Strengths: Easy to use, quick set-up, excellent picture quality, good value

Weaknesses: Minor: Remote control is white, no HDMI cable included with unit

Summary: This is a great unit that upscales the standard DVD resolution from 460 to nearly 1080p resolution. No need to splurge on Blue-Ray or HD-DVD players that might become obsolete in a few years--this unit will get you almost the same picture for a lot less money. The unit is slim, sleek, and should blend well with most any other equipment. Set-up is a breeze with easy-to-follow on-screen directions. The discs load in a reasonable amount of time, contrary to a common complaint about slow loading in some other brands. The picture quality is excellent (I am using an inexpensive HDMI cable), and the remote is intuitive and offers a comprehensive selection of features. I'm not too wild on the white color of the remote, but at least it's easy to distinguish from my other remote controls. Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase of the Pioneer DVD player and feel it offers a great value for the price.

Strengths: Solid built, good brand, firmware-upgrdable-tweakable

Weaknesses: No NTFS and HCSD support.

Summary: This is a very good player. It is easy to set up. The menus are user friendly, though typical Pioneer message "this option is not available" is sometimes annoying, since most of the remote control features are not applicable when palying DivX files. It is easy to use and navigate through files on the USB-connected device (Hard Disk/Thumb drive/Card reader). The minor disadvantage, which I was aware of before buying this player, was inability to read external hard drive with NTFS partition(s) and 4GB HCSD card (to play 2GB+ avi files). The last one I am not sure if it is a card or a card reader related problem. I have only one of each and couldn't test them thoroughly. Quick search on the net was encouraging and produced references to the alternative firmware for this DVD palyer and tools to modify it (changing logo, position and fonts of subtitles in DivX mode and extra capability to make it multi-region to play European DVDs on an NTSC TV. Overall - very satisfied with this player!

Strengths: Upconverting, decent remote, USB input

Weaknesses: Initial set up menu was a bit confusing.

Summary: My old DVD player died on me at the perfect time as I had been wanting an upconverting unit, and I had a Gift Cert to cover the cost. I did my homework, and looked at a lot of reviews, and eliminated other brands in this price range. So far three weeks in and everything works great, the upconverting quality is noticeable but not dramatic as my 42 LCD upconverted as well. This had DIVX and a USB input so you can add thumb drives for pic viewing or videos. I understand you can plug in an external HDD as well. Happy with the purchase!

Strengths: Great DivX Playback, USB and 1080p Upconversion

Weaknesses: Price is higher than that of a similar Philips model

Summary: I have used two Philips models (including the original DivX king, the DVP642) for DivX playback and this Pioneer plays more DivX files than Philips players were able to with no stuttering and freezing.The Philips also has a usable USB port and upscaling to up to 1080p through its HDMI port. The buid quality is very good too.I am pleased with the picture quality and HDMI upscaling to 1080p as well as with its stable DivX playback. The Pioneer has a coaxial digital out and no optical, which works perfectly for me since my receiver (Panasonic XR55) has 2 of each and optical ones are taken already.The USB feature is great and the player is a pleasure to use. It also has full (parts and labor) 1-year warranty.A very good player if you want to play DivX, need HDMI with upscaling to 1080p and a USB port. I highly recommend it.

Strengths: Plays multiple file formats, build quality, USB port, nice menu system.

Weaknesses: no optical, only output digital audio via either HDMI or Coax(not both)

Summary: This is one of the best divx players currently on the market with a built-in USB port. I bought the Philips 5982 for a replacement of my DVP642 and ended up taking it back. 5982 does not support packed bitstreams on xvids and in those movies you will notice stuttering throughout the movie which is completely unacceptable. I upgraded firmware to latest version and this made no difference. Pioneer on the other hand handles these xvids with no problems. Also 5982 does not support USB powered hard drives while the Pioneer works fine with my USB powered hard drive. Pioneer also has very nice menu system that is high on the options list as well as user friendliness and are light years ahead of the bare bones menu system found on the 5982.Only drawback if you can call it that is that it will only output digital audio via coax only if HDMI audio output is disabled. This might be trouble for some that doesn't have rca jack for the HDMI port but would like to have audio going to the TV as well as to the receiver. ( this is the same case as the 5982) That is no issue for me as I have a rca jack going to the associated HDMI port on the TV and Coax going to the receiver. By the way this player only has coax and no optical which again is no big deal for me.Picture quality on the 50" panny plasma on DVDs as well as divx/xvid moves upped to 720P looks very nice. All in all this player is more expensive compared to the philips but keep in mind that like most things in life you do get what you pay for.

Strengths: Sleek professional looking form factor.

Weaknesses: DivX and USB port playback problems.

Summary: Bought this player primarily for its DivX/XviD playback and USB port. Unfortunately, it is lacking in these areas. The USB port only recognized 2 out of 4 storage devices (yes they were all formatted FAT32 as required) and even one of the two it did recognize it would never get past the "LOADING" indicator - this was an external harddrive (yes it was powered) so I can only presume this player can't properly deal with larger drives (this was 200GB) and/or large numbers of files (this one was almost completely filled with DivX/XviD files (let's say ~200 with about 15 in the root directory and the rest in about 30 or so folders). So, it actually only ended up being able to use 1 of 4 USB devices and on that it completely locked up the player about 3 seconds into playing the first file and I had to unplug the player from the AC outlet 3 times before it finally reset and started working again. The next time it played the file but with no audio - the audio was MP3 - but this was a file that played properly elsewhere. Lastly, I think it is absurd that a Pioneer (generally considered more high-end than many brands) that costs more than many similar players has no optical audio port. Honestly, I have no idea how they think this player justifies costing more than several other models that offer as much or more. This player fell way short of living up to the Pioneer reputation. I have now read several other reviews/comments around the web which were also quite negative on this unit so I am convinced mine was just a singular bad unit.P.S. - The buttons on the front panel are horrible. They are difficult to push and when you do there is almost no tactile feedback that you pushed it succesfully. Indeed, you routinely have to press the buttons so hard to get them to register that it physically causes the whole player to move.

Strengths: this does a good job of up converting. all around solid DVD player.

Weaknesses: some feature seem limited, display so on.

Summary: This is a really good up converting DVD Player for the money. it is cheaper than most and a better brand than the really cheap one. I would recommend this player to any one looking for a good up converting dvd player. it does a good job to 1080p.

Strengths: Slim

Weaknesses: USB functionality

Summary: I will not bother commenting on all the normal DVD player features since that has been done enough and there is nothing new or unique in that area - even HD upscaling is now in many players. The one feature that makes this player different from all but a handful of other models is its USB port. Too bad it is poorly done. It only worked properly with one of three USB flash disks and even though I went to all the trouble of converting my external powered harddrive to FAT32, it did not work properly with it either. In contrast, the Philips 5982 I ended up swapping this for worked with ALL of them! Also, the Philips would play MPEG files via USB whereas this Pioneer would not. Mind you, the Philips has some of its own issues - the remote is the worst I have ever seen and it has no s-video output - but if you intend to use the USB port, you should pass on this Pioneer.

Strengths: 1080p upscaling, USB support, good remote (with eject function), pal/ntsc, firmware upgrades, big community support (AVSForum), color component size, decent long file name support

Weaknesses: USB only supports FAT16/FAT32 file systems (hacks available), i dont believe there is an easy region hack

Summary: I have been using this player for about a week (watched 12+ movies on it). Subtitle support is fantastic, upscaling on to my 1080p tv looks fantastic. I have always been a huge fan of hackable and xvid capable players. I started with Apex in the late 90s, then i was a BIG philips fan and until i can find a player that does x264, has ethernet, and will fully support ntfs and long file names, this will be my player. Also, the $99 price tag makes it very reasonable for the amount of features.

Strengths: Good build, quality, upscaling, USB

Weaknesses: Price, Firmware

Summary: It's very nice DivX player with good video/audio quality. Like Philips 5982, it has USB which you can use USB flash drive or external hard drive to watch DivX video. It works very well. However it's more expensive than Philips 5982.

Strengths: 1080p upconversion. Has USB port, plays DivX files.

Weaknesses: More expensive than comparable Philips models

Summary: I bought this player to go with a new flat panel TV. I was comparing this model to those made by Philips, since, I used to have the older Philips DVP3960/37, which had have DivX support, HDMI, and a USB port. I found that the menus on the Pioneer appears to be more responsive, and the remote has a higher quality build and better range. The upconversion looks better, too - it doesn't have those subtle although this isn't necessarily a fair comparison. I haven't had any problems with the DivX playback. Overall, while the Pioneer costs more than the Philips, the better build quality and menus make it worth it. Also its aesthetics match better with the home theater receiver.

Strengths: HDMI, 1080p upscaling, Divx playback, USB port

Weaknesses: USB port fails after a few weeks

Summary: Most newer DVD players, even ones costing half the price of this unit, play Divx, have HDMI output and even upscale to 1080i or 1080p. I bought this player with idea of connecting a HD to the USB port for Divx playback. I had to return the first player 1 week after using it with a USB HD, now I've got to return the 2nd player for the exact same reason after 2 weeks of use through the USB port. It seems this player is not designed for long term USB use. Pioneer tech support does not know why this is happening and blames it on the USB device not their player. At the same time they say it should not be happening. Going with the Philips DVP5982/37.

Strengths: USB2 Port and HDMI, DIVX/XVID and WMV, 1080P and rare 480i direct output, solid build quality

Weaknesses: Not sure it's the best bang for the buck right now (Phillips DVP5982 is a better deal IMHO), cheap looking remote (not matching DVD player color)

Summary: I have been looking for a while into getting a standard definition DVD player and after comparing the major brands, I finally pulled the trigger on the Pioneer DV-400VK and the Phillips DVP5982. Let me start by saying that the Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony are good players but they all lacked one or more key features (Oppo was out of the running due to much higher price point - arguably the best players out there though).If you are looking for a complete package (i.e. 1080P, HDMI, DIVX, and USB) at a reasonable price, the Pioneer and the Phillips are hard to beat (I paid $75 for the Pioneer and $50 for the Phillips). The Pioneer has a solid build with all the buttons needed on the player to operate it should you lose or break the remote. The Phillips on the other hand is minimalist at best and the remote is not backlighted.The basic features between both players are comparable with a few differences. The Pioneer can output the video signal in 480i which is great if you have a high-end progressive scan / upscaling chip with your TV. Pioneer plays DIVX relatively well (I have a few files that simply wouldn't play) and also support WMV format but not MPEG (you have free programs from Microsoft that can convert the files like Windows Movie Maker or Windows Media Encoder). The menu is well designed and it's easy to access all functions.The Phillips supports MPEG but not WMV. The DIVX files that failed on the Pioneer also failed on the Phillips at the same scenes (the files played without a hitch on my computer). The menu is awful to navigate and as many people mentioned in other reviews, Phillips doesn't support long file names. One area where the Phillips outshines its competition is the ability to make the player region free and easily upgrade the firmware.Bottom line, the image and the sound coming out of the Pioneer are excellent. The build and the feature set are well thought out. I am just not sure that it warrants a 50% price premium over the Phillips.

Strengths: USB Jack, OnScreen Display

Weaknesses: Very Poor Construction and Reliability for DivX Pioneer Customer Service Sucks Big Time!

Summary: God Help you if you need a warranty repair or replacement of this or any other Pioneer DVD Players! I had two of these units. The first became defective after only 2 months. It completely stopped reading any DivX files and would only read regular movie DVD's. Getting it replaced under warranty was a complete horror story! Pioneer is by far one of the worst electronic companies I have ever had the misfortune to deal with with! Terrible and incompetent customer service that had to be seen to be believed!To make a long story short, it took two months to get a replacement under warranty and they make you go through a service center! Even more unbelievable is the fact that the replacement was also defective! It would only read AVI files and nothing else! I am now in the process of waiting again for a second replacement! It's already been two months and counting!Pioneer, very bad quality and even worse customer support and Under Warranty Repair! Manuel A. Calcagno