Do you remember a time when there
were only two optical disc formats: the CD and the
DVD? Ah, those were the good ol' days. A CD player
played only CDs and a DVD player played both disc
types - there was no confusion among consumers. Fast
forward to today and more disc formats exist than
you can count on your fingers. Most consumers aren't
even aware of all the formats that are out there.
But for those who are familiar with the benefits of
these new formats, Pioneer has a new player that may
be the only DVD player you need.
The Elite DV-46AV is a universal
disc player from Pioneer aimed to please both video
and audio enthusiasts because of its multi-format
playback and highly tweakable audio and video
adjustments. With a price of $399, it is currently
the most affordable Elite DVD player. While it does
not have all the features or the same build quality
of the high-end Elite models, some of the higher end
features certainly trickled down to the DV-46AV.
Other than high definition video discs, you can
place virtually any type of optical disc in this
player: CD, DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, SACD, WMA, MP3,
DivX Ultra or JPEG. For video buffs, the Pioneer
player offers a 108 MHz/12-bit video DAC as well as
an HDMI output capable of up-converting the picture
to 720p and 1080i. For audio fanatics, the player
uses 192 kHz/24-bit audio D/A converters. It also
allows DVD-Audio playback using the HDMI connection
and SACD playback using its 5.1 analogue outputs.
As most modern DVD players, the
DV-46AV is relatively small in size. It has a glossy
black faceplate that is rather busy with various
format logos and buttons. Basic disc navigation and
setup menus can be controlled by the button on the
front. The rear panel of the player offers four
types of video jacks: composite, S-video, component
and HDMI. Audio is delivered through HDMI, digital
coaxial and optical jacks as well as analogue 5.1
jacks.
The supplied remote control has a
matte black finish with white, soft rubber buttons.
The buttons are well organized and the remote felt
solid and comfortable in my hands. Unfortunately,
the buttons are not backlit. Instead, they glow
slightly in the dark. A small box at the bottom of
the remote houses six TV control buttons. By
default, these buttons worked with my Pioneer plasma
but can be configured to work with other common
television brands by entering a code from the
manual. Speaking of the manual, it's one of the best
I've seen supplied with a DVD player - it's clear
and explains everything you need to know about this
player. It would certainly be very helpful to
someone buying a more advanced DVD player, like the
DV-46AV, for the first time.
To carry out the audio and video
tests, I connected the DV-46AV to our reference 43"
Pioneer PDP-4360HD plasma using both component and
HDMI cables. Sound was supplied by Sinclair Audio
Brighton Series speakers connected to a Marantz
SR8500 receiver. My video test material included
Digital Video Essentials (DVE), Star Trek: First
Contact, Aeon Flux and Gladiator. To test audio
performance, I used a Beck Sea Change SACD as well
as The Latin Jazz Trio and Blue Man Group Audio
DVD-Audio discs. As with all DVD players, I had to
configure some initial settings of the DV-46AV such
as screen ratio and select multi-channel audio
output.
The Pioneer performed a good job of
defeating jaggies in the waving flag scene on the
DVE disc and a panning scene at the end of Chapter
12 of Gladiator. It certainly did a better job than
the Pioneer plasma, which has really good video
processing. A 'progressive' button on the player's
remote allowed me to switch from progressive scan
mode to interlaced mode as the disc was playing.
This allowed me to do some quick comparisons of
video processing between the television and the DVD
player. The 480p signal from the component and HDMI
connections looked pretty well the same.
Where the DV-46AV did a really
outstanding job was the up-conversion of video.
Up-conversion is performed only when using the HDMI
connection, so you will need a compatible display in
order to use this feature. An 'HDMI resolution'
up-and-down button on the remote allowed me to
switch between 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i output
resolutions while watching the picture. I found that
720p and 1080i up-conversion produced very similar
results on the 768p Pioneer display that I was
using. Standard DVDs gained a significant resolution
advantage. The picture became much sharper, with
many more details compared to the component output
but without ever looking unnatural. It is actually
quite incredible what a difference up-conversion can
make. I noticed that when I switched the resolution
to higher than 480p, the picture picked up a tint of
redness. This was especially noticeable in actor's
skin colour. However, with the DV-46AV's vast array
of video adjustments it was easy enough to correct.
Inside the Video Adjust menu the Pioneer allowed me
play with the sharpness, brightness, contrast,
gamma, hue, chroma level and block noise reduction.
In this case, turning the chroma level down a few
points did the trick. Most of these settings can be
adjusted with the video playing - the menu
disappears and only a small indicator on the bottom
shows an adjustment scale. This was very convenient
and made video adjustment really easy to make. Video
enthusiasts will certainly appreciate the number of
video adjustment that can be made on the DV-46AV.
For less advanced users, an 'HDMI color' button on
the remote allows for three preset color settings to
help deal with some common television colour issues.
Some displays with DVI inputs may be
able to accept the digital video signal from this
player using an HDMI to DVI cable, although HDMI and
DVI are not fully compatible. The problem is that
you won't really know until you connect the player
to your display and see if it works correctly.
In some situations while watching
DVDs, the dialogue coming from the centre channel
may not be very clear or overpowered by the other
channels - not by the fault of the DV-46AV. For this
type of scenario, the DV-46AV includes three dialog
settings in the audio menu designed to make the
dialogue stand out from the other background sounds.
The DV-46AV has a screensaver
feature that should be appreciated if you connect it
to a plasma television. When a movie is paused,
after a couple of minutes the picture is replaced
with a Pioneer logo that jumps to random positions
on the screen. This will prevent any burn-in from
happening if you leave a movie on pause for too
long.
On the musical side, the DV-46AV
outputs both DVD-Audio and SACD through its 5.1
channel analogue outputs. It also outputs DVD-Audio
through the HDMI connection, although you will need
a receiver with an HDMI input to utilize this
option. I performed my testing using the 5.1 channel
analogue outputs because my receiver does not have
an HDMI input. As with most universal players I had
to play with the audio menu settings of the Pioneer.
It turned out that I had to disable audio from being
sent to the HDMI input before I could get proper
sound from the 5.1 analogue outputs.
To start things off, I spun a few
tracks from The Latin Jazz Trio DVD-Audio disc and
quickly started to realize the audio potential of
this universal disc player. The instruments from
this 96 kHz/24-bit disc played with the definition
and details of real-life instruments. String
instruments and drums sounded crystal clear and
clean. The DV-46AV produced a very spacious sound
stage in all directions when tracks from the Blue
Man Group Audio disc required. The dynamic range was
great and never lacked room. All the recordings that
I listened to were well balanced and nothing was
lost in the quiet passages. Both the Blue Man Group
and Beck albums exhibit lots of musical parts in the
surround channels. The sound traveled with fluidity
between the channels and contained the same details
as the front channels.
I recommend the Pioneer Elite
DV-46AV DVD player to anyone that is looking for a
high performance, mid-priced universal disc player.
Its video quality will be enjoyed by video fanatics
and its audio capability will please audio
enthusiasts. The DV-46AV offers audio and video
adjustments that some higher priced universal
players don't even have. These reasons combined with
its performance and $399 price make the DV46-AV an
excellent machine
Amazing
player
Reviewer: (Valencia, CA)
Fast shipping, double boxed with no
Styrofoam bubbles!!! Only clear bubble wrap so there
is no mess. Player is amazing. DVD Audio and SACD
are suberb, and HDMI output to my tv offers great
picture quality. I am a previous owner of a Yamaha
and Denon player, and so far this is my favorite.
Great
player
Reviewer: (Beverly Hills, CA)
I purchased the Region free version
of the Pioneer DV-46av elite from you guys last
week. Thanks for the fast delivery, and also wanted
to let you know that I am extremely pleased with
it's performance.
Wow,
excellent picture
Reviewer: NEW YORK, NY
I tried a Samsung 960 and this
player. Even though the samsung did 1080p, and the
Pioneer Elite only did 1080i, the picture quality
still looks more sharp and crisp on this player. I
will be returning the Samsung to you guys and
keeping this Pioneer. I'm very happy with it.
Better
than expected
Reviewer: (Washington DC)
I was debating between the Denon 2930Ci and the
Pioneer Elite 46. I went for the Pioneer since it
was a fraction of the cost. I was very satisfied
with it. I'm not sure if the Denon would have been
better as I haven't tried it, but from what I see, I
don't know if the picture can get any better then
this. Thanks for your fast wonderful service. My
family can now play our German and American movies.
