It seems the darker films are the ones that suffer from the softness. And I'm telling you, there are no inner menu settings I've read the manual front to back. I can adjust my TV and I know my TV settings very well, but it changes very little. Like I said the picture is better, but it suffers when it comes to darker films and control options. That black level thing is really annoying. There should be a memory feature for that or something.
The programming feature not being available for DVDs is really the deal breaker for me. I just dont see the point in a 5disc DVD changer that you can't program.
As for the PIONEER. I have played with it at the store and it does support svcd. They have it set on a plasma screen at the store and it's hard to tell how it will look.
If that doesnt work I'm going back to VHS...kidding
-PH