Hello everyone today after work I found a 1998 vintage Pioneer DVD Player at Goodwill (which is where I work now if you all haven't caught on by now) and its in pretty decent shape yet (no dents or scatches in the cabinet or anything just the Pioneer name plate is a little loose on the front.) I was thinking of picking it up for my LCD Projector as a spare in case the el cheapo GPX DVD player that my parents gave me that I'm currently using on my Projector goes out. I was wondering if its worth my time, I know I had a Toshiba DVD Player from 1997 for awhile but it refused to play burned DVDs (assuming that the age of the unit had something to do with it because of the fact that it was early in the DVD technology and back then they did everything they could to discourage DVD burning) would this Pioneer be the same way or would be of better quality being that its Pioneer?

Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

By the way I haven't bought the unit yet, I figured I would ask you folks on here first about it before buying it (learning from my mistake I made yesterday with that TV.)

Wow if its cheap .I would take it since its a great name brand and its a classic .I would not pay to much for it like more then $25 bucks for it.With an employee discount you probably get it cheap and your boss would be happy to get rid of it.I do agree on problems playing burned DVDs as the old school DVD players were fussy about it then.My first DVD player was a Apex about the same age is that Pioneer which Apex is in the same boat as GPX..At the time I could not afford that Pioneer set at the time along with Panasonic and Sony..

I got a old cheap Cyberhome $29.99 Walmart special and a Durabrand portable DVD player that plays anything which the Apex had some issues with the burned DVD and CDs.

Get the model number off it and run it on Google on your cell phone or computer and get some info on it. Might be lucky to find a service manual and instructions for it.Also you can post the mod number on here for us and see we can help you with some info on it.

I got a marantz DVD player in 1998, copper screws, made in Japan, expensive unit. Was great to experience digital video but it was not reliable at all, I would pass unless you have an interest in late 1990s electronics in general. Those early players are not as good as later ones.

I've had a couple of early Pioneer DVD players including a couple of their Laserdisc/DVD combo players and while they were somewhat interesting (at least to me) and well built they weren't viable for actual day to day use. They were simply too fussy on what they would and wouldn't play. They would generally read DVD+R, and most pressed DVDs, but would be tripped up by certain format variations and menu functions enough that gave up on them...

There are pros and cons to owning a late 90's DVD player:

Pros: They were built well. This was before manufacturers started cheapening the manufacturing process, so at most it may need the reader lens cleaned every now and then. If yours is in goodwill that means it was tested and will likely work for years to come.

Cons: Just plays DVD's, nothing more nothing less. May not like burned DVD's, won't touch newer formats like Xvid.

I always pass on the older DVD players, there are some newer factory pressed discs they won't play, probably had something to do with their anti piracy attempts.

Pioneer's track record with DVD players wasn't that great. Seemed like they took years into the format's life to really start producing quality models. Even many of their early Elite DVD players are junky when it comes to performance. Although honestly despite this it's likely far better than a GPX, Apex, or CyberHome.

There's the two Pios that are generally regarded as their highest performance DVD players, the DV-59ai and the DV-79avi. The third is the DV-09, an early statement piece that's really only good for CD playback now. The 59ai is actually better video-wise than the 79, which traded some video performance for a richer feature set.

If it's under $20, jump on it. :thmbsp:

It was only $9.99, and with my 25% employee discount it was $8.00, I even ordered a remote for it on ebay for $9.99 and free shipping. I believe the model on it is DV-414, and surprisingly enough it does play and recognize burned DVDs although one of my burned DVDs I was trying to play which was a 3 hour long seminar DVD by Kent Hovind concerning Creationism glitched out at about 20 minutes in but I think it was because the disc was scratched up pretty badly from what I could see.

Glad you bought it. Ant beat the price. Mine is the exact same model. Paid $20 a couple years ago and ordered the remote on ebay for $8. Main reason for buying it was sentimental reasons. Dad bought me one back in 98 and even then, they were around $500. I was dumb and sold it in 2003. Bought this one for that reason. And yes, they do play the burned discs.

Glad you bought it. Ant beat the price. Mine is the exact same model. Paid $20 a couple years ago and ordered the remote on ebay for $8. Main reason for buying it was sentimental reasons. Dad bought me one back in 98 and even then, they were around $500. I was dumb and sold it in 2003. Bought this one for that reason. And yes, they do play the burned discs.

Sweet! Now I just need to wait for the remote to arrive in the mail, but for right now I'm using a Sony Universal remote which works ok but it doesn't operate the menu fuctions for the DVD properly (I'm assuming that with this DVD player you have to use the "enter" key to play the movie from the main menu and not just the "play" key like some of them do because when I hit the play button on the remote or on the unit itself it pauses the video which I didn't think it was possible to pause a DVD's main Menu.)

Yup, the enter key is the one you need. I always preferred Alot of Pioneers equipment just because of the gold feet. Remote uses pretty standard AA batteries.:thmbsp:

Yup, the enter key is the one you need. I always preferred Alot of Pioneers equipment just because of the gold feet. Remote uses pretty standard AA batteries.:thmbsp:

That's what I figured, and this Sony Universal Remote has an "enter" key but it doesn't work like its supposed to for this DVD Player. Of course it might be that I'm using the wrong code though too. :scratch2:

So you need a remote with an Enter button eh?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61mOdAI6CRL._SL1000_.jpg

I own one of these.


Okay to be honest I bought it as a joke but I have actually made real use of it because it has an Enter button and a few other keys that some other universal remotes lack. Plus it's just about impossible to lose the thing.

So you need a remote with an Enter button eh?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61mOdAI6CRL._SL1000_.jpg

I own one of these.


Okay to be honest I bought it as a joke but I have actually made real use of it because it has an Enter button and a few other keys that some other universal remotes lack. Plus it's just about impossible to lose the thing.

Oh yeah, I have seen those before many times at some of the local flea markets near me, and I think my great grandparents had one as well. Anyways yeah at first I thought that remote was a joke as well that was supposed to be aimed at the 40 year olds as an "over the hill" prank gift but then when I saw them elsewhere like at the flea markets then I realized it was real. :scratch2: :smoke:

Related somewhat:

http://www.ergocanada.com/products/keyboards/big_keys/bk_lx_wq_500x191.jpg

I had one of those. Just didn't seem practical. Made pretty cheaply too. Enter keys function differently depending on model. I always found universals to never be perfect. Always something missing, incompatible, or not working. Once you get the original, you'll be fine. I always use originals.

I bought an early Sony DVD player (think the model# is something like DVP-S360) at a flea market several years back. It works fine for CDs, but every time I try to play a DVD, it throws some sort of error. Apparently, it's due to some micro-fuse(s) inside the unit which tend to blow out. I have yet to attempt to fix it, due to the SMD parts used.

Other than that, my oldest DVD player is a Pioneer DVL-909 (http://www.laserdiscarchive.co.uk/DVL-909.htm), which also plays LaserDiscs. It has a component video out, but it's only for DVDs. Seems to work fairly well, and even came with the original remote control (which just says "Pioneer DVD", for some reason).
-Adam

I bought an early Sony DVD player (think the model# is something like DVP-S360) at a flea market several years back. It works fine for CDs, but every time I try to play a DVD, it throws some sort of error. Apparently, it's due to some micro-fuse(s) inside the unit which tend to blow out. I have yet to attempt to fix it, due to the SMD parts used.
Many earlier Sony DVD decks had their video logic board centered directly under the disc tray, this plagued certain models with overheating, sometimes to the point the player will default to an error state.

I scour the local Goodwill's several times a week, checking out their inventory of DVD players and VCR's. Bad thing about Goodwill is that there is NEVER a remote with the units, and for some reason, nobody ever includes the power cord or power supply with electronics, either. Most VCR's cost around $4-$5 and DVD players run around $5. I passed up on a Denon 5-disk DVD changer for $5 recently, mostly due to it's size. Seems everyone is going streaming and dumping DVD players like crazy. I've also learned to be VERY leery of electronics at Goodwill, and I've purchased too many that were defective.

I scour the local Goodwill's several times a week, checking out their inventory of DVD players and VCR's. Bad thing about Goodwill is that there is NEVER a remote with the units, and for some reason, nobody ever includes the power cord or power supply with electronics, either. Most VCR's cost around $4-$5 and DVD players run around $5. I passed up on a Denon 5-disk DVD changer for $5 recently, mostly due to it's size. Seems everyone is going streaming and dumping DVD players like crazy. I've also learned to be VERY leery of electronics at Goodwill, and I've purchased too many that were defective.

I recently bought an early 1990s Mitsubishi 4-Head HiFi VCR From Goodwill (the one I work at) for $4 and when I got it home to try it out the VCR wasn't working right as far as wanting to eject the tape, well it turned out it was just that the original belt was defective and I happened to have a spare belt laying around that fit it and now its working perfectly. Most of the time if I get a piece of electronic equipment from Goodwill like a VCR that's defective I try to see if its an easy fix before returning it (although goodwill has now made a new policy where electronics are sold AS-IS and non-returnable where it used to be you had 3 days to return it for a goodie buck refund and I think it was because there were people abusing the return policy.)

Goodwill here has a 7 day return policy, but if the item was $5 or under, I just recycle it instead and consider the cost a donation to Goodwill. It takes me 2-4 gallons of gas to return something, depending on which Goodwill I bought it at. One policy that baffles me about the Goodwill's around here is that if an electronic item has several components, such as a cordless phone system with a base unit and 3 or 4 extensions, they'll package and price them all separately, rather than as a group. What good is an extension cordless phone if it's not mated to the base unit it was designed for? They do the same thing with stuff like surround speakers, price each component separately rather than as a set.

Goodwill here has a 7 day return policy, but if the item was $5 or under, I just recycle it instead and consider the cost a donation to Goodwill. It takes me 2-4 gallons of gas to return something, depending on which Goodwill I bought it at. One policy that baffles me about the Goodwill's around here is that if an electronic item has several components, such as a cordless phone system with a base unit and 3 or 4 extensions, they'll package and price them all separately, rather than as a group. What good is an extension cordless phone if it's not mated to the base unit it was designed for? They do the same thing with stuff like surround speakers, price each component separately rather than as a set.

Yeah, the goodwills in my area do the same thing, they even sell a set of stereo speakers seperately. Although now they've started selling things as a set like they're supposed to be.

Goodwill here has a 7 day return policy, but if the item was $5 or under, I just recycle it instead and consider the cost a donation to Goodwill. It takes me 2-4 gallons of gas to return something, depending on which Goodwill I bought it at. One policy that baffles me about the Goodwill's around here is that if an electronic item has several components, such as a cordless phone system with a base unit and 3 or 4 extensions, they'll package and price them all separately, rather than as a group. What good is an extension cordless phone if it's not mated to the base unit it was designed for? They do the same thing with stuff like surround speakers, price each component separately rather than as a set.

I think the majority of thrift shop employees there are by and large too dumb to realize they are a set in the first place....It is like fast food employees; I can order 3-5 simple things 10 times in a row, and if I don't check their work %40 of the time I'll come home with an incorrect order...They either don't bother to think or can't think when trying. Hell I've been to thrifts where the cashiers can't add or do simple maths in their head that most folks are already light years ahead of by middle school...

I think the majority of thrift shop employees there are by and large too dumb to realize they are a set in the first place....It is like fast food employees; I can order 3-5 simple things 10 times in a row, and if I don't check their work %40 of the time I'll come home with an incorrect order...They either don't bother to think or can't think when trying. Hell I've been to thrifts where the cashiers can't add or do simple maths in their head that most folks are already light years ahead of by middle school...

I find that most HiFi Stereo speakers are usually fairly obvious that they are a set but they still don't sell them as a set. one year though I did go to a local Mennonite owned thrift store and found a set of Bose Interaudio speakers for $10 and then I went to the Salvation Army one time and found a set of 1960s vintage Utah 3-Way stereo speakers for $3. So sometimes depending on what place you go to they will know to sell stuff as a set and sometimes they don't. Like I said the Goodwill I work at is doing better at selling things as a set than they used to, I think its because I started working there and I've told them that if stuff looks like its supposed to be a set, then sell it as a set.

I've also learned to be VERY leery of electronics at Goodwill, and I've purchased too many that were defective.
Yep, great rule of thumb, I swear one GW I frequent only ever has broken A/V stuff. Like the other GWs in the area send all their busted stuff there.