Pyle PLDVD-97
www.pyleaudio.com

Pyle offers an affordable alternative for those looking to enhance their multimedia capability.

by David Navone

If you’re looking for a single-disc, stand-alone player that can handle DVD, VCD, Super-VCD, DVCD, Audio CDs, and MP3, the PLDVD-97 from Pyle is the perfect choice. The specs on the PLDVD-97 are incredible, so we decided to check out the wide range of features in our Autosound 2000 Test Lab. We used a 6-inch LCD color monitor as well as a 15-inch display for our tests.

The Components
The PLDVD-97 is a 8.5- x 6.5- x 2.5-inch unit that weighs around 2 pounds. A wireless remote control is also supplied, and it comes in very handy in accessing the many audio and video menus. The remote runs on two AAA batteries that are also supplied. For trunk or other hidden installations, a wired remote sensor is supplied. We found this sensor to be powerful enough to operate in direct sunlight.

There are two power supplies included with this Pyle system. The first is the traditional + 12-volt DC and chassis ground provision. We noticed a hefty power supply filter on the + 12-volt line. This filter is effective in reducing alternator whine and other automotive-related interference. The second power supply is a 120-volt AC to 12-volt DC supply. This supply proved useful for home or shop installations.

The Features
Using the PLDVD-97 is as easy as inserting a disc into the motorized tray. The disc is scanned for format, and the player is automatically configured for reproducing the correct media. For instance, when we inserted a DVD-Video disc into the mechanism, the video was set up for wide-screen and the audio was set to Dolby Digital or DTS.

The quality of the video was excellent with the 6-inch display and looked as good, if not better, than normal NTSC television on the 15-inch monitor. The reason for the video quality is that the PLDVD-97 uses over 500 horizontal lines of resolution.

Audio CDs are played just like any in-dash type player, but the PLDVD-97 also plays CD-R discs recorded with the compressed MP3 files. Playing MP3 CDs is very similar to playing regular Audio CDs. Tracks can be individually selected or scanned manually. On some of the early mobile MP3 players, all the .mp3 files had to be placed on the disc without any directories. This meant that the Elvis songs had to be mixed with the Elton John songs. The PLDVD-97 doesn’t have this problem, and this deck has the ability to read the names of the directories as well as the tracks within that directory. The UP-DOWN-LEFT-RIGHT button on the wireless remote easily accesses the MP3 tracks. This is a great way to play MP3 in a mobile or home environment.

Using the PLDVD-97
We connected the audio outputs of the PLDVD-97 into both mobile and home systems. For a normal stereo system, the left and right analog audio outputs can be wired directly into a power amplifier or routed through and equalizer and/or electronic crossover. The audio output is the standard 2 volts. The audio formats include MPEG1, MPEG2, PCM, Dolby Digital, DTS, and normal analog stereo.

The video output of the PLDVD-97 is the standard 1 volt and is NTSC or PAL (European) in the MPEG1, MPEG2, PCM, Dolby Digital, and DTS formats. There’s also a high resolution S-Video output.

We found the +12-volt DC remote output useful for activating external power amplifiers. This output is switched internally as soon as the player is activated.

Summary
The appearance and operation of the PYLEview PLDVD-97 was incredible. We were impressed with both the performance and the styling and would recommend this deck to anyone interested in playing multiple formats in a single system.

Price & Contact: $399; 718-535-1800, www.pyleaudio.com