Samsung DVD-1080PK Vs Pioneer DV-600AV-S

[thevortex]

How about the new Sony DVP-NS708HP/B ? Seems to have comparable specs, any idea how the Sony would compare to the Samsung and the Pioneer?

Also, are there any panasonic models worth considering? I don't want to spend more than 6k on the player, so the Denons etc., are out of question for me.

No Sony DVD player out there has an USB input - if that matters to you. As otherwise, there is nothing earthshakingly different between these three brands - Sony/Samsung/Philips

 

[venkatcr]

In my personal opinion, Pioneer is better than Philips or Sony, simple because they have been manufacturing DVD Players for a long time. If you see Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity and their famous DVD Player Benchmark, Pioneer have always been at the top along with Panasonic and such brands. The benchmark is not much appreciative of either Sony or Philips, at least in their budget variety.

Pioneer has been using a proven internal transport and basic video circuity for a long time. The new models do have additional features and connectivity, but the players dependability, MPEG decoding, and DAC circuitry have been rock solid for a long time.

At 6K, the DV-600 will be hard to beat.

Flared, don't even look at Panasonic, Denon and other brands. They are more expensive and outside your budget.

If you can lay your hands on a good piece of the DV-600, I think you should go in for it. Even a DV-400 is very very good.

Cheers

 

[jacz]

Just pick it up if its 6k. I took the same some 6 months back by paying around 7k equivlant USD. Dont worry about the region. You can upgrade the firmware apart from that my DV600 is in region 3 and it plays almost all the DVD's without any issues.

yes, As TheVortex says, it is a very good price. Just ensure that it is set for Region code Zero before you shelve you cash out. Resetting region codes in Pioneers seems to be difficult.

One way to check is to see the back of the player. There will be a Region Code Logo as shown below. This must have the number 0. If not, and the seller says it is region free, play a couple of DVDs and check for yourself.

 

[psychotropic]

Is there some confirmation on that 6k price? Also buying a Pioneer, i assume, would mean buying grey right? and that would mean no warranty? So is it worth going for that route?

 

[venkatcr]

Just pick it up if its 6k. I took the same some 6 months back by paying around 7k equivlant USD. Dont worry about the region. You can upgrade the firmware apart from that my DV600 is in region 3 and it plays almost all the DVD's without any issues.

I would a bit careful here, as I have had some tense moments with Pioneer. I purchased a 686 from Europe, and it refused to play any DVD other than with Region Code 2. When I checked with Pioneer's service centres here in Chennai and Mumbai they told me that they have been instructed by the parent company not to encourage region code conversion. I wrote to both Pioneer Europe, and to Pioneer Singapore. They both came back with the same answer - Pioneer does not encourage region code change and will not provide any software or firmware upgrade for this.

Yes I know there are other ways of doing the region code change. But such methods are always fraught with danger unless it is backed by the manufacturer as Oppo does. In addition, third party firmware upgrades for Pioneer are complicated. I am also not sure whether firmware upgrades have been released for the 400 and 600.

Is there some confirmation on that 6k price? Also buying a Pioneer, i assume, would mean buying grey right? and that would mean no warranty? So is it worth going for that route?

I am not sure about the price, but yes that price will be in the grey market. Regarding warranty, look at this way. DVD players have become commodity items much like mobile phones. I purchased a Philips DVD player a few years ago for about 10,000. When it stopped working, the service center said it will cost me 15,000 to get it repaired and it will take 8 to 10 weeks as he has to import the parts.

I expect a budget DVD player to for work for 2 to 3 years without any hassle. After that, the best thing is to discard it and buy a new one. Technology would have changed, new features will come in.

On a safer note, I see a number of Pioneer service centers across the country, and they will service a Pioneer product irrespective of where you have brought it from.

If I were in your shoes, I would take a detailed demo, check the region code, and go for it.

 

[flared]

The US prices are in the mid 7k mark so i'm very sceptical about the price I got. Anyway, I have messaged him the model number and have asked him to revert with the correct price.

 

[sulivan]

Hi,
With a Stereo Amp, If I want to listen to the audio only of DVD/SACD/DVD-audio etc, what should I do. Ofcourse the video is connected with component to the philips (100hz) crt TV.
Does the players from samsung(1080pk),Pioneer(610-AV-K) or the new sony/philips can do this. Whatever the medium is, I want full audio fed to my stereo amp.
Will Connecting the L-R to AUX-in or CD-in of the amp will do?
Does the DD decoding in pioneer do have and edge?
-Any thoughts-

 

[psychotropic]

Hi flared, have you bought your DVD player as yet, from the TV threads and the DVD player threads, it looks like we're on a similar quest (i was aon a similar quest with someone else, till i irresponsibly decided to up my target to a 42" plasma instead ofa 32" LCD).

I am most likely to go for a Samsung Plasma (because it is 7k cheaper than the Panny), in that case, would it not make sense for me to go for the Samsung DVP if it's a good model?

Oh also, do you have a confirmation on the price for the Pioneer 600? If it is actually available for 6k then i might look at picking it up instead of paying 5k for the Sammy.

 

[flared]

Nope, I'm gonna wait till Diwali.
The contact I tried never got back to me with the actual prices. I didnt follow up since I was not in a hurry.

Phillips 5996 is also supposed to be a good upscaling player. Check that out too. I really dont have an opinion on the players as I have not auditioned any of them.

Please don't make up your mind on the tv without actually seeing it. Look out for artifacts and motion trails when you audition them.

 

[illusion]

Flared, the Pioneer has the capability to play DVD-A and SACD. That is one clear advantage that the Pioneer has. In addition the Samsung does not decode DTS, one of the most common audio coding that come with movies.

If these are not relevant to you, both are equally good for Video and audio. I am personally using a DV-585 and a DV-686, earlier models of Pioneer, and I am very happy with their performances. I have also seen a Samsung perform, and it is also very good. The reason I chose the Pioneers were for SACD, DVD-A, and it's USB capabilities. Pioneer has a reputation in the market that it is capable of playing literally any disc you throw at it.

What I would suggest is that you audition both players before deciding. If a Pioneer 600 is not available in your town, I am sure a Pioneer 400 will be available. That is more common and has been around for some time. The differences between the 400 and 600 will be better features in the 600.

Cheers

Can pioneer read Multisession DVD's ?? Also does it have a USB 2.0 slot ?

 

[thevortex]

Can pioneer read Multisession DVD's ?? Also does it have a USB 2.0 slot ?

Thats a true and true. Pioneer can do both.

 

[spirovious]

In my personal opinion, Pioneer is better than Philips or Sony, simple because they have been manufacturing DVD Players for a long time. If you see Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity and their famous DVD Player Benchmark, Pioneer have always been at the top along with Panasonic and such brands. The benchmark is not much appreciative of either Sony or Philips, at least in their budget variety.

Pioneer has been using a proven internal transport and basic video circuity for a long time. The new models do have additional features and connectivity, but the players dependability, MPEG decoding, and DAC circuitry have been rock solid for a long time.

At 6K, the DV-600 will be hard to beat.

Flared, don't even look at Panasonic, Denon and other brands. They are more expensive and outside your budget.

If you can lay your hands on a good piece of the DV-600, I think you should go in for it. Even a DV-400 is very very good.

Cheers

What about sound out compare to Dennon?

 

[venkatcr]

What about sound out compare to Dennon?

Spirovious, the Pioneer, Samsung etc., are all budget DVD Players. You should use a coaxial/optical/HDMi out and allow the AVR to do the DAC and sound decoding.

The Denon players are in a different league with better build for DAC and sound decoding. But they are also, at least, twice as costlier even for the lowest 1740 model. If you want the DVD Player to do DAC and sound decoding, yes, the Denon should be better.

But the comparison with budget Pioneer and Samsung players will not be fair as they are different price points.

Cheers

 

[illusion]

I am quite confused between the two( Pioneer , Samsung). My requirements are as following:-

MY AVR will do all the sound decodings, so as far as sound is concerned any dvd player with digital optical out is enough for me. I play 99% divx movies mainly documentaries and English movies downloaded from the Internet and I will be playing them through a flash drive or preferably a 250gb hdd ( I intend to buy one later on) so USB 2.0 is a must. DVD-A capability is not much required as I don??t have any 5.1 discs !
Now both Samsung and Pioneer have all my above features. So now the face off is more about which DVD Player plays Divx Video best ?? For me that is most important. I have ruled out Phillips has it does not have optical digital out. Help here would be really appreciated. I intend to buy this player within next week max.
I am ready to pay the price differential of pioneer if the video quality will be better .

 

[thevortex]

I am quite confused between the two( Pioneer , Samsung). My requirements are as following:-

MY AVR will do all the sound decodings, so as far as sound is concerned any dvd player with digital optical out is enough for me. I play 99% divx movies mainly documentaries and English movies downloaded from the Internet and I will be playing them through a flash drive or preferably a 250gb hdd ( I intend to buy one later on) so USB 2.0 is a must. DVD-A capability is not much required as I don??t have any 5.1 discs !
Now both Samsung and Pioneer have all my above features. So now the face off is more about which DVD Player plays Divx Video best ?? For me that is most important. I have ruled out Phillips has it does not have optical digital out. Help here would be really appreciated. I intend to buy this player within next week max.
I am ready to pay the price differential of pioneer if the video quality will be better .

Illusion,

I would not rule out the Philips just because of the lack of Optical outs. In any case, the Coaxials are the best for sound.

The Philips is the DivX Ultra certified player here. The Pioneer 410K too is a DivX Ultra certified one, I think. The Samsung 1080 PK is not Divx Ultra certified. However it is DivX certified. Ultra is the benchmark on DivX playability. If that is very important to you, you might want to consider this.

If you are looking at using USB drives and connecting that to your DVD, here is something you need to consider. In the Pioneer, if you connect the USB, there is no simple way to go back to your disc. You have to switch off and switch on. I think that is very stupid. At least that is the way I was shown the demo of a Pioneer DVD.

The Philips plays very well and has good USB connectivity but it has a very cheap looking remote. By far the Samsung has the best remote of the three.

 

[illusion]

Illusion,

I would not rule out the Philips just because of the lack of Optical outs. In any case, the Coaxials are the best for sound.

The Philips is the DivX Ultra certified player here. The Pioneer 410K too is a DivX Ultra certified one, I think. The Samsung 1080 PK is not Divx Ultra certified. However it is DivX certified. Ultra is the benchmark on DivX playability. If that is very important to you, you might want to consider this.

If you are looking at using USB drives and connecting that to your DVD, here is something you need to consider. In the Pioneer, if you connect the USB, there is no simple way to go back to your disc. You have to switch off and switch on. I think that is very stupid. At least that is the way I was shown the demo of a Pioneer DVD.

The Philips plays very well and has good USB connectivity but it has a very cheap looking remote. By far the Samsung has the best remote of the three.

Coaxials and opticals perform the same for short distance but that is not the reason why I ruled it out.

My amp has one coaxial in and two optical ins. My coaxial in is already occupied by my portable player dock and only the optical ins are free . hence i had to rule out phillips

I had already mentioned the fact about how phillips 5956 output quality(Divx Videos) was zilch as compared to Sony NS 76 in this forum somewhere . Now I will repeat the same question here - Does the Phillips 5996 and 5956 use the same Mediatek version Chipset ??.

 

[thevortex]

Coaxials and opticals perform the same for short distance but that is not the reason why I ruled it out.

My amp has one coaxial in and two optical ins. My coaxial in is already occupied by my portable player dock and only the optical ins are free . hence i had to rule out phillips

I had already mentioned the fact about how phillips 5956 output quality(Divx Videos) was zilch as compared to Sony NS 76 in this forum somewhere . Now I will repeat the same question here - Does the Phillips 5996 and 5956 use the same Mediatek version Chipset ??.

Videohelp.com should give you information about chipsets. I did take a demo of the Sony DVDs with the same source material (albeit cut into a CD because the Sony did not have an USB input) but was not specially impressed.

Samsung certainly has very good pictures, but if it is the best DivX compatibility you are after then it has to be the Pioneer (if you are ruling out the Philips).

 

[psychotropic]

Generally if you compare the reviews for the Sony NS708 and the Samsung 1080PK the Sony has gotten superior reviews.....even consumer reviews on amazon.com (where the comparable model is the Sony NS700) give the SOny an edge. It is a good player for the budget, but there are some slight issues with image noise. Colour reproduction is excellent and dark scenes and handled well.

I will definitely be upgrading to an Oppo or a Denon as soon as I can afford it. If you've invested in a biggish HDTV, it's worth investing a bit more on a DVD player that can do justice to it.

 

[illusion]

Generally if you compare the reviews for the Sony NS708 and the Samsung 1080PK the Sony has gotten superior reviews.....even consumer reviews on amazon.com (where the comparable model is the Sony NS700) give the SOny an edge. It is a good player for the budget, but there are some slight issues with image noise. Colour reproduction is excellent and dark scenes and handled well.

I will definitely be upgrading to an Oppo or a Denon as soon as I can afford it. If you've invested in a biggish HDTV, it's worth investing a bit more on a DVD player that can do justice to it.

I think samsung Divx- quality is nothing great . In fact I found LG to be much better. I took a small demo of both and Samsung did not impress me. I have heard a lot about Pioneer , I plan to demo the same soon. Lets c !