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High
Fidelity Review
DVD-Audio News Story: |
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Pioneer Electronics Issues Customer Advisory on Dual Disc Format |
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Pioneer Electronics has issued a Consumer Advisory about the Dual Disc format in response to customer inquiries about compatibility issues with Dual Discs and some Pioneer consumer optical disc players. The Pioneer advisory is the second such notice issued this week about the new Dual Disc format. It follows closely on the heels of a Dealer Advisory issued by Sony Electronics earlier this week. (See our detailed story on the Sony advisory linked below).
Pioneer's Customer Advisory on Dual Disc
Rather than addressing their Dual Disc advisory to Pioneer Electronics dealers (as Sony Electronics has done), Pioneer has chosen to send theirs directly to consumers with Dual Disc issues. In addition, a copy was posted to the Pioneer Electronics web site today.
The advisory says:
"Dear Customer:
Pioneer has become aware that some pre-recorded hybrid discs -- which are referred to as "DualDisc" -- have been released in the market to consumers by some music companies and record labels. These hybrid discs appear to be a bonded combination of DVD on one side of the disc and non-DVD (which may incorrectly be referred to as a CD side) on the other side. Pioneer understands that, although these discs may refer to a CD side, the "non-DVD" side is not compliant with the Compact Disc Digital Audio specification and does not bear the CD logo.
Pioneer recommends that consumers not use "DualDisc" products with any Pioneer products, including CD players, DVD players and recorders, and computer drives until Pioneer has an opportunity to test them. At this point in time, Pioneer does not know whether Pioneer products can safely handle these new hybrid discs, or whether these discs may damage your Pioneer products.
Pioneer will update this notice based on further investigation."
Players Impacted by Dual Disc Playability Issues
In most cases, the optical disc players that are having problems with the Dual Disc format are having problems with the flipper disc's CD Audio side.
However, in the case of the Pioneer 563A player, High Fidelity Review has been told that some consumers are finding that player may not play the CD and the DVD side of the disc. The good news is that the problem with the DVD side of the Dual Disc may be addressable by the 563A player ROM upgrade that is now available through Pioneer Electronics.
As for optical disc players from Denon and Toshiba that are said to have problems playing Dual Discs, no advisories have been issued yet by these firms. We will keep an eye out to see if that situation changes in the days ahead.
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| The Pioneer DV-563A - One of the Optical Disc Players Consumers Say Has Problems With Dual Disc Playback |
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The
contents of this news story are exclusive to and the sole property
of High Fidelity Review, copyright 2004, all rights reserved. This story cannot be reproduced
in whole or in part without the written permission of High Fidelity
Review. |
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Text
written 05/11/04 by
Brian Moura (HFR). |
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