The Pioneer DVL-909 is unique in the DVD universe - it can play both PAL and NTSC laser discs. So is this jack of all trades the deck for you?
Only those living on the MIR space station have an excuse for not knowing about the DVL-909. It's unique in being the only DVD player that also handles laser discs. As such, it's an aspirational machine for home cinema enthusiasts from Hong Kong to Hounslow - especially as it can now be made to easily play all Regional Codes. More on this later.
The livery (in champagne gold) and styling are superb. Up front we see large and small loading trays (for CDs/DVDs and LDs) plus basic transport controls and a key for switching off the display.
At the back there's a weird box-like bulge. In this under-the-bonnet test HCC can reveal this houses a dual laser mechanism. One at 780nm has its wavelength optimised for CDs. The other at 650nm is for DVDs. Both are fed to the disc via an elaborate U-shaped mechanism that allows dual-side disc playback.
WHAT'S IT GOT?
Connectivity is first-rate. For audio there's the usual stereo phonos, plus digital optical and coaxial feeds and a Dolby Digital AC-3 RF terminal for use with demodulators and amplifiers featuring a dedicated Dolby Digital laser disc input. Video terminals include Scart loopthrough, composite, plus S-Video. A systems switch changes the video signal for PAL/NTSC (or auto) output.
In terms of features, this machine is a combination of Pioneer's DV-505 DVD and CLD-925 LD decks. Functions are dependent on discs. For example you can only enter DVD set-up with a DVD loaded in the tray. All the regular features are provided - 16:9 and 4:3 displays with 4:3 letterboxing, parental coding and digital output selection for Dolby Digital/MPEG Surround or PCM.
One function that's hidden on the set-up menu is Regional Code selection. Although provided in the software, it is electronically defeated until two terminals within the player are linked. See HCC's guide to hacking this Pioneer, elsewhere in this issue.
Value-added DVD functions include an onscreen bit-rate display and three visual filters: Cinema, Animation and Standard. These tweak the video performance to optimise programme material - Animation gets extra colour, Cinema boosts the contrast and reduces brightness, whilst Standard gives an unfettered signal.
You also get a Condition Memory for retaining subtitle and picture parameters for up to 30 DVDs. Another DVD tweak is dynamic range control to limit the incredible transients available off Dolby Digital soundtracks.
For laser disc playback the biggest boon on the 909 is its frame store. Regardless of whether you have an active-play (CAV) or long-play (CLV) disc, you get trick functions such as slow motion and still-frame. Best of all, side changes are accompanied by a still from the last few moments of playback, rather than a blank screen.
Last but not least, this player has some plus-points with regard to compatibility. Because it uses dual lasers, the 909 is one of the few machines around that can play CD-R (CD-Recordable) media, and it's compatible with discs encoded at 24-bit/96kHz. This standard is being adopted for audio-only recordings by a couple of US specialist record companies.
UNDER THE BONNET
With so much on offer, surely this player is the best to grace our lab? Curiously not. In this comparison it measures second worst for inherent noise, worst for averaged colour quality and worst for video jitter. As for chroma crosstalk, it's almost on an equally low footing as the same-brand DVD-only DV-505.
Clearly, compromises have been made in accommodating both laser disc and DVD formats. However, DVD delivers such a giant step in image quality, even a machine with poor technical traits, subjectively looks good. Considering its positive points (the crisp resolution cannot be ignored) we see a player that is much sought-after.
If you're a laser disc fan looking to embrace DVD, the DVL- 909 is the business - even though technically, it's not the last word in DVD performance.