jackepstein

On my continuing quest for an HD TV, I'd love some feedback about the following Pioneer 53" HDTV. The price looks great, and I've heard good things about the brand. Post feedback here please.

Pioneer 53" HD TV

chipmac

I haven't seen it for myself but from the talk over on the HTSpot it's a great buy that comes highly recommended. The only thing missing is a DVI port if that's important to you for the future.

DVD Josh

I saw the smaller model at Costco the other day. I thought it looked very nice. I'm curious what rebadge it is, there may be a better deal out there.

Stats

Got it, love it. Have had it for over 2 1/2 years and it still looks incredible. HDTV is of course awesome as it will be on most hi-def sets. The Pioneer also makes DVDs look really good, noticeably better than my neighbor's Panny.

The lack of a DVI port hasn't gotten me yet but has me worried. I don't know if HD-TIVO will have component out and what I'll do if it doesn't. I'm sure I'll get HD-TIVO or some other HD-DVR in the future, and I think only the Zenith DVR has component out and it's over-the-air only.

Take a serious look into it and see if you think you'll want DVI. If not, you can't do better than the Pioneer, esp. at that price - wow. I paid $2700 at BB back in 11/01.

jackepstein

What is DVI exactly?

chipmac

It's a digital connection type that the studios want to use while forcing copy protection to be used on HD DVD and HD premium channels forcing users without DVI to watch a down converted lower resolution picture through component cables. This is not set in stone yet but has many early adopters worried. A pure digital connection type like DVI is a benefit for fixed pixel displays like plasma, LCD and DLP but really doesn't improve anything for CRT based TVs.

shelland

The Pioneer at Costco is the 64" big brother of the 533. I've had the 643 for a little over a year, and paid $600 more at the time than they're selling it for now. When I was researching it at $2799, it was being called the best deal in RPTV's.

So, if you have the room, and can still find one at Costco, the 643 for $1999 can't be beat. If you don't have the room for the 64" the 533.

Loads of information on these set at Home Theater SPOT in both the RPTV and Pioneer forums.

BIGGER IS BETTER!

Stats

I know you were joking but just wanted to point out that this isn't always true. I watch my 533 from about 10 feet and 53" is about as big as I'd want to get from that distance. The scan lines on the 64" would drive me nuts from 10 feet.

Just another thing for jackepstein to remember. Man is buying an HDTV complicated!

PS - It's worth it.

X

What scan lines? Are you watching regular TV?

I sit about 7' away from a 53" set and wouldn't mind closer. (There are some physical limitations preventing closer.)

jackepstein

Looks like I'm gonna go for the Pioneer 53" over Easter Weekend... I'm assuming I should go after a 5.1 setup in the not-so-near future, right?

The SHIPPED price for the TV is around $1,850 (after NJ tax)... From what I've seen, thats a very decent price. Any additional thoughts?

X

Sounds good. My additional thought would be to buy it with a gold or platinum card that adds a year to the warranty.

Oh, and make sure you have a copy of Avia or Video Essentials to calibrate the set as soon as you first turn it on. And learn how to stack the screen to eliminate the glare.

shelland

I watch my 643 from about 12', and see no scan lines at all. If I watched more DVD and HD, I'd probably move a couple feet closer!

shelland

Absolutely get a 5.1! (or 6.1 or 7.1) I happen to have both a 64" TV and 5.1, so am very happy. But, I think the surround sound may be more valuable than a large TV in terms of the Home Theater "experience". A bigger TV "just" makes the picture bigger. (not that I'll give mine up) But adding surround sound creates a whole new dimension that you've never experienced.

When I went 5.1, I actually bought one piece at a time, so got to experience one new aspect every few months. First I just bought the receiver, which made my fronts sing like never before. Then I added a center, which change the voicings dramatically. I then added a sub, which makes an amazing difference. you'll be surprised how much goes through your sub for sounds other than explosions. There is a lot going on through that channel. And lastly, I added surrounds, which add that "enveloping" sound field. Truly a night and day experience if you're just listening through the TV, or even just stereo speakers right now.

Seems like a decent price for a great TV. And I don't want to talk you out of it, but remember you can get the 64" for $1999 + tax if you can find it at a Costco near you. If you're going to be sitting 12+ feet away, it's something to consider. Read around, and most people will say that TV will shrink a great deal in the first month you own it. A lot of people regret not going bigger, but I've read of very few people that regret going too big. Of course everyone has a different preference. If you're upgrading from a smaller TV, that jump can seem overwhelming.

I went from a 25" to a 64", and the difference was obviously staggering. My TV is the size of my old entertainment center. But it didn't take but a handful of weeks for the "oh my God that's a huge TV" factor to diminish. So, if you have the room and can find one, just take it into consideration - for your sake, not any of ours. Not implying you have to choose the bigger set, but at least think about it if it's an option for you.

Stats

Yes, I should have clarified - the scan lines are barely noticeable on my crappy analog cable on my 53" from 10'. Probably with digital cable or sat a bigger TV would be OK. Hi-def and DVDs look great.

jackepstein

In all likelyhood, I'll be sitting around 8 - 10 feet away from the TV. I've done the measurements, and it looks like I'd be suffering from the "Oh my god, thats a big TV" syndrome for a couple weeks. I just don't think a move to 64" is worth it yet (I forgot to mention that I have a giftcard to walmart.com that will cover most of my expense).

I think I may hold off on the 5.1 system until I move out from my rents house... But man, I wanna hear some Fight Club 5.1

shelland

The 643 would definitely be too big at 8-10 feet if you're going to be watching cable or satellite. The 533 is the same TV in a smaller size, so I'd still highly recommend it myself!

macsax

Many have suggested that it was developed as a means of digital copy protection but sadly it is something less insidious or conspiratorial. DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface and It was developed by the oft used method of forming a industry collaborative standards group. This one is called the Digital Display Working Group (DDWG). With the ever increasing display resolutions within, primarily, the computer industry, there was a call for a more stable, comprehensive means of signal transmission to replace the aging analog "VGA" standard.

From www.ddwg.org the DDWG website:

The Digital Display Working Group is an open industry group lead by Intel, Compaq, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard, IBM, NEC and Silicon Image. The objective of the Digital Display Working Group is to address the industry's requirements for a digital connectivity specification for high-performance PCs and digital displays.

For most, current HDTV applications, IMHO, analog still does a more than adequate job so long as you use good quality cables. Most components still provide analog interfaces. If a source is only using a DVI interface for HD, chances are it is following the DVI-I standard. This version sends analog signals along with the digital to allow the use of "break-out" or crossover cables to connect with displays that only have analog inputs.

DAC

Ok, I haven't seen newer RPTV's but the older ones had a good picture if you were straight in front of it, but off the side was a whole different story. The picture was piss poor from an angle. Has that changed with the newer ones? My 32" Sony CRT is dying on me and I'd like to get a widescreen but can't afford a LCD or Plasma so RPTV is my only option other than another CRT.

Any recommendations for under $1500?

Thanks,
DAC

gotapex

Newer ones have far better viewing angles than older ones. This being said, it takes a digital RPTV (ie. DLP, LCD, LCOS) to match a good tube TV for viewing angle.

The PT-45LC12 45" LCD based RPTV can just about fit under your $1500 mark ($1497 plus ship), and has very wide viewing angles compared to typical CRT based RPTV's.