Pioneer pushes the video DJ envelope even further with the DVJ-1000

Posted July 28, 2006 at 09:00 PM by Adam Berger

Section: DJ

For those of you who don’t know, which is about everyone reading this, I am a DJ in my second life. I started with Pioneer equipment back in 1997 and have been following the company’s technological advancements ever since. The other tech blogs out there cover new equipment, months after it is released and typically by someone who doesn’t know the 1’s or 2’s about DJing, so I am happy to say that Gadgetell, starting with this post, will also be discussing DJ equipment.

Pioneer released one of the world’s first DVD based video turntable/scratch-players late last year with the DVJ-X1. this player, like their CDJ-1000 and CDJ-800 line of CD digital turntables, had full scratching capabilities for video but was extremely big and extremely pricey.

The next generation DVJ turntable, the DVJ-1000 combines the function, operability and layout of the CDJ-1000 with the visual performance capability and power of the DVJ-X1.

New DVJ-1000 features include the ability to play MP3 DVDs (storing about 1,500 tracks on one disk), MP3 navigator to manage the files, PAL / NTSC converter, a one-track seamless loop to instantly loop an entire video track to a session, and a hyper jog mode (increasing the jog wheel response by 4x). The DVJ-1000 also received some upgrades from CDJ-1000MK3 features, including an adjustable jog wheel, a new more detailed display, super fast search, adjustable loop-in point, and resume play.

The advancement of the DVJ-1000 also leads to a MUCH smaller physical footprint with a 30 percent decrease in size and a 25-30% price drop.  These changes allows the player to fit in the same application of the CDJ players making it easy for mobile, casual, and club DJs to upgrade to video. 

The DVJ-1000 audio features include: MP3 Playback from DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW: Allows playback of MP3 files recorded onto DVD discs (record about 1,500 MP3 songs depending on bit rate and compression technology used). MP3 Navigator: Viewing of MP3 folder / track name on the preview screen of a monitor.  Navigate the folder hierarchy, showing seven lines worth of information for quick song selection. Hyper Jog Mode:  Increases the response of the jog-dial by four times for a quicker response on jog-dial motion for audio and video. 4-Beat Loop: Pressing the button while playing automatically sets a seamless four-beat loop. Back & Forth loop: Creates a loop repeating playback and reverse-playback in turn with the specified loop. 24bit/96kHz Digital Out: The audio output for DVD provides a connection to a Pioneer digital mixer (DJM-1000, DJM-800) that retains the signal path entirely in the digital domain for a cleaner sounding mix with less noise and distortion. Preview Monitor: A preview screen shows a range of information without the need to switch display modes, including: track number, time, track name/artist name/album title, wave display, playing address, hot cue point data and cue point data. Cue / Loop Point Navigator: Display memorized cue / loop point information on the preview screen of a monitor (12 points per page) for quicker navigation and callback of stored data. Jog Feeling Adjustment: DJs control the resistance of the jog-dial to tailor the tension jog to their liking. On Jog Display: The display at the center of the jog-dial allows quick viewing of rotation or current playing position similar to an analog record.  Additional hash marks have been incorporated for better referencing of the playback position during scratch performance. Super-fast Search: Search through a track at a very high rate of speed which varies according to the rotation applied to the jog-dial by holding the search button while rotating the jog dial. Wave Display: The display resolution of the DVJ-X1 was doubled so the audio levels offer a higher degree of display for the track dynamics, from low to high passages. SD Memory Card: SD cards in addition to MMC cards can be used to store memory, cue points and wave data. Resume Play: A resume play feature starts the disc at the exact time a disc is ejected eliminating the need to start playback from the beginning of a disc. The feature is especially helpful when a CD is ejected accidentally. Legato Link Conversion Pro: Enhances the audio for a richer, more natural sound.

The DVJ-1000 will be available in September 2006 with a retail price to be determined.

Read [Pioneer] Read lots more [Pioneer Pro DJ Forum] Via [DigitalTechNews]