DVD/CD Player DVJ-X1

red dot
red dot award: product design 2004

The mega-powerful DVJ-X1 allows synchronised digital audio and video to be manipulated and played back, paving the way for a new breed of performer - the DVJ. This new generation of star will combine a DJ's treatment of audio with the visual skills of a VJ, creating a completely original entertainment experience.

Having forged the path from vinyl to CD amongst DJs, Pioneer is now leading the dance and entertainment industries into a new era where AV-literate DJs can finally blend exciting and dynamic visuals into their live performances. In fact, the ground-breaking DVJ-X1 not only creates an extraordinary outlet for creative expression, it also signals a brand new form of entertainment in clubs, bars and other venues and establishes a platform for dance music labels wanting to use visual content to help market their releases.

Combining Pioneer's world-famous CD Jog Dial technology with the flexibility and capacity of DVD, the DVJ-X1 looks just like the company's own CDJ-1000MK2 CD player. But what's even more radical is that the DVJ-X1 has the same functionality - with the added capacity to playback DVDs as well as CDs. This means that digital DJs used to performing live with a CDJ-1000MK2 will have no trouble using the DVJ-X1 as a CD-playback tool.

But crucially, DVJs will also be able to use the DVJ-X1 to manipulate DVD visuals in exactly the same way as they would music. So real-time digital video scratches, loops and instant cues are all possible with the awesome DVJ-X1, while the video and audio streams always stay in perfect sync, even when they're being reversed and pitched. And since a DVD drive has a more advanced, more reliable laser than any CD player, playback quality is assured and maintained in the long-term. In addition, this new Pioneer unit works with all established CD formats as well as DVDs*, crossing the boundaries between the once-separate audio and video domains.

To add yet another dimension to this mind-blowing concept, Pioneer anticipates linking 2 x DVJ-X1s together via a fully integrated audio and visual mixer in the near future. This will allow digital sound and vision from separate sources to be mixed and scratched on the fly - in the same way as DJs create audio mixes in their live sets today.