Region Free DVD Player Review

Model: Pioneer DV-393 S Region Free DVD Player
Color: Silver
Code Free Modification Tested: WorldClad WC-10H
Reviewer: Ed Brantley
Date: December, 2007

The chipset conversion in the Pioneer DV-393 is the most important consideration when purchasing a region free dvd player. Given the choice between a software mode and a complete hardwired chipset modification, definitely take the chipset mod. As well, all chipset mods are not created equally. The excellent priced Pioneer DV-353 is a super value with the right region free modification. Compared to most of the other code free DVD players, this model gives you a wide range of features at a still affordable price.

The model I tested contained the World Clad WC-10H chipset modification. It worked flawlessly from start to finish. No matter what region the DVD was from, the playback was perfect - just plug and play. As well with PAL based DVDs the World Clad technology chip set converted to NTSC without me having to tinker with remote funtions - again perfectly. You may pay slightly more for the World Clad technology modification but it is definitely worth it for a trouble free, smart region free DVD player. The PAL to NTSC conversion is critical because 99% of the TVs produced and sold in North America are NTSC TVs.

Overall the Pioneer DV-393 Code Free DVD Player is has lost its punch feature wise. It does not up convert to HD. Nor does it have an HDMI output. The picture is pretty solid but the build quality of the chassis is a little thin.

While I was recently in Europe I picked up a region 2 copy of Total Recall and brought it back to the states and it played with no problems at all. I also tried some Anime discs from Japan and it also played those without any issue. I then tried a couple of DVDR's which it played flawlessly. The optical laser (twin wave) pickup is very good and it will even play video CDs (VCDs) which is rare. It also plays home movies - basically whatever you put on the DVD, it will play it. There isn't too much that this player can't do, both CDR's and MP3's downloaded from my computer played with no hassle. The Pioneer also plays discs encoded with the new RCE encoding, such as The Patriot.

The image quality was decent though there was some extra grain introduced through this player. It does however do a thorough job with progressive scan up conversion to 480p. Scrolling between chapters was a breeze, but I found the reverse function slow and cumbersome with this DVD player. I was able to scroll within a chapter at variable speeds. The audio on the Pioneer DV-393 packs a punch with the 24bit/96kHz converter. It offers both Dolby Digital and DTS surround processing and a 108MHz/12-bit D-A converter. Addtional features include zoom function and the quick resume function, which is very convenient.

The front of the player itself is pretty bare bones, with the buttons you need to get started and that's about it. Most of the operations are handled via the remote. Ergonomically the remote leaves a lot to be desired, but it is easy enough to get around and pretty straight forward. The on screen set up menu can be easily accessed from the remote and is pretty easy to navigate through however, newbies to the DVD arena may find the set up menu a bit cryptic or confusing.

The user will have many options when hooking this DVD player up as there are many different options when it comes to outputs. No HDMI output as you would have to go to a higher end DVD player for that but it does have component video output which is good enough for the 480p signal. This code free DVD player does not upconvert to HD. The player comes with one of each of the following component video, s-video, digital coaxial, and composite as well as left and right audio outputs. Of course hooking the player up using the component video outputs provided me with the best picture.

On a level of 1 - 5:

• Value- 3
• Functionality- 4
• Performance- 3
• Modification/Conversion- 5 (World Clad)
• Quality- 3.6