Pioneer Players and Audio Sync

The End

Pioneer have finally completed rectified their audio sync problem as of their x3x series of players (eg the Pioneer DV-535). Any audio sync problems you encounter with current-generation Pioneer DVD players are not the fault of the DVD player. This page will remain available indefinitely for the benefit of owners of older Pioneer DVD players.

The Bit After The End

Several class actions have been launched in the US addressing the audio sync issue, as well as several other issues.

    One of my pet peeves about my DVD player (a Pioneer DV-505, firmware revision 1.304/4)  is the fact that certain discs have significant audio sync problems with it. Accordingly, I have created this page to document all of the information I have on this important topic. If you want to add something to this page, please email me. Please note that this campaign will only involve Pioneer DVD players.

What Is The Problem? | How Can I Tell If I Have This Problem? | Individual Sensitivity To The Problem | The Movie Itself | The DVD Itself | Players Affected | Firmware Revisions Affected | The Dolby Digital Processor | Subjective Comparison Testing | Objective Testing | What Causes It? | My Visit To Pioneer Australia | Conclusions | Further Testing | How Do I Fix It? | Pioneer's Official Response | Other Options To Fix The Problem | Rectification Summary

What Is The Problem?

    At its most basic, the problem is that some discs play back on Pioneer DVD players with the audio visibly delayed and out of sync with the video.

    I have collected quite a considerable amount of statistical information about this problem, and it has become clear that not all Pioneer players are affected, not all versions of the same Pioneer player are affected, and not all discs are affected. You could go for a long time and never see the problem rear its ugly head, or it could trouble you quite frequently. However, if you see the problem on a particular disc, then you will always be able to reproduce the problem on that disc.

    As I have subsequently discovered, this is a multifactorial problem. The factors that come into play are;

    I will discuss each of these issues in turn.

    Note that there is another audio sync issue with some non-Pioneer players which leads to the audio sync progressively becoming more and more out of step with the video which can be corrected by stopping and restarting the disc. This problem is not the one at issue here.

How Can I Tell If I Have This Problem?

    There are a number of reproducible listening and watching tests that can be done to determine if your particular DVD setup is affected by the audio sync problem. All of these tests require you to listen to the Dolby Digital audio output of your DVD player. Analogue audio output is not affected to anywhere near the extent that digital audio output is, though you can certainly try the tests and see.

Analogue vs Digital Delay Test

    This is an excellent way of testing any DVD player to see if there is a difference in the delay between the analogue audio output and the digital audio output. If a delay is detectable, then your player is more likely to be affected by the problem than a player which tests negative.

    You need to hook up both the digital audio output and the analogue audio output of your DVD player at the same time and listen to them both at the same time. For the majority of people out there, the simplest way to do this is to hook the digital output of the DVD player up to your Dolby Digital processor and the analogue output of your DVD player up to your TV audio inputs.

    Balance the sound levels separately so that the TV audio output and the Dolby Digital audio output are at approximately the same level.

    Now, listen to any DVD with both audio signals going at the same time. If the sound has a hollow quality or sounds like it is echoing, then your setup introduces a delay into the digital audio and you will be prone to the audio sync problem.

    This is a very sensitive test, and most DVD players will exhibit this effect to a certain extent. Pioneer DVD players exhibit this effect far more than any other DVD player that I have tested to date.

Subjective Listening and Watching Tests

    There are a number of DVDs which are notoriously problematic, and which will exhibit sync problems on most Pioneer setups. All of these discs are Region 4 discs. The sync problem is more noticeable on dialogue - in particular dialogue which is rapidly spoken. Words starting with hard consonants such as "b" and "p" are more readily noticeable as being out of sync than softer words.
The Matrix Test
    This is a very sensitive test for your overall setup. Play Chapter 5 of this DVD (Mr Anderson being chewed out by his boss). If this plays perfectly in sync on your setup, then you do not have the audio sync problem. If this plays out of sync, then you do have the problem.
The Wedding Singer Test #1
    This test isn't quite as easy to discern as The Wedding Singer Test #2 below, but it applies to all versions of this DVD.

    Take a look at Chapter 2, watching both Adam Sandler's lips and Steve Buscemi's lips during their speeches. If they are spot-on sync-wise, then you do not have the audio sync problem. If they are noticeably out of sync, particularly noticeable at the start of sentences, then you do have the audio sync problem.

The Wedding Singer Test #2
    Get hold of an early copy of The Wedding Singer. You can use catalogue number 101716-9 which was the old version that did not work on DVD-ROM drives, or catalogue number 101887-9. The newest version of this disc does not have the problem at this particular point and cannot be used for this test. Unfortunately, the newest version of this disc has the old 101716-9 catalogue number, so you will need to refer to the disc itself to make sure that the disc will definitely exhibit the problem. The older version is labelled 101887-9 #01. The newer one, which is not suitable for this particular test is labelled 101887-9 #04.

    Watch the sequence from 40:14 to 41:27. This is the second half of Chapter 9. Take particular note of Faye speaking. If all you get is a vague sense of unease that something is not quite right, then you do not have the audio sync problem. If you notice that the audio and video sync are severely and unmistakeably out, then you are affected by this problem.

Rounders
    The latter half of Chapter 6 (15:28 - 18:23) is out of sync. Pay particular attention to Matt Damon's girlfriend speaking, as the sync problem is most noticeable with her dialogue.
54
    The latter half of Chapter 2 (3:49 - 4:44) is out of sync. Take particular note of Ryan Phillippe's dialogue in the tunnel when he yells "F*$% you, Jersey". If this phrase is clearly out of sync, then you suffer from the problem. If this phrase is in sync, then you do not have the problem.
There's Something About Mary
    This disc is only subtly out even on the worst-affected systems. Take note of the opening dialogue between Ted and his classmate. Don't worry about the opening song being out of sync - the movie was out of sync at this point and subsequently so is the DVD.
Pulp Fiction (Remastered)
    Look at the opening conversation in the diner. This is a very good discriminator to tell if you have the problem or not, as the dialogue is both very rapid and very forceful, making the problem easy to spot.

Individual Sensitivity To The Problem

    Different people are more or less sensitive to this problem. Personally, I pick it every time and find it extremely distressing, whereas others watching exactly the same disc at exactly the same time barely notice anything wrong.

The Movie Itself

    Some movies are just plain out of sync to begin with, and the DVD reflects this. Lost In Space is an example.

The DVD Itself

    Pioneer DVD players and Village Roadshow DVDs are a potent combination, and frequently exhibit this fault, though the same player playing other DVDs will play them without a problem and conversely the same DVD played on another player will also play back without a problem.
Discs Affected Noticeably On Most Systems

The DVD Player

Players Affected By The Problem
    Basically any and all Pioneer DVD players are affected by this problem. The following Pioneer DVD players have been either reported as playing out of sync or been observed personally by myself to play out of sync.

The DVD Player Firmware Revision

    Not everyone who owns a Pioneer DVD player is affected by the audio sync problem. Owners of newer Pioneer DVD players seem to be less affected than owners of older Pioneer DVD players. The firmware revision appears to be a major determinant in whether or not you will be affected by the problem.
Displaying Your DVD Player Firmware Revision
Most Pioneer DVD players will readily display their firmware revision with the following procedure;     The firmware revision number will be displayed in the box on the upper right hand of the screen. It has the following format;

Ver X.xxx/x
AV1 3.3Xxxx

    To display the firmware on a Pioneer DV-525 (and presumably other newer Pioneer players of the DV-x2x range and above), follow this procedure;

    As part of this campaign, I have gathered considerable information on which Pioneer firmware revisions appear to be problematic and which ones appear to not have the problem. This information is collated below.
Player Firmware Version Affected
Pioneer DV-414 Ver 1.224/4
Ver 2.274/3
Ver 2.274/4		 Yes
No
No
Pioneer DV-505 Ver 1.036/8
Ver 1.110/8
Ver 1.210/8
Ver 1.304/4
Ver 1.378/8
Ver 1.418/8		 No-one anonymous report
Yes
No-one report
Yes
Yes
Yes
Pioneer DV-515 Ver 1.224/4 Yes
Pioneer DV-525 ? Yes
Pioneer DV-606D Ver 1.088/8 Yes
Pioneer DV-717 Ver 1.224/4
Ver 2.274/4		 Yes
No
Pioneer DVL-909 Ver 1.036/8
Ver 1.408/8		 Yes
Yes

    A general conclusion that can be drawn from the above data is that any firmware which is version 1.xxx/x has the problem, and any firmware which is version 2.xxx/x seems to be less likely to have the problem.

Survey Results
    The survey at the top of this page has generated over 200 responses. This is a summary of the results of the survey.
 
Percentage of Pioneer DVD Owners Reporting an Audio Sync Problem

    Overall, 2/3rds of Pioneer DVD player owners reported having an audio sync problem. Sorting these results by firmware revision is very revealing as the following graphs demonstrate. Approximately 3 out of 4 Pioneer DVD player owners with version 1.xxx firmware report having an audio sync problem. This proportion is approximately reversed for version 2.xxx firmware.

The Dolby Digital Processor

    After some testing and research, it seems as if the Dolby Digital processor has some effect on this issue as well. Pioneer DVD players connected to later model Pioneer Dolby Digital processors, in particular the Pioneer VSX-D906S, appear to be less likely to suffer from the audio sync problem, no matter what the firmware revision of the player. If you then take the exact same player and use another Dolby Digital processor, then the lip sync problem will rear its ugly head.

    Yamaha and Sony Dolby Digital receivers seem to be more prone to exhibiting the audio sync problem than do Pioneer Dolby Digital receivers. The survey results on this particular aspect of the problem are quite revealing, showing what a significant difference the brand of Dolby Digital makes on the audio sync problem.

    I performed the analogue vs digital delay test on both a Denon AVD-2000 Dolby Digital Decoder and a Pioneer VSA-E07 Dolby Digital amplifier. This revealed a significant difference in the overall delay inserted into the digital signal between these two Dolby Digital processors, of the order of 10% less delay with the Pioneer decoder. Whilst this is not a large difference, I believe it is a significant enough difference to reflect the differing rates of audio sync problems reported above.

Subjective Comparison Testing

    Pioneer Australia graciously loaned me both a Pioneer DV-717 and a Pioneer DV-525 to try and make further inroads into the investigation of this problem. In addition to this, I had access to a Noriko DVD-390K DVD player and a Toshiba 2109 DVD player as well as my own Pioneer DV-505 DVD player.

    The players were all hooked in turn into a Denon AVD-2000 Dolby Digital processor via the same digital coaxial input. The output of the Denon AVD-2000 was directly fed to 3 stereo power amplifiers. The video was displayed on a Loewe Art-95 TV via a direct connection from the DVD player S-Video output.

    The passages used for testing were the ones listed under Subjective Tests above.

Test Results
Pioneer DV-505, firmware revision 1.304/4, region modified: As expected, all of the reference passages were out of sync. This was done as a control to make sure that no other factors were at play confounding the test results.

Pioneer DV-717, firmware revision 2.284/4, non-region modified: Subjectively, sync was much better than with the Pioneer DV-505. However, the passages were not completely in sync to critical inspection, particularly The Wedding Singer opening speech and Pulp Fiction.

Pioneer DV-525, non-region modified: This DVD player gave the same results on these passages as the Pioneer DV-717.

Toshiba 2109, region modified: Sync was better again, with the only passage that may have been just barely out of sync being The Wedding Singer Best Man speech.

Noriko DVD-390K, region modified: All passages were perfectly in sync.

More Tests
    Following on from these listening and watching tests, I then performed the more sensitive analogue vs digital delay test. This confirmed the above observations.

Objective Testing

    I have developed a procedure for testing for the extent of delay between the analogue and digital audio outputs of a particular DVD player. Note that this procedure determines the overall delay introduced into the Dolby Digital signal by both the DVD player and the Dolby Digital processor.

    The procedure involves connecting the left analogue output of a DVD player to the left line input of a Soundblaster card and at the same time connecting the center Dolby Digital output from the Dolby Digital processor to the right line input of the Soundblaster card.

    I then recorded the same test passage over and over again only changing the DVD player between recordings. I then compared the digitized left and right waveforms to determine the degree of delay between the analog audio output and the digital audio output.

    For this particular series of tests, I used The Wedding Singer Remaster 2 DVD, and used the early part of Steve Buscemi's speech as the reference recording. In particular, I took measurements of the sound of his glass clinking.

    I used an Audio CD (The Sheffield Drum CD) as a reference to compare all of these measurements to. In addition, I also measured the delay introduced by an NTSC DVD. A Denon AVD-2000 was the Dolby Digital processor utilized for these tests.
 

Player
Audio CD
(Sheffield Drum Record)
PAL DVD
(The Wedding Singer)
NTSC DVD
(Air Force One)
Pioneer DV-505
6 milliseconds - no sync problem.
28 milliseconds - definite sync problem.
24 milliseconds - no sync problem.
Pioneer DV-525  
27 milliseconds - definite sync problem.
  
Toshiba 2109  
13 milliseconds - delay noticeable with Analogue vs Digital comparison but not visually.
  
Noriko DVD-390K  
8 milliseconds - no sync problem.
  

    In addition to all of the above tests, I also measured the delay introduced on the Pioneer DV-505 with two discs that have no subjective audio sync problems; The Big Hit and A Bug's Life.

    Both of these discs showed exactly the same analogue versus digital delay as The Wedding Singer, and yet they have no subjective audio sync problem.

Graphical Illustration Of The Problem
This is a recording of the test pasage from The Wedding Singer. In fact, it is the clink of Steve Buscemi's glass that is represented here. The measured delay between the analogue audio output (top) and the digital audio output (bottom) was 28 milliseconds. This is a recording of the exact same passage under the exact same test conditions, except with a Noriko DVD-390K DVD player. The measured audio delay here is a mere 8 milliseconds.

    To measure the effect that the Dolby Digital processor has on this problem, additional objective testing was done with a Pioneer VSA-E07 Dolby Digital amplifier, and this revealed the following results.
 

Player
Audio CD
(Jesus Christ Superstar Original Broadway Cast Recording)
PAL DVD
(The Matrix)
Pioneer DV-717
5 milliseconds - no sync problem.
26 milliseconds
Start SD-2010VNK  
10 milliseconds

    From the above results, it is clear that that Dolby Digital decoder does play a role, albeit a small one, in the problem, with the Pioneer VSA-E07 showing an overall system delay of 26 milliseconds vs 28 milliseconds for the Denon AVD-2000.

What Causes It?

    The gist of the problem appears to a combination of problems which insert delay into the audio signal path. Once this delay reaches a certain threshold, a perceptible sync problem occurs.

    Multiple factors are involved; the source material itself, the DVD mastering, the DVD player, the DVD player's firmware revision, and the Dolby Digital processor, but the major contributor to the problem is the delay inserted by the DVD player.

Does A Multi-Region modification or Macrovision removal modification cause the problem?
    This is an interesting email that I received in regards to the problem from an industry insider;

    "As a retailer, let me inform you what Pioneer has told me about the AUDIO SYNC problem. Pioneer has found that the problem is caused by Macrovision and can be fixed by an upgrade, however Pioneer does not and can not upgrade it. It mainly affects Modified units, those with an S in their model number or a green dot on the side of the originl carton. Pioneer have upgraded the macrovision on their units from March of this year and so those units after this date should not experience the problem."

    I do not believe the problem has anything to do with zone modifications or macrovision modifications, as owners of both Region 4 only machines and modified machines report audio sync problems with the same frequency.

Other Sources of Information
    Home Cinema Choice News in the UK have published a detailed article about this problem here, but it appears as if the UK has no Village Roadshow, where every disc produced by one distributor is unacceptably out of sync on Pioneer DVD players.

My Visit To Pioneer Australia

    On Tuesday 26th October 1999, I visited Pioneer Australia to demonstrate the audio sync problem to them first hand. Present at the demonstration were Laurie Vanhasster (Service Manager), Sandra Cowan (Corporate PR and Communications Manager) and Darren Johannesen (General Manager, AV Group). I would like to extend my thanks to these fine people for the opportunity of meeting with them. They had heard of the audio sync problem previously, but never in relation to Region 4 DVDs, and were keen on having this problem demonstrated to them. One thing that was made very clear to me was the fact that Pioneer Australia is committed to resolving this problem, whatever the cause turns out to be.

    The equipment used for the demonstration consisted of a Pioneer DV-717 DVD player, firmware revision 2.274/8 with its digital output feeding a Pioneer VSX-D908 Amplifier. The display device used was a very tasty looking PDP-502MXE plasma flat panel display, through a composite input.

    The discs used for the test were; The Wedding Singer, both the first and second remasters, Rounders, 54 and The Specialist. These are all discs that suffer notoriously from the audio sync problem.

    Basically the demonstration consisted of comparing the same passages of these DVDs on the current DV-717 model with the output from my DV-505 model into the same equipment.

    Here's the interesting part. NO AUDIO SYNC PROBLEM COULD BE DEMONSTRATED on EITHER DVD player. Not believing my eyes, I returned home and reconnected my DVD player to my Denon AVD-2000 Dolby Digital processor. The audio sync problem returned, and was the same as before.

    OK, I hear you say - it's the Denon Dolby Digital processor! Not necessarily. The same processor being driven by a Noriko DVD-390K DVD player with the same disc passages shows no audio sync problem.

    My current theory about this problem now goes as follows;

There is something about the Dolby Digital data stream coming out of the older Pioneer DVD players (firmware v1.xxx/x) that causes some Dolby Digital decoders to insert a very slight delay into their decoding process. Whatever this something is, it seems to be present on Village Roadshow discs.

    I will be continuing to research this problem and possible fixes for it with the enthusiastic cooperation of Pioneer Australia (they want to see this issue resolved as much as we do) and will keep you all informed of progress.

Conclusions

Conclusions - Observed Facts
Conclusions - Speculations

Further Testing

    To further prove the theories I have developed in regards to the problem, the following tests need to be done.
  1. A comparison, both subjectively and objectively between a Pioneer DV-717 DVD player with firmware revision 1.xxx and a Pioneer DV-717 DVD player with firmware revision 2.xxx, both non-region modified. I believe that the revision 1.xxx Pioneer DV-717 DVD player will be subjectively more out of sync on my test setup compared with the revision 2.xxx Pioneer DV-717 DVD player. If this is true, then I plan to upgrade the firmware in the revision 1.xxx player with the revision 2.xxx firmware and see if this results in the expected subjective resolution of the sync issue. If all of this is proven, then we have a potential solution for the majority of Pioneer DVD player owners out there.
  2. Further assessment of the differences between sync on the Pioneer DV-505 and the Pioneer DV-525 to quantify why the Pioneer DV-525 is subjectively better even though the analogue to digital delay is the same.
  3. Comparison of a region modified DV-717 with a non region modified DV-717. I believe that both players will be equally susceptible to the problem and this will show that the modification has nothing to do with the sync problem.

How Do I Fix It?

Optical Digital Output vs Coaxial Digital Output
    One solution that has been suggested in various newsgroups is to use an optical digital connection instead of a coaxial digital connection. My personal experience with this is that it makes no difference whatsoever to the problem.
Bizarre Semi-Fix
    I stumbled across this sort-of fix which improves the problem but doesn't cure it. I am still experimenting with it, but here goes. I believe this semi-fix will work with any disc, but this remains to be proven. This semi-fix has been tried on a Pioneer DV-505 and a Pioneer DV-717 with the same positive results. Any feedback, additional comments or experiences are welcomed.
  1. Insert any disc and play it (my initial experiments were with various versions of The Wedding Singer and with Chapter 2 and the latter half of Chapter 9)
  2. Press Repeat A-B.
  3. Wait for a short time.
  4. Press Repeat A-B again. The sequence will start repeating, with sync still the same.
  5. Rewind to BEFORE the A point. The player will then skip back to the A point. This is the critical step which improves the audio sync significantly.
  6. Clear the A-B repeat with the C key.
    Voila! The sync problem is significantly better, but not 100% cured.

    This semi-fix seems to work for the disc that is currently inserted, and possibly for any others that are inserted following this until the player is powered down with either the remote control or with the main power switch, though I'm still checking that.

    I can offer no logical explanation for why this procedure improves the audio sync, but it does.

Proof That It Is A Firmware Issue
I offer you the following post from Audio Review by Joe M

"                                How to determine the player’s (DV-414) Firmware version:
                                  1 Turn on TV and DV-414 with no disc in it
                                  2 Press MENU on DV-414 remote
                                  3 Select INITIAL and press ENTER
                                  4 Make sure OSD is highlighted and press DISPLAY

                                  Here's what it says for my DV-414 manufactured October 1998:

                                  OSD SET.
                                  Region: 1
                                  Ver:1.184/4 (You better hope yours doesn’t match this)
                                  AV1:3.32'C'
 

                                  I bought a DV-414 manufacture code of december 1998 with firmware of

                                  OSD SET.
                                  Region: 1
                                  Ver:1.184/4
                                  AV1:3.32'C'

                                  I also saw the very noticeable Lip synch problems ON A FEW movies
                                  others had noted as well. I did my reasearch, called Pionneer informed
                                  them of the issue, ETC., ETC., They gave me no solution. Well this
                                  weekend I rented "Urban Legand" and the Lip Synch reared it's upgly
                                  head again. It was really noticeable at the begining of the movie.
                                  Well I was fed up with it. So, I went to my local Best Buy store, and
                                  bought a unit with the latest manufacture code I could find. When I
                                  checked the new unit, it said
                                  OSD SET.
                                  Region: 1
                                  Ver:2.274/4
                                  AV1:3.32'C'
                                  I had not seen this firmware mentioned anywhere, so it's probably the
                                  latest or close to it. I opened up both machines, and swapped the main
                                  logic board. It was easy, just remove a few cover screws, then remove
                                  the logic board by removing another few screws and some cables attached
                                  to it. I then swapped logic boards with my new and old machine. My
                                  old machine now read Ver:2.74/4 firmware. I put the EXACT same DVD in
                                  my old machine with the new logic board, and whola, I would say about
                                  90% of the lip synch probolem was GONE by swapping the logic board
                                  ONLY. I had someone else look as well and they agreed. I think this
                                  put's it to a rest that the newer firmware helps to cure the problem."

Pioneer's Official Response To This Issue

    I visited Pioneer Australia on Wednesday 2nd February to present the data gathered from everyone who responded to the Audio Sync survey (aggregated data only, no email addresses were divulged) and to discuss these findings with Pioneer. What follows is a combined statement from Michael D's Region 4 DVD Info Page and Pioneer Australia.
Good News for Pioneer DV-515 and DV-717 Owners
    We discussed how Pioneer has had a long-standing position of dedication to customer service. Since the emergence of lip sync issues with some of their earlier DVD players, Pioneer has willingly supported consumers by upgrading firmware on players under warranty to resolve the situation.

    Pioneer's position remains as follows for Australian owners of Pioneer DV-515 and DV-717 DVD players, which are less than 12 months old (and hence still covered under warranty - which I believe is pretty much all of them):

    Any owner of a Pioneer DV-515 or DV-717 DVD player with a firmware revision of 1.xxx/x will be able to upgrade their firmware to revision 2.xxx/x if they wish to have this done at no charge so long as the DVD player is less than 12 months old.

    VERY IMPORTANT: This firmware upgrade will nullify any region modification that has been made to these units and will make them Region 4 only DVD players. This particular point is non-negotiable with Pioneer Australia since the official position of Pioneer Australia is that they did not and never have performed region modifications to their DVD players, regardless of what you may have been told by the dealer who sold you the DVD player.

Will It Fix The Sync Problem?
    Based on my personal observations and also the responses to the Audio Sync survey, this will result in the majority of audio sync problems disappearing, to the extent that the great majority of 515 and 717 owners will no longer suffer from a noticeable Audio Sync problem that can be blamed directly on the DVD player.

    Be aware that this won't fix everyone's problem, and for those of you with firmware revision 2.xxx/x already who have a sync problem, or those of you that have this upgrade performed and still suffer from an audio sync problem,  there is nothing that can be done to resolve your problem in your setup short of buying a new DVD player (or possibly a new receiver).

How Do I Arrange To Have The Firmware Upgrade Performed?
    Consumers needing upgrades can contact Pioneer Service Manager Laurie Van Haaster directly on (03) 9586-6433.
What About my DV-505/DV-414/Other DVD player?
    Discussions are still underway in regards to other Pioneer DVD players, and you will be notified of any substantial news.
What About If My DV-515/DV-717 is out-of-warranty?
    Players no longer under warranty will be considered on a case by case basis. Consumers concerned can call the above number to discuss the issue.
Closing Thoughts
    I for one would like to congratulate Pioneer Australia on taking this consumer-positive position with this issue, and would also like to thank them for all of their help in resolving this issue so far.

Other Options To Fix The Problem

    Upgrading the firmware from version 1.xxx/x to version 2.xxx/x on pretty much any Pioneer DVD player will improve the audio sync problem.

    As mntioned above, Pioneer Australia will upgrade under warranty any DV-515 or DV-717 which is less than 12 months old, but this will nullify any region modification. If this is not a satisfactory solution, or your player is more than 12 months old, The DVD Shop can upgrade and remodify your DV-414, DV-515, or DV-717 player. The modification/upgrade has the following features;

    Based on the statistical evidence from the Audio Sync poll, this will improve the audio sync problem for the majority of you, but not for all of you.

    The DVD Shop normally charge $100 for this modification/upgrade. They have offered to perform this upgrade for readers of Michael D's Region 4 DVD Info Page for $80. You'll need to mention Michael D's Region 4 DVD Info Page to get this special price.

Rectification Summary

Step 1: Determine Firmware Revision.

Step 2: Proceed according to Player and Firmware Revision

Pioneer DV-09
    No solution at this time.
Pioneer DV-414
Revision 1.xxx
    Solution: Firmware Upgrade performed by The DVD Shop for $80. Will fix the majority of lip sync problems. Will retain multi-region and macrovision disable capability of the player.
Revision 2.xxx
    No solution at this time. Recommendation: Buy a new non-Pioneer player.
Pioneer DV-505
    No solution at this time.
Pioneer DV-515
Revision 1.xxx
    Solution: If the player is still in warranty, contact Pioneer Australia for a Firmware Upgrade to Revision 2.xxx. This upgrade is free, but will nullify any exisiting region or macrovision modification.

    Solution: Firmware Upgrade performed by The DVD Shop for $80. Will fix the majority of lip sync problems. Will retain multi-region and macrovision disable capability of the player.

Revision 2.xxx
    No solution at this time. Recommendation: Buy a new non-Pioneer player.
Pioneer DV-525
        No solution at this time. Recommendation: Buy a new non-Pioneer player.
Pioneer DV-606
    No solution at this time.
Pioneer DV-717
    Solution: If the player is still in warranty, contact Pioneer Australia for a Firmware Upgrade to Revision 2.xxx. This upgrade is free, but will nullify any exisiting region or macrovision modification.

    Solution: Firmware Upgrade performed by The DVD Shop for $80. Will fix the majority of lip sync problems. Will retain multi-region and macrovision disable capability of the player.

Pioneer DV-K302
    No solution at this time.
Pioneer DVL-909
    No solution at this time.