I own the Pioneer 47ai primarily for its video performance and its ability to play both sacd and dvd-a. I was unable to compare it with other players but am happy with its audio and video capabilities. I've read that the Sony has better audio qualities but for me the 47ai was a safe bet. I think on paper the 999 is supposed to have greater video capabilities(14/108) than the 47ai(12/108). If you don't care for dvd-a, I would imagine the Sony's are a good choice.
Sony DVP-S9000ES vs DVP-NS999ES
I am in the midst of deciding whether to purchase a used DVP-S9000ES (now discontinued) or go with its replacement, the DVP-NS999ES. The latter has multichannel SACD playback which is of absolutely no interest to me (DVD video playback is the only consideration). So the question is: does the newer DVP-NS999ES offer any real improvement in video performance? The latest issue of TPV states that it offers "a host of new image-processing technologies", the most interesting of which is Precision Cinema Progressive. Isn't this circuit also part of the DVP-S9000ES? I have also considered the Pioneer Elite DVD players. Opinions please- thanks, Linc.