Pioneer DVR-330-S

By Philip Wong
Jul 28, 2005

Pioneer, an established name in DVD technologies, has introduced the world first Dual-Layer DVR in the form of the DVR-330-S. Compared with its predecessor, the DVR-320-S, this new incarnation of Pioneer's entry-level digital video recorder features enhancements including a new MPEG encoder, new compression algorithm and improved playback compatibility supporting DVD+R/RW and DVD+RAM. The new XP recording mode caught our attention with its sharp and detailed recordings. Together with the 8.5GB capacity Dual-Layer disc, this allows up to 2 hours of high-quality recordings.

Design
The DVR has a handsome two-tone front panel and a sleek 420 x 592 x 273mm profile which blends easily into any home entertainment setup. The device has a sturdy build and feel which inspired confidence the minute we unpacked it.

To present a clutter-free look, the Japanese manufacturer has limited the number of buttons to those crucial playback and recording controls. These are conveniently located on the center of the front panel. The right section of the panel flips open to reveal a set of A/V inputs, complete with S-Video and FireWire terminals for a camcorder.

The buttons on the remote are logically grouped and have a nice tactile feel. Those commonly used or important buttons are either larger or specially labeled to improve visibility. It is unfortunate that Pioneer chose not to provide any form of back lightning but we can't really ask much for an entry model. Three strategically positioned groves help to create a firm grip and make the remote comfortable to hold and operate.

Disc Navigator user interface
One of the main features Pioneer is promoting is ease of use. It has done an excellent job for the DVR-330-S with the disc navigator, easy timer recording and photo viewer. They are a breeze to navigate with the graphics-heavy interface. Careful thought has been put into the design of these menus, such as the option to customize the layout for displaying recorded clips and the capability to select multi-entries for editing. The set comes pre-configured for most types of display while the tuner setup can be easily done with a few clicks of the remote's buttons. To minimize the learning curve for newbies, Pioneer has thrown in an onscreen help function for the various menus.

Features
The DVR-330-S comes with a strong set of recording features. On top of the usual recording modes, Pioneer has further segregated the recording quality into 32 levels. This ranges from the high-quality mode (XP) to the compression heavy mode (NM1). There is also an auto mode which allows the recorder to select the optimum recording quality based on the available disc space. Audiophiles will be pleased with the high-quality audio mode (LPCM) which records audio without applying compression.

Recording time is dramatically increased, thanks to the new hardware MPEG encoder chip which now supports up to 13 hours on DVD-R/RW and an amazing 24 hours on a dual layer disc.

An auto-recording function allows recording to be automatically initiated when an external devices is hooked up with one of its A/V inputs.

The Pioneer has the ability to display JPEG photo files and play back MP3/WMA music files. Unfortunately, music playback can be performed only on CD recordables. This is a major drawback as DVD recordable is gaining a foothold and posed to replace its CD counterpart in the not-so-distant future. A point to note is, this issue applies to most DVRs and not only the Pioneer.


Back panel A/V connectivity
The DVR-330-S sports a commendable set of A/V connections. They include three S-Video inputs (two in the back and one upfront) and a FireWire input for digital camcorders. However, it would be better if Pioneer could include a component-video input for high-quality video transfer. The recorder ranks better for output with its component-video out, two S-Video outputs and optical digital audio.

Performance
Recording performance is where the DVR-330-S truly shines. Using the recorder's highest recording quality mode (XP), we could barely distinguish the difference between the source and the recorded clips. This observation applies to both recordings from TV broadcast and DVD-quality demo materials. The high-quality recording does come at a price of a miserable 1 hour recording time on a standard DVD-R/RW.

The SP mode did a fairly good job in balancing image quality with recording duration, allowing a more reasonable 2 hour recording with just a slight loss in image sharpness. LP/EP recordings had a moderate loss in resolution while the rest of the lower-quality modes could best be described as VCD quality.

Audio is recorded in Dolby Digital 2.0 (stereo) format for most recording modes except for LPCM. We did a comparison between the two formats but were unable to perceive any sonic difference in audio quality.

The recorded DVDs successfully played back on various DVD players of different brands and makes. They included both DVD-R/RW and Dual-Layer discs to ensure the recording compatibilities.

We also checked out the audio/video playback performance of the DVR-330-S and are glad to report that they are well within the performance of standalone players. The progressive scan video output produced a stable and sharp picture while the optical audio output had no problem transmitting the digital bit stream audio for surround sound decoding.

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