Pioneer CLD-D703

The Pioneer CLD-D703 was a part of Pioneer's seven-hundred-series of upper-mid-range Laserdisc players, and the first player in the family. It was evolved into the CLD-D704, which itself was the basis for the CLD-79 and CLD-99 "Elite" line high-end players.

Information

Pioneer introduced the 703 in 1994 to provide an upper-mid-range "stop gap" model to fit in between the CLD-D503, a lower-mid-range player, and the more expensive units in the "Elite" lineup. Although it lacked an AC-3 output for transmission of Dolby Digital sound, it did include many high-end features including coaxial + optical audio output, twin 1-bit digital to analog converters, digital field memory (to allow for freeze frame and slow motion options on CLV discs), digital noise reduction, time base correction and back lit remote control. For 1995 Pioneer upgraded the player, adding the AC-3 output and rebadging it as the CLD-D704. Other than the AC-3 output, the player was largely the same.

The 703 has superior picture and sound quality even compared to earlier high end models such as the CLD 2090. It is considered one of the best non-elite LD player ever made by Pioneer. The MSRP at the time it was made (1994) was over $1000.

Pioneer used the 703/704 hardware for two "spinoff" players. First was the CLD-79, an Elite line player that was little more than a rebadged CLD-D704. Other than it's "Urushi" finish (a treatment that gave the plastic a very glossy, polished look), the 79 was different from the 704 only in that it had gold RCA connectors, a slightly higher audio signal to noise ratio and a longer warranty. The second spinoff player, the CLD-99, was again only a minor evolution; in terms of hardware it was simply a CLD-79 but with a new 3D comb-filter that worked via the s-video output to increase picture quality.

After the discontinuation of the 704, 79 and 99 the places they occupied within the lineup were more or less left empty; Pioneer began abandoning Laserdisc in 1996 as the release of the DVD format became close and a few less-capable DVD/LD combination players were all that remained available for North American consumers.