The Pioneer DV-LX50 is the company's latest high-end DVD spinner, which typically comes equipped with everything bar the kitchen sink.

And as per its predecessors, the build quality is immaculate, constructed in a sturdy double-layered chassis that allows the disc mechanism and optical pick up to operate with maximum stability. It is also beautifully styled in glossy, piano black.

Considerable compatibility

Pioneer was the first company to launch a DVD player that could play DVD-Audio and SACD and we're glad to see them sticking with the idea today.

The unit also boasts compatibility with a wide range of compressed media files, with a list that includes the usual suspects (DiVX, MP3, WMA, JPEG) plus a couple of more non-standard formats, WMV and non-copy protected MPEG4 AAC files.

The player will also display hi-res JPEGs without dropping them down to DVD resolution.

Upscalijng to 1080p

The player upscales DVDs to 1080p, 1080i or 720p depending on the resolution requirements of your display.

Upscaled pictures are supplied by the HDMI output on the rear, which also supports CEC technology so that you can control this deck with the remote of an HDMI-equipped TV. It's joined by component, S-video and composite outputs plus an RGB-capable Scart.

For audio playback, there's a set of 5.1-channel analogue outputs that feed decoded Dolby Digital/DTS soundtracks or DVD-A/SACD material to the corresponding inputs on your receiver.

Completing the audio array are optical and electrical digital outputs plus a pair of analogue phonos for stereo purists, who will welcome the Pure Audio mode that shuts off the video circuitry to reduce interference.

DVD audio adjustments

As the deck is aimed at serious videophiles, there are plenty of picture tweaks, grouped under the Video Adjust menu. You can adjust sharpness, brightness, contrast, gamma, hue, chroma level and block noise reduction.

Sonic pedants can also fine tune the audio performance using the bass management functions.

Our only complaint concerning features is the absence of a USB port for plugging in flash memory drives, which means you can only play compressed media files from discs. But in every other way this is one of the most talented DVD decks we've ever encountered.

Straightforward interface

DVD decks still have the edge over their slow-loading HD counterparts, a point emphatically proved by the DV-LX50.