Conclusion

The Pioneer DVR-320-S is an excellent player feature-wise. It is simple to use, although it will take a small amount of time to get aquainted with the large remote control and all the buttons and their functions. The good thing is that the included manual describes all the unit's functions in simple words. Recording and playback was flawless, and without any surprises (device crashing, discs written being unreadable etc). As a word of caution at this point, be careful when using the VR format for recording. It seems that this format's compatibility is manufacturer dependent, chances are that discs written in this format are not playable in other standalone DVD players.

The DVR-320-S offers a set of impressive features as well, like the chase play feature, that let's you watch what you have recorded previously on a disc, while recording on the same disc. Its set of inputs is sufficient even for the most demanding user, especially for a device of its kind. The only thing missing is composite video output, but there are many other DVD players out there that do not offer this feature as well.

Even if is not explicitly stated in the specs, the DVR-320-s can playback DVD+R/RW discs. The results were mixed though, some discs had no playback problems at all, while others would not be recognized by the DVR-320-s

Also, its lack of support for DVD+R DL discs maybe another decisive factor for potential buyers. Although DL disc prices are high right now, they are expected to drop in the near future. So people that want to plan ahead, may get discouraged from the DVD-320-S not being able to read DVD+R DL discs. The Pioneer DVR-320-S's street price in North America is approximately $350, and around €400 in Europe.

The Good

- Slim Design
- Easy to setup/use
- DV IN/OUT
- Advanced features like chase play, DVD-Video menu editing.
- Good error correction
- Good writing quality
- Explanatory manual
- Remote control can be programmed to control TV as well

The Bad

- Supports only DVD-R/DVD-RW for recording
- Does not support playback of DVD+R DL discs
- Does not support DVD discs with compressed audio/image files