Pioneer DV-383S DVD Player

First off, everything that has been said about this DVD player is spot-on. Multi-region code free is a great asset to have. So does the memory playback that automatically resumes from where you left off (watching DVDs). One particular feature is the widescreen setting (which my previous 2 DVD players don't have) that automatically plays a movie in its full screen aspect ration on a widescreen TV.

Unfortunately, I can only delight in this unit for 2 days. It is too sensitive to Progressive setting (when not properly wired to a TV with Progressive scan feature). This causes the DVD player to display a green discoloring on the screen that, despite every step taken per the manual to resolve, cannot go away. Even after setting the unit back to Interlace, the discoloring does not go away. If anything, it got worse. By the next day, discolorings of blue and red become evident. (N.B. According to the unit manual, if the TV does not support Progressive Scan, the screen will not display video. It does not turn green!)

To make matters worse, the DV-383S' warranty does not extend to American consumers. American warranties are only valid for 'Region 1' only products. So for the DV-383-S, the product description's claim that "if your DVD player ever becomes defective we will fix it for free" is false. According to Pionner Customer Service, the only option is to buy a brand-new unit (because the repair costs exceed the price of the DVD player itself; replacement is not even an option). But that's the risk you take when you buy a multi-system DVD player.

I had heard nothing but excellent word-of-mouth of Pioneer products. This is my first Pioneer DVD player. For it to malfunction as it did after two days is a great disappointment. However, it has not shaken my confidence in Pioneer. Just only the DV-383-S models.