I have a substantial library of LD titles and prefer the video quality to DVD for many titles, but I still need a DVD player. My old LD player was not able to play the AC-3 tracks and was a bit noisy. The chance to remove one box from my overloaded AV cabinet was also very compelling. The player is very quiet. You have to get very close before you hear the disk spinning. The video quality when playing LD's is very good, with much less video noise than my previous player. It also has every kind of A/V output you could ever want, which makes connecting it to my HT receiver much less annoying than my previous players. CD playback is pretty good, but I have not (nor will I ever be likely to) critically evaluated it in my two channel stereo system. The fit and finish is excellent and the unit seems very solid and well built. The player is not without its flaws. It has a strange way of scanning DVD's, and it is difficult to change the scan speeds. Also, I have found at least one DVD that the player has trouble navigating. For that disc I have to use scene selection to jump to the second scene and then scan backwards to the beginning.Read full review
i'll make this short..(i have NO idea where this site is reading "profanity" from my review)..ok..the review: This player is NOT for anyone under the age of 40 years old. The player is for people who've collected LDs (laserdiscs) over the past 20-35 years..it's easy to run..the Remote MENU isn't easy to go thru..but once you get the hang of it..you're good to go..it has 3 video modes..& 2 audio modes..the video quality is ONLY good when you use the DVD mode..LD mode & A/V mode are horrible..but the audio is excellent in Digital mode.. i ran tests up against Combo Hi Def Players..Bluray players..HD-DVD player..& a regular DVD player..& i got what was expected in the Video dept..it failed miserably..but the audio was pretty good..(only the Bluray beat it).. so it's good if you want to think back when you bought the LDs..but really?? it's had its day..if you're under 40 years old..just go buy a Bluray player & call it a day..(smile)..thank you all as always..Peace..& God bless you & yours.. A-Weapons..South Bronx, NYC..Read full review
Verified purchase: No
The Pioneer DVL-919 is a fine, best quality laserdisc player. I have owned and traded several of them over the years. Laserdiscs, CD's and DVD's ... it plays them all. It is a little slow in addressing DVD chapters and menus ... and I have only seen them play factory made DVD's ... I don't think they will play DVD+/-R computer generated DVD discs. These machines were made in 1999 ... and DVD's have come a long way since then. I find that I still need a modern DVD player to get the best from my DVD collection. I have not owned one of the newer model DVL-919's and I do not know if the NEW models can play a DVD-R. (The new models turn up on eBay once in a while. Expect to pay about $1000 for one. I understand that only this year did Pioneer quit making laserdisc players. I have a note saying that on 1/16/09 Pioneer announced that they would discontinue manufacturing laserdisc players ... models DVL-919, CLD-R5, DVK-900, and DVL-K88 are the last.) I think these machines are first rate. The DVL-919 does not have the nice cabinetry of a Pioneer ELITE Series player ... but the specs are most impressive. The DVL-919 is quiet and reliable. The Owners Manual and the service manuals are available online. I think that owning one of the final-generation, top of the line laserdisc players is a "must" for every laserdisc collector. Note that a Laserdisc outputs an Analog video signal and so can only use the S-Video or the standard yellow "Video-Out" jack. The Red/Blue/Green component video jacks only works with DVD output which is a Digital signal. The DVL-919 plays the AC-3 encoded laserdiscs discs and even the hard to find DTS encoded laserdiscs. It has PCM audio out and optical audio out capabilities that you can connect directly to your home theater amplifier/receiver to get the standard laserdisc surround sound. But ... To get the AC-3 discreet 5.1 audio offered on some THX laserdiscs when using the DVL-919 (or other top-end laserdisc players), you need to add an audio decoder to your home theater system. I own a Yamaha DDP-1 Natural Sound Digital Processor that takes the DVL-919's analog encoded AC-3 RF Out signal and converts it into a discreet 5.1 output using 6 RCA Jacks ... 5.1 audio, a cable for each: Right, Left, Center, Right Surround, Left Surround, and Sub Base Woofer. Your receiver needs to have a 5.1 input setting that allows you to make the 6-cable connection. (I am using a Pioneer VSX-D514 Receiver which has all of those input jacks!) ... (The history of AC-3 starts in 1982 (?) when the first laserdisc players only output analog stereo sound [like a CD]. Eventually Digital Stereo and Digital Stereo Surround Sound became available and were carried on laserdiscs in addition to the old-style analog tracks. Finally, 5.1 AC-3 sound was included on laserdiscs. It was encoded and placed on laserdiscs to take the place of the old analog Right Channel stereo track. The disc's original Stereo Analog tracks were converted to Mono with all of the film's soundtrack now being in mono on the Analog Left channel only. In this way, new laserdiscs could still be played on old, first-generation laserdisc players. When you want to play the 5.1 AC-3 sound, select ANALOG RIGHT CHANNEL and play it through your AC-3 sound decoder/processor unit.) The DVL-919 machines keep their value. I am surprised when I see one sell for less than $400. As time goes by, the Pioneer DVL-919 will be "The" machine to own and there will be no new ones available.Read full review
As a replacement for an identical machine, I'm very familiar with its operation, and it met and exceeded my expectations. Runs even quieter than my old one--at least so far so good. And with a library of 750+ laserdiscs, I really needed it to work well. I'm very pleased.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
It was well maintained and performance is as good as I expected.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Others say it's good... photos disp it's good... it's likely to be perfect for trying out Laserdisc (which I've never really watched before, but want to try).
Verified purchase: No
It came broken :(
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This pioneer dvl919 player was in excellent condition. We are using the system as a karaoke machine in a restaurant and the sound is great.
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