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-   -   pioneer 440...what a joke! (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-home-theater-gear/173939-pioneer-440-what-joke.html)

medic 01-12-02 09:33 PM

pioneer 440...what a joke!
 
Just unpacked this thing and put in a dvd. While trying to watch Jeepers Creepers it gets to the option of choosing widescreen or standard and then quits...locks up. Took the video back and got another...same thing.

Put in Urban Legends Final Cut. Worked like a charm.

Took Jeepers Creepers to a friend who has a Toshiba SD1700 and it works with no problems.

Any ideas before I repack it and take it back?

Thanks,
Medic

CaptainMarvel 01-12-02 10:24 PM

I would guess you got a bad player; I've heard nothing but good reviews (and had nothing but good experiences) with Pioneer machines. Mine have had no problems with anything I've thrown at them.

RickG 01-12-02 11:48 PM

Hi medic,

I'm thinking your player is fine and is just having problems with this particular movie/disk.

I purchased Jeepers Creepers the other day and I was surprised to find that it's a "flipper." That is, the movie is on one side and the "extras" are on the other side (dual-sided). Most DVDs nowadays that include that many extra features have a second disk that goes along with the movie. I purchased Blade Runner - "The Director's Cut" a while back and that was a flipper too (widescreen on one side, fullscreen on the other).

Seeing as how Jeepers Creepers is a (real) new release, maybe it's going to be the trend that DVDs will now be "flippers" when they include lots of extras, but as far as I know, they are pretty rare at the moment.

I suspect that your player might be having problems because of the dual-sided format. Like you said, Urban Legends Final Cut played fine. Perhaps there is an inherent problem with your model player and dual-sided disks, but seeing as how flippers are pretty rare, if you're happy with your player's features, and if you got a decent deal on it, I'd say keep it and enjoy the other 99.99% of DVDs that are single-sided.

Forgot to say:

For what it's worth, I too have a Tosh (like your friend) and had no problems with the disk.

Mr. Salty 01-13-02 04:53 AM

Rick,

The DVDs you referred to aren't flippers. The word "flippers" refers specifically to DVDs that contain part of the movie on each side of a dual-sided disc. "Das Boot" and "The Right Stuff" are flippers.

While flippers are indeed becoming a thing of the past, dual-sided discs are quite common. Expect to see MGM use DVD-10s and DVD-14s fairly often. Warner Bros., New Line and Columbia still seem to favor the format as well, mostly for including widescreen and pan-and-scan versions of a film on one disc.

Whether a disc is dual-sided or not has no bearing on whether or not the Pioneer player should be able to play it. Clearly it should. To answer the original poster's question, I think you got a bad player. It certainly wouldn't hurt to box it up and exchange it for another one. You might even want to take your DVD into the store and try it on the floor model to see if you have similar problems there.

nekobus 01-13-02 05:33 PM

The 440 is one of the best players out there and has a great transport. I have a 440 and so do many of my friends. None of us has ever had any problems. And we are VERY hard on DVD players. I've managed to kill quite a few players, but not this one.

I agree with Mr. Salty, grab your copy of the disc and head to the store to check another 440.

theedge 01-13-02 05:44 PM

I just saw this player at BJ's Wholesale today for $399.95. Was thinking about getting it, but they were out of stock. It looked pretty nice in the in-store display.

(I think it is the same one with 5 disk player and surround sound speaker system, 5.1 etc..)

nekobus 01-13-02 05:48 PM


Originally posted by theedge
I just saw this player at BJ's Wholesale today for $399.95. Was thinking about getting it, but they were out of stock. It looked pretty nice in the in-store display.

(I think it is the same one with 5 disk player and surround sound speaker system, 5.1 etc..)

That would be a different player. The DV-440 is a fairly new model. It's a single disc, stand-alone DVD player with Burr-Brown DACs. It runs about $180 at Best Buy.

medic 01-13-02 06:19 PM

Did not mean to be so hard on the Pioneer 440 as I am sure there is a bad apple in every bushel. I was disappointed that this happed on the first movie I put in and confused that it would play a different movie. But what really got me was that it happeded on an exchanged movie of the same title.

It took me a week to get the thing as I ordered it online from Sears and really did not want to wait another week for them to order it again. They do not carry it in the store. So I picked up a different brand.

I went with a Toshiba SD1700. Hooked it up in the store to make sure it was going to work before I left with it. Had Jeepers Creepers with me. It works like a charm "knocking on wood" and I took it home for 100 bucks.

I read the reviews on both and was pleased with the features that the 440 had. Was planning on hooking up to digital receiver with a optical hookup and read that it has 540 lines of horizontal resolution. Oh well!

The Toshiba had similar features, but only has coaxial digital hookup and 500 lines of resolution. I am only using a stereo tv at this time and the picture looks great. Easy setup and the surround sound is excellent.

On audioreview.com the 440 was ranked 28 with the 1400 at number 3. And, since I am a novice at this dvd thing, who can argue with the price.

Thanks again,
Medic

Mr. Salty 01-14-02 02:39 AM

It doesn't matter how many lines of resolution a DVD player claims it's capable of. DVD displays 480 lines of visible resolution (525 total in the NTSC format, with the extra 45 lines being used in the vertical blanking interval). I'm sure you'll be happy with eaither player, as long as you got a functional one this time!

egbok 01-14-02 09:01 AM

I have the same problem with my 444. It plays everything fine, but not Jeepers Creepers. I already tried 3 different JC dvds, same result. It plays fine on my computer, btw.

medic 01-14-02 04:13 PM

So I took it back for nothing? Oh well, at least I saved 60 bucks. Any idea why Jeepers Creepers won't play on the thing?...anyone?

Thanks Mr. Salty for the explanation of the horizontal line resolution.

RickG 01-15-02 01:28 AM


Originally posted by medic
So I took it back for nothing? Oh well, at least I saved 60 bucks. Any idea why Jeepers Creepers won't play on the thing?...anyone?
Although I may have been mistaken to refer to all double-sided disks as "flippers," (thanks for clarifying that Mr. Salty) I still say that your (now ex) player (and it appears some others too) must be suffering from a problem with double-sided disks (or at the very least, a problem with this particular double-sided disk).

Like you said, "Put in Urban Legends Final Cut. Worked like a charm."

Like egbok said, "It plays everything fine, but not Jeepers Creepers."

So then the question becomes, "What's so special about the Jeepers Creepers disk?"

Well, I own it, and the only thing I can see that's "special" or "unusual" about the disk is the fact that it's double-sided.

egbok,

Do you have any other double-sided disks that you could try in your 444? I'm curious as to whether or not this problem is limited to the J.C. disk. Thanks.

egbok 01-15-02 08:35 AM

RickG, I do have other double-sided discs, i.e., Mad Max, and the 444 has no problem playing it. The 444 can play the other side of JC (special features) with no problem.

medic 01-15-02 03:54 PM

egbok,

Mine too would play the other side of the JC dvd. I had emailed Pioneer and here is what they had to say.

"Thanks for contacting Pioneer Electronics

It is not normal for the DV440 to lock up.
Please let your dealer know about your problems.

If you have questions please call us at 1-800-421-1404."

Medic


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