Pioneer DV-696AV DVD Player

I’m saying this as some artifacts were visible here and there, and the edges were a bit off. But this is a minor problem; the image was largely good. Color-wise I had no complaints at all; the entire spectrum was represented – and represented well – with no signs of bleeding or oversaturation of any hue.

We then switched to a movie to see how it handles film content, and what else but Star Wars? So we put the Star Wars DVD in, pushed Play, and sat back. The color was as great as before, though a little banding was present. But then, this happens virtually in every DVD player I check (except the very high end); it's like noise in LCD TVs.

The upscaling was adequate. We effortlessly viewed stuff at 720p, though this has to be set in the menu. If you don't, the default setting is 4:3, so when you first switch on the unit you may think either you or your TV has lost it. The menu system is comprehensive, with readable fonts and hierarchy.

Conclusion
This DVD player costs Rs 12,990, so you could consider it if you're in the market for a mid-range player. The quality is definitely better than that offered by the sub-5000 units. Compared to other brands in the segment the Pioneer DV-696AV might have to struggle to catch up, but then the other units offering the same range of features tend to be much more expensive.