Elco Post - Electronic & Computer e-Magazine

Pioneer AVH-P4200DVD review where I will take an in-depth look at all the features, pros, and cons of the system which may help you decide if the unit is the one that you are looking for. If you are in the market for a DVD receiver for your car, it can be quite a headache when choosing something that really fits your needs.

I know how it can be confusing for someone looking to buy a receiver for their cars only to find a big lack of information. Well, lucky for you I really tried my best to put in here everything that I know and feel about the AVH-P4200DVD.


Product Specs:
Pioneer AVH-P4200DVDDisplay Type: 7-inch TFT LCD Touchscreen
Display Resolution: 1440 x 234 pixels
Height: 3.9 inches
Width: 7 inches
Depth: 6.5 inches
Weight: 6.4 Pounds
Power: MOSFET 50W x 4

Features
- AM/FM radio capability
- Can read DVD, DVD-R/RW, CD, and CD-R/RW media
- Can play MP3/WMA/AAC/WAV sound formats
- Can display JPG images
- USB and iPod connectivity
- 4 x 50 Watts maximum power with 3 4V RCA preamp outputs
- Front panel mini A/V inputs
- Rear RCA A/V inputs
- USB input
- SD Card slot
- Rear-view camera input

Review

Display
The Pioneer AVH-P4200DVD possesses a 7-inch LCD Touchscreen with a resolution of 1440 x 234 pixels. The screen is very durable and does not scratch easily. Navigation is very smooth due to the high response time of the touch screen. Visibility even when there is daylight is bright and clear. I really liked the option to customize the LED and background colors.

Multimedia Playback
The capability to handle most CDs and DVDs is a real treat. Videos can play really well and can handle most of the formats widely used out there. It can handle DVDs, burned DVDs, audio CDs, and even files that were burned onto a recordable DVD.

Two minor annoyances are that video files that are burned onto a DVD or a USB drive can only be played if they are encoded in the "DivX" format and information contained by music files can only be displayed if they are on an iPod/iPhone and not on USB drives. These are mildly annoying, but I can live with it.

Connectivity
Connecting USB drives to the unit was no problem and it can read all the files contained in the disk. Same goes for the SD card. It can be a little slow when reading large USB drives, but there were no problems or errors.

iPod connectivity was great. I got the CD-IU200V cable in order to control my iPod directly from the unit and it works perfectly. All the music and videos can be played flawlessly and controlling the iPod is very easy and comfortable.

Sound Quality
This is where the Pioneer AVh-P4200DVD really showed me that I got my money's worth. My speakers were not really that high in quality and my previous system was proof of this. But when I bought the AVH-P4200DVD and put it in my car, the difference in sound was almost phenomenal. The high pass filter made my speakers sound about 10 times better. No complaints from me here.

Video Quality
The quality is okay as this is not really a High Definition player. It does what it says it does. The brightness and colors are nice and easy on the eyes and the quality is really good for a DVD player.

Expandability
The only expansion I got is the iPod direct control cable as it's the only one I need right now, but there are more options for everybody. There are Satellite/HD radio, CD/DVD changer, Bluetooth, and Navigation.
Pros and Cons
Pioneer AVH-P4200DVDPros
- Great Sound Quality
- Touch Screen responsiveness is precise
- Display is fantastic
- iPod/iPhone connectivity is smooth
- Can handle USB drives and SD cards without any problems
- Bang for your buck

Cons
- Can only display information of music files from iPod/iPhone
- Loading of large USB drives is a little slow

[VIA]