With the Pio 610, can any user comment on its performance vis-a-vis entry players from Philips, LG (upscalers)?
John, I have used three brands over the last 15 odd years. About 12 years ago I purchased a Philips DVD Player from Dubai and used it for about 12 odd years. It was connected to CRT and would deliver reasonable results. Those days I never bothered about picture quality, and would be happy if the DVD played. Many times, the Philips would just spew the DVD out.
I started using Pioneer DVD Playesr about 5 years ago. I have three 'generations' of Pioneer players with me - the 585, the 696, and now the 610. All three have given me excellent service, leading me to believe that Pioneer makes the best budget players in the world. The only other company that used to make make comparable was Panasonic. Their model - the S-92 - was stuff of legends. Unfortunately I could never get one.
I have the Oppo 983 and the Pioneer 610 connected to my AVR. I use the Pioneer more than the Oppo. For most good quality DVDs, there is very little difference in picture and movie sound quality. Of course, the Oppo will thrash the Pioneer when it comes to music, deep colours, intense action and such. But for everyday use on a 720P screen, the Pioneer delivers excellent results.
When you throw in a bad DVD, I have seen the Pioneer spew it out faster. The Oppo takes a long time, and many times just goes into a loop. I think the Oppo has been designed to be used only with good quality DVDs. The Pioneer, on the other hand, seems to have been designed to play literally any disk you throw at it.
Cheers
