Pioneer DV-676A

[Picard]

Has anyone reviewed the Pioneer DV-676A yet ??

The Pioneer site gives no information regarding its DIVX capabilities although I believe it has certification. Some other Pioneer models have a Mediatek EE chipset. Can anyone confirm this for the DV-676A ?

Am particularly interested in its MPEG 4, MP3, and JPEG functions (although SACD and DVD-Audio is also nice to have of course)

Picard

[coffeebean]

Has anyone reviewed the Pioneer DV-676A yet ??

The Pioneer site gives no information regarding its DIVX capabilities although I believe it has certification. Some other Pioneer models have a Mediatek EE chipset. Can anyone confirm this for the DV-676A ?

Am particularly interested in its MPEG 4, MP3, and JPEG functions (although SACD and DVD-Audio is also nice to have of course)

Picard


I've been quite surprised nobody had yet mentioned this MPEG4 capable player here (till now).

But I've just found the player on the Aussie Pioneer website but it makes no mention of it playing divx/xvid .. interesting ..

[coffeebean]

I feel like I spent half my day at Harvey Norman today :)

Must have got the dumbest sales guy on the planet who needed convincing that firstly there was such a new Pioneer player in existence and then help him discover his store actually sells them. And then wait till he found a unit he could sell me and when he did say to me that I was "extremely fortunate" because it was not supposed to be on the shelf till Monday. Rubbish because I know others have bought them from HN but I didnt argue.

Of course he didnt know anything about divx but I didnt care I just paid my money and went out with my new player :o

So far this thing has played every file Ive thrown at it. Including a troublesome clip that plays without sound on my Zensonic.

Build quality is very good too and the remote is MUCH better than the Zensonic (as in responsive when operated from practially any angle.

And to whoever was asking yes it does do Progressive PAL.

One thing I must say is that the image quality of this player is fantastic, at least using Component. Dont know yet for sure what chipset it uses because I havent been game to open it yet.

Ill post more after Ive had more of a play but so far I impressed :)

[elite]

Looks quite nice a model - I think it would be quite a good competitor with the 3 year warranty - only thing is the price of $250 - If they really want to get this out, they would first have to reduce the price and second splash everyone that it plays divx..

[Picard]

Looks quite nice a model - I think it would be quite a good competitor with the 3 year warranty - only thing is the price of $250 - If they really want to get this out, they would first have to reduce the price and second splash everyone that it plays divx..

I've seen the Pioneer advertised for around $220 (source was from a shop advertising in aus.dvd.) The $250 is RRP. I suppose you pay more for the DVD-Audio and SACD cp the Phillips.

The Pioneer is definitely DIVX certified:
http://www.divx.com/hardware/certified/products.php

I also managed to download the manual from:
http://www.pioneer.com.sg/storefront/general/Download.asp

Funny thing is that DIVX is not mentioned anywhere in the manual. (Looks like they are keeping very quiet about its DIVX capabilities for some reason). It also says that playing MP3s and JPGs off a DVD-R/RW is not possible on page 9. Doesn't mention whether it plays DVD+R/RW also.
Can Coffeebean or anyone confirm whether this is true ?? Just that I read about a similar overseas model Pioneer 575 which said the same thing in its manual, but apparently can play everything off DVD+/-R/RW.

Again, waiting to read an indepth review of the model before I rush out and buy the thing....

Picard

[V205]

Does it support QPEL/GMC avi's?


I feel like I spent half my day at Harvey Norman today :)

Must have got the dumbest sales guy on the planet who needed convincing that firstly there was such a new Pioneer player in existence and then help him discover his store actually sells them. And then wait till he found a unit he could sell me and when he did say to me that I was "extremely fortunate" because it was not supposed to be on the shelf till Monday. Rubbish because I know others have bought them from HN but I didnt argue.

Of course he didnt know anything about divx but I didnt care I just paid my money and went out with my new player :o

So far this thing has played every file Ive thrown at it. Including a troublesome clip that plays without sound on my Zensonic.

Build quality is very good too and the remote is MUCH better than the Zensonic (as in responsive when operated from practially any angle.

And to whoever was asking yes it does do Progressive PAL.

One thing I must say is that the image quality of this player is fantastic, at least using Component. Dont know yet for sure what chipset it uses because I havent been game to open it yet.

Ill post more after Ive had more of a play but so far I impressed :)

[snaxy]

im getting one of these players soon.i had a zensonic 330 but the build quality and quality control are a bit of an issue for me.hope zensonic fix this in there next player.any reviews for this pioneer online ?,i think its the same as the 575 overseas.

[coffeebean]

Ok I've had the player for a week so a few more comments.

SACD sounds fantastic. I cant say how it comperes to DVD Audio coz Ive never owned one of those but I do have a few SACDs.
The clarity compared to a standard CD is outstanding. Berlioz and Mozart in Five Channel SACD sounds breathtaking :dD

Picture quality is fantastic (on my progessive capable 76cm Panasonic) and noticably better than the cheapy players.

Only negatives I've struck so far is a slightly noisy disc drive, not a real problem except in very quiet movie passages, and some of my movie titles are taking an inordinately long time to be recognised and played. And I dont mean a few extra seconds I mean like a whole minute or two.. :mad:

This last one could end up being the dealbreaker for me if Pioneer cant come up with a fix in firmware or whatever. I do not accept HN's explanation that these discs might have "too many scratches" since I treat all my discs with kid gloves. Theyve offered me another unit to try which I will and report back.

If no good then I will be asking for a swap for the new Sony divx player. Even though I promised five years ago to never buy Sony again :)

[d'Wooluf]

Only negatives I've struck so far is a slightly noisy disc drive, not a real problem except in very quiet movie passages, and some of my movie titles are taking an inordinately long time to be recognised and played. And I dont mean a few extra seconds I mean like a whole minute or two.. :mad:

This last one could end up being the dealbreaker for me if Pioneer cant come up with a fix in firmware or whatever. I do not accept HN's explanation that these discs might have "too many scratches" since I treat all my discs with kid gloves. Theyve offered me another unit to try which I will and report back.


I've seen similar comments (you?) on delays in loading movies on usenet (aus.dvd).

[snaxy]

superb for the price.played all so far.and build quility a lot better than the cheap stuff.dvd audio and sacd to boot.subs are not an issue for me but pioneer are working on it i hear.then this player would be number 1.

[PotHoleFiller]

I still can't find ANY reviews for this player. Has anyone come across any yet?

[KevinG]

I bought one today at JB Hi-Fi here on the Gold Coast for $210 ... this machine is fantastic!
I've owned a LiteOn 2001, an XMS-989, and still have 2 XMS-888s but none of them even compare ...

When I think that I paid only $30 less for my 888s ($179) and although I think they're good machines, they pale next to the 676a ...

I've tested R1, R2 and R4 disks and all played beautifully ...

XviD plays great, even one that 'rainbowed' on the 888, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could stop and resume just like a DVD so there will be no more 'goto' required if I need to interrupt my viewing ... also, I used to have to select NTSC or PAL on the 888 prior to playing an Mpeg4 if I wanted the movie to display correctly, no need on the 676a ...

SACD & DVD-Audio I've yet to test ...

Oh, Did I mention ... it's a Pioneer! ... and with a 3 year warranty!

At last there is some competition for the 'cheapies' and they are going to have to lift their game and deliver the promised firmware upgrades, improve the build quality and stop treating us like mugs simply because we had little choice ...

Don't waste your money on the others ... just buy a 676a and let the cheap brands win us back ... if they can.

http://www.pioneeraus.com.au/home_entertainment/dvdplayersandrecorders/dv676a/

[V205]

Kevin (or anyone else who might know),

Any idea on GMC/QPEL support?

Thanks,
V


I bought one today at JB Hi-Fi here on the Gold Coast for $210 ... this machine is fantastic!
I've owned a LiteOn 2001, an XMS-989, and still have 2 XMS-888s but none of them even compare ...

When I think that I paid only $30 less for my 888s ($179) and although I think they're good machines, they pale next to the 676a ...

I've tested R1, R2 and R4 disks and all played beautifully ...

XviD plays great, even one that 'rainbowed' on the 888, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could stop and resume just like a DVD so there will be no more 'goto' required if I need to interrupt my viewing ... also, I used to have to select NTSC or PAL on the 888 prior to playing an Mpeg4 if I wanted the movie to display correctly, no need on the 676a ...

SACD & DVD-Audio I've yet to test ...

Oh, Did I mention ... it's a Pioneer! ... and with a 3 year warranty!

At last there is some competition for the 'cheapies' and they are going to have to lift their game and deliver the promised firmware upgrades, improve the build quality and stop treating us like mugs simply because we had little choice ...

Don't waste your money on the others ... just buy a 676a and let the cheap brands win us back ... if they can.

http://www.pioneeraus.com.au/home_entertainment/dvdplayersandrecorders/dv676a/

[Tactics]

i see there is no VGA out on this model. if i get a component to VGA cable do i lose quality? i need to play it through a PC monitor.

[benny79]

Looks quite nice a model - I think it would be quite a good competitor with the 3 year warranty - only thing is the price of $250 - If they really want to get this out, they would first have to reduce the price and second splash everyone that it plays divx..

Are you kidding? This is best value player on the market - the next closest is the Sony DVP-NS780, also RRP $250. On top of the DVP-NS780's features the Pioneer DV-676A also sports DVD-A & DiVX playback, DTS & WMA decoding and 2 years more warranty. It leaves the Sony for dead.

Furthermore my first DVD player was a Toshiba SD-2109 and cost me $899 - it only played DVD-Video, CD-Audio and Video CD but no recordable formats. My second player was a Pioneer DV-655A - it played SACD, DVD-A and cost me $680. The DV-676A plays and does everything my previous two players did and then some and all for RRP $249.

This is a bargain, you're not gonna get SACD & DVD-A playback and DTS decoding for $69 - it's just that simple. "...they would first have to reduce the price..." - posh! A decent DVD player costs at least $200 - $50 more for SACD and DVD-A is a small price to pay.

[PotHoleFiller]

I have now received my Pioneer 676A. Just on the initial setup I found that the Component was B&W...check all cabling on both T.V. and DVD player. Anyone have an idea why this is?

In regards to reviewing the player...well...I've hardly used it so far but from what I've seen it's all good.

[ggr8]

Has anyone reviewed the Pioneer DV-676A yet ??I am considering this player too, and have found the following information.

The Pioneer 676 is the same as the 575 sold in the UK for around £130 (A$320!), but lacking the SCART of the 575. There is lots of good information on the 575 on the DIXV forums (http://forums.divx.com/viewforum.php?forum=21)

A review of the 575 is available in a PDF file linked from here:
http://forums.divx.com/viewtopic.php?topic=60172&forum=21

Big discussion thread - read first (10 pages):
http://forums.divx.com/viewtopic.php?page=1&start=0&topic=58891&forum=21

Part 2 of discussion thread:
http://forums.divx.com/viewtopic.php?forum=21&topic=61926

Read the summary on the first page of Part 2.

Important bits:
Does have QPEL and GMC support
No subtitle support (but suppose to be in development - conflicting reports!)
Problems with Xvid 1.0 (related to BVOP - standard problem on MediaTek-based players)
VBR Mp3 and WMA support
No Mp3 ID3 tags.
No Mp3 shuffle with provided remote - but available with a trick on some multi-brand remotes.
No Ogg.

Another discussion of the 575 on AV Forums (UK-based):
http://www.avforums.com/frame.html?http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137876

[benny79]

Further to my previous comment below....

The Sony DVP-NS780 does in fact have DiVX support but the DV-676A is still the better buy, but there's more. I have just purchased this machine myself and have had the pleasure of putting it through it's paces. Contrary to the manual the DV-676A will play MP3, WMA, JPEG and DiVX files from DVD+RW and DVD-RW (presumable DVD+R & DVD-R as well). Rather surprisingly it will also play MPEG video files (with .mpeg or .mpg extension) from CD or DVD. The machine seems to think it's playing a DiVX file (it flashes MPEG 4 on the display after loading the disc) yet it lists the file name with the MPG extension correctly.

Furthermore the machine seems to have enough buffer memory to make layer changes a thing of the past - there is NO visible layer change with this machine - not even a fraction of a second pause. The response time is also the best I've ever seen - skipping chapters is literally lightening fast.

If you haven't bought one of these yet, go get one - I managed to negotiate Harvery Norman down to $215. Bargain!


Are you kidding? This is best value player on the market - the next closest is the Sony DVP-NS780, also RRP $250. On top of the DVP-NS780's features the Pioneer DV-676A also sports DVD-A & DiVX playback, DTS & WMA decoding and 2 years more warranty. It leaves the Sony for dead.

Furthermore my first DVD player was a Toshiba SD-2109 and cost me $899 - it only played DVD-Video, CD-Audio and Video CD but no recordable formats. My second player was a Pioneer DV-655A - it played SACD, DVD-A and cost me $680. The DV-676A plays and does everything my previous two players did and then some and all for RRP $249.

This is a bargain, you're not gonna get SACD & DVD-A playback and DTS decoding for $69 - it's just that simple. "...they would first have to reduce the price..." - posh! A decent DVD player costs at least $200 - $50 more for SACD and DVD-A is a small price to pay.

[ggr8]

Contrary to the manual the DV-676A will play MP3, WMA, JPEG and DiVX files from DVD+RW and DVD-RW (presumable DVD+R & DVD-R as well).Do you mind checking what firmware version you have? Instructions from the divx.com forums for 575, should work on the 676:
1. Turn on DVD player.
2. Press SETUP button on the remote control.
3. Press buttons 1 3 7 9

If you haven't bought one of these yet, go get one - I managed to negotiate Harvery Norman down to $215. Bargain!I am getting mine from Myer for $219. It is a special order at Myer and I was told that I should have mine by Thursday - Pioneer is suppose to have plenty of stock. JB Hifi stores in Brisbane that I checked were sold out of both the Pioneer and Sony Divx players, but getting more soon. I guess getting mine from Myer means I get a few Flybuys points :).

[jokiin]

It's interesting that they are using the same MediaTek chipsets as most of the other manufacturers, at least it's a sign that whatever these machines can do will be possible with the others with the appropriate firmware modifications.