacket", when switched to 1080 it only displayed the upper right hand corner of the movie very large. I switched back to 720, regular pic. I unplugged and waited a while. Now the display on 1080 is normal, but the tv only reads the player as sending a 720 signal, when it is clearly on 1080. Sometimes it won't display anything when on 1080.
BUYERS BEWARE!!! this dvd player seems to work well for some, but doesn't for many others. The salesperson said they already had to switch out two that were on display in the store due to defect. Maybe pioneer is working out the bugs, or maybe they rushed production. I would stay away for now. I will now have to take it back and see if the store will let me try my luck with a third one.
Maybe I should try Denon, I hear they are dropping the Faroudja chip in their new players and going with another. Should solve the macro problem.

newtvowner, i totally agree with your statement.I do think pioneer rushed production with this unit.And there is not a difference between 480 and 1080i.I too will be taking my unit in for the firmware upgrade as soon as i receive notice from pioneer.Also this is my 3rd unit,which occasionally works,but definently will not work if you turn your heat down too low in your house to save on your heating bill.

take 2,
curious, what kind of tv do you have it connected to? I have notice many of the people getting good pq have pioneer plasma tvs. I have a toshiba DLP tv. Therefore I am hoping it is just a compatability thing that the firmware upgrade will take care of. However I have not spoken with anyone who has recieved the upgrade yet to see if it is worthwhile or will fix the problem.

take 2,
curious, what kind of tv do you have it connected to? I have notice many of the people getting good pq have pioneer plasma tvs. I have a toshiba DLP tv. Therefore I am hoping it is just a compatability thing that the firmware upgrade will take care of. However I have not spoken with anyone who has recieved the upgrade yet to see if it is worthwhile or will fix the problem.
I have a Sony grand wega kdf-42we655.The pq is good but you(I) cannot see much of a difference between 480 and 1080i.Just received notice for the firmware upgrade so i'll be getting it done verysoon.

I have a Sony grand wega kdf-42we655.The pq is good but you(I) cannot see much of a difference between 480 and 1080i.Just received notice for the firmware upgrade so i'll be getting it done verysoon.
same tv.. i too don't notice any real difference between 480i, 480p, 720p or 1080i as far as PQ goes...

Found one problem...

a while ago, I purchased the "DualDisc" version of BonJovi's Have A Nice Day album... Audio CD on one side, DVD on other...

The Audio CD side wont play in the DV-46A... however it does play just fine in my Pioneer DV-440, DVR-531h, and my trusty old Pioneer PD-M550 cd player...

The store I purchased the player from has a 60 defective return policy that will be up on Jan1. If I get the firmware upgrade and it doesn't work, Im stuck with a piece of junk. I think I might see about trading it in for the Toshiba HD-A2 dvd player. It is supposed to upconvert well, plus it will play hd dvds. I am planning on buying a ps3 in a few months, onec they are available again. That way I will be able to play hd and blu ray, so I will be set no matter which one wins. Personally I think HD is much better and hope they win.

If you get the toshiba hd-a2 dvd i think you better go to a good trusty dealer as the earlier models had a lot of problems.And they were also very slow to play and slow at remote control demands.See if youe dealer tells you any of this.If not he may want to unload the first batch of a2's on you.

Take 2
I had heard that of the A1's but not A2's. Thanks for the info. I think I am stuck with this one though. I am trying to drop off for firmware tomorrow. I wanted to today, but no time. Been really busy, but will definitely try to drop off tomorrow. will post on results.

I finally dropped off the DV46 at the authorized shop today for firmware upgrade. The guy told me it would only take a day or two. Hoping for an improvement in pic quality afterwards. Otherwise I guess I am left with a $300 doorstop. Will let others know as soon as I get it back.

just my final comments...

Based on my experience the player is certainly NOT worth FULL RETAIL price... at least not with my TV... but for what I paid, and what it looks like, it was worth it, and I'm keeping it...

while flipping channels, Star Wars Episode 3 was on HBO-HD... so I had to throw the DVD in the DV46 and compare...

Cable box outputs as 1080i to the TV... and you know.. I think 480i output of the DV46a looks closest to HD channel's picture... it was certainly clearer than running the player at 720p or 1080i...

There are a few close ups of General Grievous in chapters 21 & 22 on the DVD... like it zooms in on his eyes... 480i revealed more SHARP details in his face... than 1080i... The color, contrast, sharpness didn't look noticeably different than the HBO-HD signal (as i flipped back and forth)

At 480i, it now is at least the SAME as the DV440's picture quality (its too difficult to see if one really is better than the other), and in some cases (like 4X3 LB movies with TV in ZOOM mode to fill it), it outshines the DV440...

But again, if it cost me $299 + the HDMI cable.. it would have definately gone back.

It does make me wonder if the $99ish DV490 would have been just as good? Ok, so it lacks DVD-A/SACD, and its sliver... but the rest of its specs appear to be the SAME on paper...

NOTE: I adjusted my settings again after typing them in Post #95 of this thread... so I just went back and edited that post with my current settings... these will be how I leave it set up.

Pioneer finally has the full details including brochure and manual for this player on their website. I also noticed that Magnolia is carrying this player for those that are looking to check it out at a B&M.

Called the shop today to check and see what was taking so long with the firmware upgrade. Apperantly the upgrade disk erased all the programing instead of upgrading or something like that and they have to order new parts. I guess whatever acts as a hard drive to store software info. Won't be ready till next week. Maybe with a new brain it will actually work. For the others with units that aren't performing well, I will keep you posted with results next week.

I bought the DV-46AV a few days to compare to my one week old Sony DVP-NS75H and I was not impressed with the DV-46AV. The DV-46AV is a worst performing dvd player than my Sony DVP-NS75H, especially on my HQV test dvd. Here are the list of items that I did not like about the DV-46AV:
1. It failed most of the HQV tests, my DVP-NS75 did better on it.
2. Image shift problem
3. Grainy HDMI picture
4. Color banding

The only two good things about the DV-46AV are the build quaility and DVD-Audio and SACD compatible. Today I am going to return the DV-46AV to Magnolia and keep my DVP-NS75H.

Called the shop today to check and see what was taking so long with the firmware upgrade. Apperantly the upgrade disk erased all the programing instead of upgrading or something like that and they have to order new parts. I guess whatever acts as a hard drive to store software info. Won't be ready till next week. Maybe with a new brain it will actually work. For the others with units that aren't performing well, I will keep you posted with results next week.
My unit is in the shop too waiting for trhe firmware upgrade,and its been there over a week and halve........why so long.........i will call the repair shop.

I purchased the DV-46 to use with my VSX-82. Hooked it up via HDMI and they're not compatible via HDMI! Part of the reason I went with the 46 was because I was certain that Pioneer would check the compatibility amongst their own recently produced units. Unbelievable. Pioneer service says I must take the day-old player to a service center for a firmware update to (maybe) fix the problem. Also a little disappointed with the power-up delay. I wouldn't mind the 10-second or so delay if there was at least an an indicator light in the power button (like the 82) to confirm that it indeed is powering up. Thinking of just returning it and ordering the OPPO 981 instead.

Anyone had success with HDMI after the firmware update?

My unit is still in the shop, put in for firmware upgrade. I was using my PS2 as a back up player. That thing is a beast. It is original generation, I have had it for 7-8 years now and have watched well over 500 movies on it and still works great. However this past week, it took a turn for the worse. It plays, but the controllers won't respond.
Anyway, I needed something to watch while the DV46 was in the shop, and decided to go buy a cheap player to use in the meantime. Like apple_unixman I am thinking the problem with DV46 is compatibility. Since I have a toshiba DLP television, I purchased a toshiba dvd player with upconversion from BB for $90. The picture on this thing is easily 3 times better than the DV46 at 1/3 the cost. It has to have some no name piece of junk upconversion chip in it for the price, but it works way better than the pioneer. I think it even works better than the Denon 1730 that I used to have.

Will post back results when DV46 comes back from shop. Maybe I will get lucky and the acident it suffered during the upgrade (earlier post) will be unfixable and I will just get a check for $300 to buy a player that actualy works. later

admittedly I haven't read the whole thread.
but this player looks amazing.
It's upconverting is as good as my HD-A2 and the fact that it does divx and is fast to boot up is a HUGE plus for me.

So far I'm diggin it. Not 100% sure I'm going to keep it(since it'ws 2/3rds the cost of a bd player but for SD-DVD it's a deal and a half for sure.

I purchased the DV-46 to use with my VSX-82. Hooked it up via HDMI and they're not compatible via HDMI! Part of the reason I went with the 46 was because I was certain that Pioneer would check the compatibility amongst their own recently produced units. Unbelievable. Pioneer service says I must take the day-old player to a service center for a firmware update to (maybe) fix the problem. Also a little disappointed with the power-up delay. I wouldn't mind the 10-second or so delay if there was at least an an indicator light in the power button (like the 82) to confirm that it indeed is powering up. Thinking of just returning it and ordering the OPPO 981 instead.

Anyone had success with HDMI after the firmware update?
I've had NO trouble hooking the DV46 to my VSX82 via HDMI and then to my Mitsubishi WD65732.

sky042, what is the manufacturing date on the back of your Dv46? I am wondering if they did work out some of the bugs and you got a newer version? You seem to be having very different experiences with this player than most.

sky042, what is the manufacturing date on the back of your Dv46? I am wondering if they did work out some of the bugs and you got a newer version? You seem to be having very different experiences with this player than most.
Soon as I turn the lights on when the movie we're watching on it is done I'll let you know ;)

I purchased the DV-46 to use with my VSX-82. Hooked it up via HDMI and they're not compatible via HDMI! Part of the reason I went with the 46 was because I was certain that Pioneer would check the compatibility amongst their own recently produced units. Unbelievable. Pioneer service says I must take the day-old player to a service center for a firmware update to (maybe) fix the problem. Also a little disappointed with the power-up delay. I wouldn't mind the 10-second or so delay if there was at least an an indicator light in the power button (like the 82) to confirm that it indeed is powering up. Thinking of just returning it and ordering the OPPO 981 instead.

Anyone had success with HDMI after the firmware update?
Just got my player back today from firmware upgrade.I will reinstall it back into my system this weekend.Truthfully, i'm not too euphoric.I think it will be the same with not as much problems.

sky042, what is the manufacturing date on the back of your Dv46? I am wondering if they did work out some of the bugs and you got a newer version? You seem to be having very different experiences with this player than most.
I wound up returning the player (not due to performance though)
Build date was december 2006.

I called the Pioneer authorized service center today that's had my 46 for a week and they informed me they still haven't received the firmware from Pioneer. They said "we need a lot more time." I'm picking it up tomorrow and returning it. Very disappointing.

the service center has had my dv46 for two weeks now. The upgrade ruined the microprocessor inside. When he called to order a new one, they said it was on back order for 6 months. Then he asked for a whole new circuit board and pioneer said they would have to get back to them as to when they could ship that. Unreal.

The repair man also recieved an email from pioneer letting him know they had about 600 other calls from the area that they directed the customers to his shop. He said at this point he doesn't want anything to do with them.

:mad: We all picked a great dvd player didn't we.

WOW... Just WOW...

Pioneer... not as good as they used to be.... :(

I called Pioneer and told them I didn't want to have to wait 6 months for a part that may or may not fix the problem. I requested a refund. They told me that is not their policy. I have to fax a copy of my reciept and wait for a rep to contact me and then tell me I can't get a refund. I will never purchase a Pioneer product again and will be sure to warn as many others as I can.
I don't understand why a company that used to have such a good product line and reputation would start producing such lousy products, then refuse to stand by them. JVC is famous for that, ask anyone that has purchased one of thier HDILA televisions and has had to replace the $200 bulb every six months. You should see the numbef of people complaining in that forum.

Take-2
Any update on whether or not the firmware upgrade made an improvement? I have to wait six months for mine, due to back ordered part.

I returned the cheap toshiba I had purchased to use as a temp till I got the DV46 back, since I will be waiting until summer to get it back. I purchased the Toshiba HD-A2 and I have to the say the upconversion is awsome. I only tried a few movies, but Underground Evolution hasa phenominal pic, much better than the DV46 (duh) and my old Denon. It actually looked better than the PQ on the MI3 HD DVD.

As mentioned haven't tried too many others yet. I did look at Car's, becuase I had to readjust color settings for this player using the THX feature. The Cars movie was much more impressive than I had seen it on any other player.

Now if I can get pioneer to give me a refund so I don't have to use my DV46 as an expensive doorstop, I will be happy.

newtvowner, i have not yet installed the player yet.I was busy allday yesterday,but will install it today and will post the results.......again,i'm not too euphoric about this player/firmware upgrade.

Weird you guys are having such bad luck with yours.
the one I had recently from a tweeter in southeastern PA was perfect.

Well i got my player back from the firmware upgrade and hooked it up and it was what i expected.......no real change in pq.......even when i upscale to 1080i from 480i.The problem i did have was,it was working every other day :mad: .Also i tried the component output's and they were terrible :mad: :mad: .The unit NEVER did this before.I since took it back to the repair center,to get fixed again.I think i will sell this player when i get it back though,it's a shame cause when this thing works it WORKS!But thats just it,it works when it wants too.I'm almost certain that this is a hdmi issue and not the player.So i'm now looking to buy a Marantz DV6001....this is a nice player.

take-2

Thanks for the feed back. I got mine back on tuesday. Instead of waiting 6 months for a new eeprom, they replaced the whole internal circuit board.

Got home hooked it up. No difference in pic quality. To add to that there is no sound. So I have to contact pioneer again and return it to the repair center. Not only is it a pain becuase the player is a piece of junk, but the repair center is well out of my way to get to. I will never buy pioneer again. I am thinking about returning my pioneer elite reciever for something else, as the store has a 90 day period to upgrade audio stuff.

I will never buy pioneer again. JUNK

I just received mine (DV-46AV) yesterday. Paid 279.00! No problems. Video via 720p and 1080i is awesome! Great sound quality too. :)

I just received mine (DV-46AV) yesterday. Paid 279.00! No problems. Video via 720p and 1080i is awesome! Great sound quality too. :)

Are you using component or HDMI? I'm curious because I liked the PQ and styling of the 46. If HDMI, what is the build date? Are you switching the HDMI through a rcvr?

When I used component the PQ was awesome. When using HDMI directly to the TV, it was noticeably degraded regardless of how I adjusted the setings in the menu. HDMI through the Pioneer VSX-82 didn't work. A firmware update was supposed to fix the HDMI issues, but the service center that performed it on mine ruined the unit rendering it inoperable.

I'm surprised that this thread didn't contain more Pioneer Elite users raving about the unit. The reviews throughout the Internet were outstanding, but this thread seems to contradict those reviews. I'm disappointed because I really wanted the 46.

Are you using component or HDMI? I'm curious because I liked the PQ and styling of the 46. If HDMI, what is the build date? Are you switching the HDMI through a rcvr?

When I used component the PQ was awesome. When using HDMI directly to the TV, it was noticeably degraded regardless of how I adjusted the setings in the menu. HDMI through the Pioneer VSX-82 didn't work. A firmware update was supposed to fix the HDMI issues, but the service center that performed it on mine ruined the unit rendering it inoperable.

I'm surprised that this thread didn't contain more Pioneer Elite users raving about the unit. The reviews throughout the Internet were outstanding, but this thread seems to contradict those reviews. I'm disappointed because I really wanted the 46.

Using HDMI direct to my JVC 56" HD-ILA 1080p. :)

I only have the DVD player & the cable box, so I don't really care about switching though the receiver. It's a bit slower... but it's not a biggie.

Build date Dec 2006.

Interesting thing though.... is I had to wait almost 2 weeks to recieve the DVD player. Where I bought it from (Magnolia HI-FI), said it was "back ordered." I wonder if Pioneer did upgrade the firmware's before shipping. Who knows?

I should try component just to compare. Although, every movie I've tried looks great in 720p or 1080i. As a CD player... it's wonderful! Very smooth & neutral sounding compared to my older Pioneer DV-525.

Currently have a Pioneer DV-588A which is a great player and have had good reviews (but it's only 480P) since I just got myself an Elite 72TXV receiver... thinking of matching it up with a better DVD player, and also like it to match the looks of Elite... hence looking into the new Elite DV-46A... while Oppo 981 is also a great player.

Would I notice a noticable audio/video improvement if I go with either of these players? Also, isn't the 46A the same Pioneer re-badged as Elite or does it really have better components?

So, could you please tell me which is noticably better in each area?

1. Audio Quality
2. Video Quality at 480p
3. Video Quality at 1080i (1080p)
4. Features
5. Is it worth upgrading or shall I wait for hd-dvd/blu-ray?

Cheers!

Currently have a Pioneer DV-588A which is a great player and have had good reviews (but it's only 480P) since I just got myself an Elite 72TXV receiver... thinking of matching it up with a better DVD player, and also like it to match the looks of Elite... hence looking into the new Elite DV-46A... while Oppo 981 is also a great player.

Would I notice a noticable audio/video improvement if I go with either of these players? Also, isn't the 46A the same Pioneer re-badged as Elite or does it really have better components?

So, could you please tell me which is noticably better in each area?

1. Audio Quality
2. Video Quality at 480p
3. Video Quality at 1080i (1080p)
4. Features
5. Is it worth upgrading or shall I wait for hd-dvd/blu-ray?

Cheers!

On the 46 I had the audio was stunning compared to my two older DVD players. The video via component was excellent, again compared to cheaper older units. The HDMI video was not as good regardless of how I set the output. I just wanted to plug in one HDMI cable to my VSX-82 to watch DVDs and it couldn't do that.

I've read good things about the 981 and almost ordered one. Instead I bought a Toshiba HD-A2. The PQ is as good as the 46 on SD DVDs (as far as I can tell) and it also plays HD-DVDs at 1080i which are just stunning. I'm afraid I'm spoiled on HD now and might have a hard time going back to the 46. Incidentally, I'd rather have the Pioneer Blu-ray but the cost is out of the question for me.

A Quick question, is the front plate of DV-46A, Aluminium or Plastic?

A Quick question, is the front plate of DV-46A, Aluminium or Plastic?

It's a glossy plastic. I thought it looked very nice and it matches the Elite rcvrs very well.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_3442/354347888DV-46AV_med.jpg

Well i got my player back from the firmware upgrade and hooked it up and it was what i expected.......no real change in pq.......even when i upscale to 1080i from 480i.The problem i did have was,it was working every other day :mad: .Also i tried the component output's and they were terrible :mad: :mad: .The unit NEVER did this before.I since took it back to the repair center,to get fixed again.I think i will sell this player when i get it back though,it's a shame cause when this thing works it WORKS!But thats just it,it works when it wants too.I'm almost certain that this is a hdmi issue and not the player.So i'm now looking to buy a Marantz DV6001....this is a nice player.
Spoke to the repair shop yesterday,tech was on the phone with a pioneer technician at the time of my call trying to get help to fix this player.Called back later that day,and was told since the repair shop couldn't fix the problem i was having,pioneer agreed to replace the whole circuit board.So i will have to wait another week to get the player back.

Spoke to the repair shop yesterday,tech was on the phone with a pioneer technician at the time of my call trying to get help to fix this player.Called back later that day,and was told since the repair shop couldn't fix the problem i was having,pioneer agreed to replace the whole circuit board.So i will have to wait another week to get the player back.

At least you're getting the player back. I'm interested to know, after you get it back, if the PQ is different between component and HDMI. I'm using a Toshiba HD-A2 now and I'm impressed. Firmware update downloaded via the LAN port, HDMI works with the VSX-82, upconvert works as good as the 46 I think, though hard to tell without a side-by-side comparison. And HD-DVD PQ is stunning. Don't know who, if either (HD-DVD or Blu-ray) will win but for $385 the A2 is a better interim player for me than the 46.

take-2
good luck with the new circuit board. They replaced the circuit board in my DV46 and there was no difference in pic quality. I also now have no sound. I have not had time to take it back to the shop yet.

I agree with apple-unixman, I also purchased an HD-A2, recently upgraded with disc. I love it. HD dvd's look and sound awsome. The upscaling is top notch as well. I don think the HD-A2 could do a little better with blacks, but maybe I have to tweak a little.

I don't know who will win, HD or Blu-ray, looks like blu-ray at the moment becuase of their stepped up advertising compared to HD's complete lack of advertising. Maybe niether will win and both will stay around like many other formats have done.

Either way as unix-man said, for the price the HD-A2 is great all around. And even if HD loses, I will still be able to play the ones I have as well as any SD dvd's for a little bit more than what the pioneer cost me.

Hopefully I will be able to get a refund for the DV46 somewhere down the road. Then I can use the money to purchase a PS3 and be format nuetral.

Alexb76
I understand you wanting to purchase the DV46 so that your system, player and reciever, will match. I also was tempted by that. Becuase of rave reviews, I purchased the dV-46 and pioneer elite reciever to go with. With I would have went with the Denon reciever and an oppo now.

Just read the previous threads and beware you are taking a great risk purchasing this player. Many problems with player and pioneer is not backing up thier end to fix the problem or provide refunds. Personally I will never buy a pioneer product again.

As said previously am happy with toshiba. I now have toshiba vcr, HD-A2 player and DLP television. Happy with all three. Previous to the purchase of my televison and HD, I was never a toshiba fan, but I am now. They also have great customer support providing upgrades and replacements.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Alexb76
I understand you wanting to purchase the DV46 so that your system, player and reciever, will match. I also was tempted by that. Becuase of rave reviews, I purchased the dV-46 and pioneer elite reciever to go with. With I would have went with the Denon reciever and an oppo now.

Just read the previous threads and beware you are taking a great risk purchasing this player. Many problems with player and pioneer is not backing up thier end to fix the problem or provide refunds. Personally I will never buy a pioneer product again.

As said previously am happy with toshiba. I now have toshiba vcr, HD-A2 player and DLP television. Happy with all three. Previous to the purchase of my televison and HD, I was never a toshiba fan, but I am now. They also have great customer support providing upgrades and replacements.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Thanks man, it was very helpful. I am EXTREMELY happy with my Elite receiver, so shall not change that. However, it seems like that the DV46 is not a TRUE Elite product as it doesn't have the same build quality as DV59i or 79i. Albeit it's much cheaper!

I love the looks and wanted to keep my system look COOL... but not at the expense of picture quality or technical issues. So, I am keeping my old Pioneer 588 for now to see what happens in the next few weeks. Best bet seems to be Toshiba HD-DVD, if not, the Oppo as it's not that bad looking and it's black and aluminium, and PQ supposed to be best, specially with 1080P (my TV is 1080P).

Open to any other suggestions...

Cheers!

Hi everyone i'm new here.
Let me tell you about my story with the DV-46
I currently have a 50' pioneer plasma and VSX-72TXV Pioneer reciever.
My old onkyo dvd player was on it's last legs so i decided to buy a dvd player that was good and would fit in well with my system.
I went to best buy and found a nice yamaha player and decided to buy it. Unfortunatly the HDMI wasn't HDCP compatible. So i returned it and chose the dv-46. They didn't have it in stock so i ended up buying it in another state(work trip near there so it was no biggie).
After bringing it home i hooked it up to my system via hdmi.
No video only audio, tried every possible configuration etc. no luck.
Next day called pioneer to find out why.
They tell me that the hdmi has to be upgraded firmware, that i should bring it in to closest authorized repair shop. Found one about 50 minutes away, drove there and dropped it off and the guy told me in a couple of days it would be done.
Note: purchased player on november 29th, 2006 and dropped it off around december 3rd 2006.
A week went by and nothing. called repair shop and he told me that he was waiting for pioneer to send him the stuff he needs to do the upgrade.
Another week goes by and i happen to be near the area and stopped by. same excuse as before.
called pioneer and asked them about sending the stuff. they told me they had sent it.
called repair guy, he said they sent him the wrong stuff...sigh.
Well this went back and forth for another 2 weeks...i had enough, drove to the repair shop and took my player from him. the guy never opened the box...lol
Called pioneer that they had to do something...they told me to send it too them. fine i did.
Note: the player was at the repair shop till the 1st week of january 2007.
Well after waiting again for one week and no response i called pioneer. they told me it would be done that week...waited another week...nothing
called pioneer and asked for my player and to speak to someone that can resolve my situation. they promised me someone will call me...never did.
this goes on for another week or so. Call pioneer and refuse to get off the phone till someone tells me what they are going to do, to resolve my issue. they promise me that i will get my player feb 14th 2007. fine.
Well i did receive my player feb. 14th 2007. was out of town so didn't have a chance to try it till friday the 16th 2007. The player had the same problem like when i started. not a thing was done.
i just ran out of patience. I have been watching this post for sometime and had to post myself as to what happened to me.
I am at a loss of any uncensorable words.
Manufacture date was june 2006.
My 30 days to return this item has long passed.
I have connected via component and it appears to play fine, in progressive it plays horrible
Audio through optical sounds good.
I just wanted it simple through hdmi..obviously that doesn't seem in pioneers capability.
Till now pioneer was helpful and i believed in their products and did get good help, but this has gone beyond anyones acceptable threshold of patients.
I will definetly not recommend this player to anyone and anyone thinking of getting it fixed...pioneer is incapable of fixing it.
Sorry for the long post, i just had to get it out of my system.
and i feel with the people who bought this player and had an issue.

Macdeth,i'm sorry to hear about your problem with the dv-46,but i'm not shocked either!I bought my first player 10-20-06 and went through 3 different units, until i finally found one that would work.And it did,only when it wanted to.My first players were like yours,audio no video.So its now mid February and no dv-46,it's still in the shop.They don't know how to fix it and i'm well beyond my 30 days to return it.VERY MAD AT PIONEER ELECTRONICS!!!!!!!!

I'm pretty new to this board but recently purchased the Elite 46AV player along with an Elite 42" Plasma (Pro-940) and the Elite 82 Receiver. All three have been very good products. All are hooked up with HDMI.....player through the receiver and receiver to tv.....very impressive piucture quality!

So there are at least some of us that have good experiences with this model.....

Some previous posters had mentioned that there is no visual difference between 480i, 720, and 1080i and I agree I too can't see any difference between the settings but the picture quality is amazing regardless. It just doesn't really change from worse to better, it just stays the same....

The elite 46Av player has been very good to me sorry you guys are having serious problems. The picture quality on some movies is a little bit lower quality than others but I guess that is specific to the movie. I recently watched Kingdom of Heaven on a 1080i HD cable feed and own the DVD and threw it in to compare the DVD player.....it managed to come within 75% of the picture quality of the HD cable feed to my eyes.

Anyway, I hope many of you manage to get it working soon......

could you tell me the manufacture date of your model?
i'm sure the player is good but i have a feeling that before a certain date they made them bad.
i called them yesterday and again they blew me off and said someone will call me back, it's as if they are trying to ignore the problem with hopes it will go away.
take-2 is over 4 months and i'm over 3 months...how long are we supposed to be without a dvd player? especially a $300 one.
i'm glad you have a good experience with it, it at least tells me it could be a great player.

could you tell me the manufacture date of your model?
i'm sure the player is good but i have a feeling that before a certain date they made them bad.
i called them yesterday and again they blew me off and said someone will call me back, it's as if they are trying to ignore the problem with hopes it will go away.
take-2 is over 4 months and i'm over 3 months...how long are we supposed to be without a dvd player? especially a $300 one.
i'm glad you have a good experience with it, it at least tells me it could be a great player.

Yeah, I purchased first week of Jan in '07 and it is a Dec 2006 build.....hope that helps...I'm sure the're are better players out there but for me it has been very good and on several movies comes close to HD.....

I bet that in a few months we'll have a choice of a few all-in-one players, playing upconverted DVD, Blue disk and HD DVD due to the new LG player recently launched ......so for many it might be worth the wait.....

Just got my player back with it's new circuit board,an i'ts working ok! Have not played with it much,and have not tried component.My fingers are crossed that i will have NO more problems.

I'm pretty new to this board but recently purchased the Elite 46AV player along with an Elite 42" Plasma (Pro-940) and the Elite 82 Receiver. All three have been very good products. All are hooked up with HDMI.....player through the receiver and receiver to tv.....very impressive piucture quality!

So there are at least some of us that have good experiences with this model.....

Some previous posters had mentioned that there is no visual difference between 480i, 720, and 1080i and I agree I too can't see any difference between the settings but the picture quality is amazing regardless. It just doesn't really change from worse to better, it just stays the same....

The elite 46Av player has been very good to me sorry you guys are having serious problems. The picture quality on some movies is a little bit lower quality than others but I guess that is specific to the movie. I recently watched Kingdom of Heaven on a 1080i HD cable feed and own the DVD and threw it in to compare the DVD player.....it managed to come within 75% of the picture quality of the HD cable feed to my eyes.

Anyway, I hope many of you manage to get it working soon......

I have to agree. I've had / owned Pioneer products for 20 years. Never had any problems mentioned. I've had my 46av for almost 1 month. Excellent video quality via HDMI on my JVC 56" HD-ILA.

Granted some movies look better than others....but like you said it depends on the transfer of the DVD. Heck, I was watching Revenge of the Sith last night... and it looks amazing! Star Trek Nemisis looks excellent too! Pretty close to even a Pioneer blue ray DVD on a plasma I saw at the local video store. Also, pretty close to what my Comcast HD cable provides. The sound is warm and very clear. :) No issues here. :)

HDMI out on mine is now giving a problem...

Power the DVD player on, switch the TV to the HDMI input.. and the HDMI light on the player flashes... and I get no video on the TV (just the normal TV flag showing the input and such), nothing from the DVD player. :mad:

Component and Svideo out still work.

Unplug/replug the HDMI cable, at both ends.. didn't help... Either the DVD player, the cable, or the TV's input went bad... any one want to take bets on which one? (I don't have another HDMI device to try it with.)

EDIT: HDMI cable was disconnected for about 3 days... I just re-connected it and tried again... its working now :confused:

HDMI out on mine is now giving a problem...

Power the DVD player on, switch the TV to the HDMI input.. and the HDMI light on the player flashes... and I get no video on the TV (just the normal TV flag showing the input and such), nothing from the DVD player. :mad:

Component and Svideo out still work.

Unplug/replug the HDMI cable, at both ends.. didn't help... Either the DVD player, the cable, or the TV's input went bad... any one want to take bets on which one? (I don't have another HDMI device to try it with.)

EDIT: HDMI cable was disconnected for about 3 days... I just re-connected it and tried again... its working now :confused:
This is what mine was doing also,I just gotten it fixed and i jumped the gun alittle by saying the new circiut board fixed my problem.Nah ah!! It still doing what it was previously.I still don't think it's the problem with the player,i think it's the hdmi format.When hdmi is clear of bugs,and incorporated into these players,we should have no ploblem.

I just got the Pioneer DV-696 ..gotta say though that video looks worse (very grainy, dark, and red) through HDMI on my Samsung 4253 plasma compared to my old JVC Progressive Scan player via component input..whats up with that?

HDMI out on mine is now giving a problem...

Power the DVD player on, switch the TV to the HDMI input.. and the HDMI light on the player flashes... and I get no video on the TV (just the normal TV flag showing the input and such), nothing from the DVD player. :mad:

Component and Svideo out still work.
Update... it seems if I power the DV-46 on, and then switch the TV to the HDMI input, the video is messed up...

BUT... If I switch the TV to the DVD/HDMI input, then power the player on.. its fine :confused:

I just got the Pioneer DV-696 ..gotta say though that video looks worse (very grainy, dark, and red) through HDMI on my Samsung 4253 plasma compared to my old JVC Progressive Scan player via component input..whats up with that?Look back in the thread.. there are a lot of reports of people being unhappy with the quality of this player. Grainy and Red are two issues others have observed...

Update... it seems if I power the DV-46 on, and then switch the TV to the HDMI input, the video is messed up...

BUT... If I switch the TV to the DVD/HDMI input, then power the player on.. its fine :confused:

Man, this could be your TV. HDMI communicates the resolution, so when the sequence is not right, it may mess it up. I know that similar thing happens with my Cable box HDMI. Sometimes, need to reset and stuff to get it right, sometimes can only get audio and no video, need to power off and on. Never had issues like that with component though.

It's not the player, I tell you!

I bought my Dv-46av in December and it was in the shop too for a while. The production date was October 2006. I have it connected to a VSX--74 and was having the same problems as everyone else with the hdmi.

I finally got it back and also had the firmware updated on my 74 as well. It took a couple of weeks but now everything is great. I took it to a shop in Concord CA called Provideo. I highly recommend them if you're local or mail the thing to them. The tech actually went to a class hosted by Pioneer on how to update the firmware on the dv-46, vsx-72,74,81,82 and 82 receivers. All pionneer receivers and DVD players build before December 2006 will have this problem!!! Pioneer has since fixed the firmware in all new models of the 46 and 80 receiver line.

Good luck!!!

I bought my Dv-46av in December and it was in the shop too for a while. The production date was October 2006. I have it connected to a VSX--74 and was having the same problems as everyone else with the hdmi.

I finally got it back and also had the firmware updated on my 74 as well. It took a couple of weeks but now everything is great. I took it to a shop in Concord CA called Provideo. I highly recommend them if you're local or mail the thing to them. The tech actually went to a class hosted by Pioneer on how to update the firmware on the dv-46, vsx-72,74,81,82 and 82 receivers. All pionneer receivers and DVD players build before December 2006 will have this problem!!! Pioneer has since fixed the firmware in all new models of the 46 and 80 receiver line.

Good luck!!!

How do you get the Receiver's firmware updated? I have a 72TX... Shall I just call em?

I still haven't had the optical sound output fixed on mine yet. Now that I have the ability to watch HD and BR, my DV-46 is pretty much taking up space on my A/V pier

I got the player today and so far so good. HDMI PQ is great straight into my TV! Audio through HDMI turned off and then output to my AVR via optical sounds crisp and clear, very strong audio quality. I will say the unit has an extremely nice menu to navigate and settings are easy to find and change. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to make the leap into mid-range dvd.

Hello!
My friend just bougth US version of DV-696AV - Pioneer DV-46AV.
Its FW version is YDD6628A and Region Free, but in
pioneerfaq.info/english/dv696
for Europe all versions are beginning with YDC, for example YDC6628A and in common MTK Remaker shows Y*C*****.BIN
Unfortunately he didn't like VERY small subs for DivX/Xvid so he want to change FW with unofficial. The only problem is this small difference in FW file name.
This D after Y in DV-46AV maybe is for different DVD region only or maybe shows other differences?
I don't know letters after model number (DV-696AV) and their meaning, so can somebody help with it? Because he found Service manual for DV-46AV for region 1/ DV-696AV versions for DVD Region 1, 3 & 4 but not for 2. They are absolutely identical, exept some flash rom in DVD MT ASSY part, that rules DVD mecha.

If somebody knows, please just tell us can we use FW for DV-696AV for DV-46AV directly without problems and "killing player! Or a link for DV-46AV officilal /unofficial FW!

Thank you in advance!

Just wondering if I will have problems playing Memorex DVD+R with the DV-46AV? I'm currently unable to finish a movie w/ my Sony S7700. It pauses and jumps ahead a few minutes. (It's a 1st or 2nd gen player) Thanks.

I have also have 2 DV-46AV SVD players and have noticed that there is not a great difference in PQ when the HDMI output resolution is switched between 480P to 720P or 1080I. I have noticed that the height of the black bars increases as the resolution is changed. There is more of a black bar at 720P than at 480P and even more at 1080I. Is this normal.

Also, I do not really see any feedback from the firmware upgrade that indicates a increase in PQ after the upgrade, is this true.

Thanks

Hello,

Can somebody tell me where can I find an original FW for DV-46AV (YDD6628A),or last firmware upgrade,

Thanks

I have also have 2 DV-46AV SVD players and have noticed that there is not a great difference in PQ when the HDMI output resolution is switched between 480P to 720P or 1080I. I have noticed that the height of the black bars increases as the resolution is changed. There is more of a black bar at 720P than at 480P and even more at 1080I. Is this normal.
start reading at about post #87 of this thread...

Thanks Mark_Venture. I read thru all of the post and it appears like there was no conclusive information on either of the issues I asked.

1. Does the new firmware resolve anything

2. Why are we seeing larger black bars at the top and bottom of the screen when we change output resolutions.

Thanks

I just got a new tv yesterday,a Sharp lc-42d72u.I hooked up the dv-46av to it and it is working great!!!!!.Even when i change the resolution(480i-1080i)YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERANCES AS YOU GO THROUGH THE RESOLUTIONS.I like this tv alot,but what really made me lean heavily to a Sharp was it was one of a few tv's out that has a hdmi version 1.3 so i new that this would indeed help the dv46av,as it will always communicate with each other better than a 1.1 to 1.1 version hdmi.

Are owners of Pioneer Elite's dv-46av still having problems?

I just rcvd my DV-46AV back from the Pioneer service center and they did the new firmware upgrade. I do notice that there is better PQ when the HDMI resolution is changed from 480P to 780P and 1080I. What is now strange is that when the HDMI resolution is changed from 480P to 720P and 1080 there are black bars on the side of the picture in addition to the top when I play a DVD that was recorded on a Humax DVD recorder. This does not happen on the Sony 75 DVD player I have. When I do the same test with a store bought DVD (Million Dollar Baby) there are no black bars on either player on the side only on the top when I change HDMI resolutions. Any ideas. I have a second DV 46 that has not been upgraded at a friends house, so I am going to perform the same test and see what happens.

Hello!
Is there in DV-46AV any DTS decoding of MPEG4 files or not?? I want to know whether or not this unit output DTS audio from MPEG4/DVD on 2ch downmix and 6ch analog, or on Digital audio and HDMI only??

I've had mine for almost 4 months, and still no issues/problems. 1080i looks awesome on my JVC HD-ILA 56" :)

bought this player several days ago ,hooked up to a panny th4275u plasma,am comparing it to my s97 panny both thru hdmi ,also running comparison to panny rp91 thru component at 480p output on same display ,so far so good, audio is not as good as the panny players ,but i bought it at a steal of a price for my bedroom system a 32hl67 toshiba regza lcd, it shold work well together! also anyone interested i have one new in box forsale for 275.00 shipped!

I have had my 46AV for a while now and have been pleased with it for the most part. The one thing that bothers me that I am seeing can also be categorized as an "image shift" when upscaling to 720p/1080i. Basically, the whole image appears shifted slightly upward on my screen (I'm using a Sony 57" rear projection CRT w/HDMI) with any content that is wider than 1.76:1.

It is more annoying with 1.85:1 films than with 2:35:1, however, since the former will display a single, thin black bar on the bottom only.

I'm not seeing any of the other problems you've identified and think this player will get me by until the HD format war is settled, but I am curious about this one item since it may impact how other HD signals appear over my HDMI port. I may be getting an upconverting A/V receiver in the future and I'm hoping I do not see the same behavior as it may be inherent in my display. Any future HD player will raise the same concern. It doesn't make sense to see this shift since my TV's built-in HD tuner does not have this problem with 720p or 1080i broadcasts.

If it is only the 46AV player that is doing this, I can live with it for now.


I bought the DV-46AV a few days to compare to my one week old Sony DVP-NS75H and I was not impressed with the DV-46AV. The DV-46AV is a worst performing dvd player than my Sony DVP-NS75H, especially on my HQV test dvd. Here are the list of items that I did not like about the DV-46AV:
1. It failed most of the HQV tests, my DVP-NS75 did better on it.
2. Image shift problem
3. Grainy HDMI picture
4. Color banding

The only two good things about the DV-46AV are the build quaility and DVD-Audio and SACD compatible. Today I am going to return the DV-46AV to Magnolia and keep my DVP-NS75H.

How is the layer change?

Very smooth in my experience.

How is the layer change?

Everyone on here that is saying they have bigger black bars. i have the same thing. the bottom one is always bigger than the top bar. i will call pioneer tomorow and see what they say about this. if i hear anything i will let you know. does anyone here know if this "image shifting" is a problem, can it be fixed, or should i just get a different DVD player. it really annoys me to pay 300 for a dvd player and it screws the widescreen bars up.

as i'm reading the posts on this thread i hear alot about "overscan" on the TV. what is this and can i change it on my pioneer 60 plasma tv. and what does it do. would i want to change it.

The guys at pioneer told me to take it back to the store and get a new one. so obviously it's not normal.

I know this a bit late but I was wondering if folks still are noticing quirks with this player. I have a dv-46 March 2007 build date and was using it via component for the longest time into my old Sony XBR crt with not real issues noticed. However a month ago I got a PDP-5080 Pio plasma and am running HDMI straight into the display from the DV-46 and am noticing what others have said about this player...there is a very visible vertical image squash when cycling through the resolutions (480->720->1080). The letterbox bars get taller and the image gets squished. I see no real change in PQ whatsoever when changing resolutions. Since my panel is a 1365X768 would it be best to just leave my player set at 480 output and have the scaler in my display upscale the image once versus upscaling once in the player and then the panel upscaling yet again to native resolution? I did read somewhere else that for many dvd-display combinations this is actually a better way to go but since I am a relative newbie when it comes to this technology I really would appreciate any feedback from you more experienced folks. Many thanks in advance.

Best wishes to all,

Will

my 46av freezes up 3/4 through on us version dvd, where can i go to get fix?

...Since my panel is a 1365X768 would it be best to just leave my player set at 480 output and have the scaler in my display upscale the image once versus upscaling once in the player and then the panel upscaling yet again to native resolution? I did read somewhere else that for many dvd-display combinations this is actually a better way to go but since I am a relative newbie when it comes to this technology I really would appreciate any feedback from you more experienced folks. Many thanks in advance.

Best wishes to all,

WillI'm not more "experienced"... I'm not on the bleeding edge.. I stick with what I have until it dies... :)

It really depends on the upscaling qualities of your TV vs the upscaling quality of the player...

I find that with the DV46's output set as 480i over HDMI, I get the best picture from my Sony 42" LCD RP.. I let the TV up convert Its panel's native resolution is also 1365x768...

well ladies and gentleman it's been almost 1 year since my last post and nothing has changed!
after my last post i finally did reach someone that promised me all things will be resolved (3 or 4 attempts... memory now fades me).
as per his quote "we will send you a mail ticket to send in your player" and i believe it was somewhere in upstate NY "and they will fix it"
ok so i waited and waited and waited... till TODAY!!!
I'm not really the type to just quit but i'm sorry to say i did.
stay away from this player...if you still have a warranty return it and find something else.
i love my pio plasma and receiver but with this player it's all fishy.
yes i do still use it but only through component, as i have no choice!
blu-ray....i'll really be careful this time...and i'm no longer sticking to brand(pioneer)...i will really think about their product again.
damn their plasma is nice though...shame they made me rethink their product...as i was quite /really satisfied till the player.
make your own opinion but be wary of this player.
sorry for the ramble but.........................................$@*# !!!

WARNING - You all need to think a little bit before jumping to conclusions. First off, I own this unit and love it. Next, you will notice people telling you to buy Oppo DVD Players instead. These are the SAME people telling you the Elite is junk! Why would they have both? Now, Axiom audio owns Oppo and they tell people buying their speakers to make sure to get an Oppo DVD Player for optimal audio and video performance. NOW, notice the reviews ALL OVER the internet which rank the Elite FAR BETTER than the Oppo in every review on both audio and video. Now, Axiom audio makes good speakers but the company is not honest as I have an inside connection. I also know there is an inside person that goes by multiple usernames on AVS forum and much more telling people all else is junk and buy Oppo. He gets kick backs for this in the form of a bonus. Sure any unit is going to have a few lemons and some may need an update. I've owned TONS of dvd players and have had TONS of peoples with many of them. Pioneer has been the most reliable. I've had a Denon that old lasted 5 months till the laser went bad and an Onkyo that turned off all the time in the middle of playing. But Both Onkyo and Denon make good products and so does Pioneer. Also, a Pioneer authorized dealer would not put a customer through what has been described here because the authorized repair centers get paid directly from Pioneer to fix the product and make the customer happy. Also, I am not biased to Pioneer. I favor Yamaha in a lot of areas due to being highly reliable as well. Food for thought.

l

All this player really is is a 2006 version of the Pioneer DV-588A-S with the addition of HDMI version 1.1. It uses the MediaTek MT1389 as an MPEG decoder and video processor. It does not use advanced video processing by Anchor Bay, Faroudja, Silicon Optics Realta, etc.. It uses the same analog audio section as the DV-588A-S, including the Burr-Brown PCM1742 DACs, which can't accept DSD. Therefore, DSD gets converted to PCM before it reaches the analog section. To those of you who have no idea this is an incarnation of Pioneer's budget design, I'm sorry to break the bad news. I have no problem with Pioneer's budget players. I am a huge fan of their durability, build quality, and user interface. I just hate the idea of paying double if there are no added benifits. HDMI version 1.1 is a digital output. So unless they added advanced video processing and/or a better 5.1 analog section than in the DV-588A-S, there is no reason you should be paying double. In fact, this player was originally supposed to be released throughout the world as the DV-696AV for $150. However, Pioneer's North American branches changed their marketing MO and decided to market it as part of their Elite lineup as the DV-46AV and double the normal MSRP to $300. To this day, I don't understand why Pioneer's North American branches did this. They did the same thing with the DV-600AV/48AV. yet, their MSRP returned closer to normal with the DV-610AV/49AV. I do give Vanns and Abt credit for recognizing Pioneer's new marketing MO, and deciding to sell the DV-48AV at a more normal price.

Another thing ... If you go to http://www.pioneerdirect.com and do a search for the DV-46AV, you'll notice two hardcopy editions of service manuals come up - one for the DV-696AV, and another one for the DV-46AV. This further proves my theory about Pioneer's marketing MO.

After a hack report I read at http://www.videohelp.com/dvdhacks/onkyo-dv-sp404e/7658, I have discovered that the Onkyo DV-SP404 is a Pioneer DV-490V in pure flesh and blood. If you clicked on the first URL, you will notice that the first three letters of the Onkyo firmware are YEB. The first three letters of the Pioneer firmware are YDB. Yet the Onkyo and Pioneer firmwares are interchangeable! This leads me to believe that North American Pioneer Elite universal players as of 2006 might actually have international counterparts. For example, DV-46AV = DV-696AV, DV-48AV = DV-600AV, and DV-49AV = DV-610AV. Therefore, even though your DV-46AV's firmware begins with YDD, the DV-696AV firmware that begins with YDC might be compatible with the DV-46AV! The odds are 50% you could harm your player, and 50% everything will go very well. Because I just told you the odds, it is not my fault if you wind up with a damaged player should you decide to try this experament. If anything ever did go wrong, it would probibly be less expensive just to get a new player as opposed to paying for out-of-warranty parts and labor repairs. Here are the instructions for making the DV-46AV multi-region in case you are interested.

1. Check your DV-46AV's firmware.

A. Turn on the player. Wait for the 'Loading' message to disappear from the TV screen.

B. Press 'HOME MENU' on the remote control.

C. Using the arrow keys, highlight 'Initial settings.'

D. Press 'ENTER.'

E. Using the arrow keys, highlight 'Options,' but do not press 'ENTER.'

F. Press 'DISPLAY.' You will see your current region and firmware version.

G. Press 'HOME MENU' to exit.

2. Download http://www.pioneerfaq.info/click/click.php?id=308 for multi-region, and if you are a Pioneer purist, http://www.pioneerfaq.info/click/click.php?id=280 for the most up-to-date Pioneer factory firmware. (There is no firmware beginning with 'YDD' at that site because the person who runs it works with European players, but he/she told me that unmodified factory firmware is not country specific and does not change the region and TV system).

3. Unzip the files.

4. Change the file names from 'YDC7B16A.BIN' to 'YDD7B16A.BIN.'

5. On separate discs, burn the multi-region version and the original Pioneer version with each disc having 'PIONEER' as its volume label, without the quotes. Because these firmware files are both called 'YDD7B16A.BIN,' you should mark the label side of each disc right after you burn each disc so you know what firmware you will be installing.

6. Insert the disc with the modified firmware into the DV-46AV.

7. Press play on the front pannel when you see the onscreen prompt that tells you to do so.

A. As soon as the tray opens, IMMEDIATELY remove the disc. Don't touch the player until the tray closes and you see the factory default startup screen. If the auto-upgrade portion only took a minute or two, procede with step 8. If ten minutes elapse and the TV screen is black while the front pannel says 'Loading,' do not press any buttons on the front pannel or remote. Procede with step 7B.

B. Push the tray in by hand. Disrupt power to the DV-46AV (unplug the power cord from the wall or the back of the player, turn off the power strip, etc.).

C. Wait a few seconds and reconnect or reactivate power.

D. Turn on the player with the power button and procede with step 8.

8. Select your language.

9. Select CANCEL.

10. Hold the ENTER key to the right of the 0 until the player turns off. Now it is multi-region even if it still says Region 1 if you were to check the firmware. Also, now that you made the EEPROM multi-region, the player will remain multi-region no matter what firmware you install unless you hold the CLEAR key to the left of the 0, using the modified firmware.

11. Turn the player back on.

12. If you like the extra features, then go into the setup menus and reconfigure your preferences and you are good to go. If you wish to return to strictly Pioneer firmware, procede with step 13.

13. Insert the disc with the original Pioneer firmware.

14. Press play when you see the onscreen prompt that tells you to do so.

15. As soon as the tray opens, IMMEDIATELY remove the disc. Don't touch the player until the tray closes and you see the factory default startup screen.

16. As soon as the tray closes and you see the factory default startup screen, make all your prefered settings and you are good to go. Good luck!

It worked for someone at the DV-49AV thread when they renamed the DV-610AV firmware files to correspond with the DV-49AV. That report gave me all the reassureance I need regarding Pioneer's marketing MO should I get a DV-46AV/48AV/49AV and wish to try the firmware at http://www.pioneerfaq.info. This might correct those HDMI issues with the black bars and subtle difference between 480p and 720p/1080i that have been troubling you guys. The best thing about it is that you might be able to get this done in an hour and not have to send your player to Pioneer!

I just read through almost every post of this thread. After my good experience with Pioneer players, I can't believe the problems you guys have been having with the DV-46AV! After owning two Yamaha players made by Philips (the DVD-C750 and DVD-C950 5-disc changers) and two Pioneer DVD players (the XV-HTD540 DVD player/receiver/amp and a DV-58AV high-end universal player), and possibly getting a third one( the DV-49AV mid-end universal player) in a week or two, I can tell you that every player has its strengths and its weaknesses. The important thing to ask yourself is what combination of strengths and weaknesses you can live with. My Yamaha players have average audio. My DVD-C750 freezes up. Also, its tray gets stuck! My Pioneer XV-HTD540 lasted for five years. Its only weakness is that its SACD bass management is preprogrammed to work with the speakers that came with it. My Pioneer Elite DV-58AV's only weakness is poor analog video performance. Its analog audio and HDMI video are great. Both of my Pioneer players have a high build quality. I'm hoping that the DV-49AV will have better analog video than my 58. I prefer Pioneer because of their high-quality disc mechanisms, as well as the added bonus of being able to download firmware from pioneerfaq.info, allowing me to upgrade it myself without sending it away. In fact, if I could go back in time to 2006, I wouldn't get a Yamaha changer. I would get myself a DV-46AV and installed Hakan's DV-696AV modded firmware on it. The only things I would have lost were the HDMI color and resolution buttons, as well as the FL DIMMER remote button, and in their place, I would get multi-system, multi-region, disabling of PUOs, DVD Fast Start, and switchable black level. I'd only take mine to a service shop if something happened to its disc mechanism or something like that.