tdamico

I have heard great things about the Pioneer Pro elite TVs, especially regarding the line doubler that comes built in. But given the cost, would it be better to buy a Mitsubishi WS-55907 or 55807 and a seperate line doubler. This would save some bucks. Thanks.

X

What are you going to use the set for?

tdamico

Well, I'd say I watch about 3-4 DVD movies per week, and watch about 5-10 hours per average of regular TV. I have a Dish 500 system and only watch regular TV through the satellite. I have a 50" large RPTV Mitsubishi now in my HT setup, but it is a 4:3 aspect. I don't know how much longer I can hold out for a 16x9. I was pretty much ready to upgrade to a Mitsubishi WS-55907 when I read some posts that suggested that "satellite" sucked on this TV without a doubler. I read some reviews of the Pioneer and thought this might solve my problem, with the exception of the extra $1,000 or so. But I can pick up an Iscan doubler for less than $400 so hence my question.

X

I have no experience with the Iscan doubler, but doesn't that complicate your setup and use? Maybe not too much since only the satellite signal will be going through it. Or will you need to also use the Iscan with a non-progressive DVD player?

I would also pay attention to how the stretch modes look. From my pre-purchase inspections, the Pioneer had much better stretch modes and picture quality from cable and satellite. using its internal doubler and tuner the picture was far superior to the Mits, very smooth and watchable.

Another factor to add into your decision should be the cost of an ISF calibration of a Mits. They do not come out of the box well adjusted at all -- Pioneer does. And you had better see the Mits setup with the external doubler before you purchase. I did the comparisons and ended up with Pioneer and have no regrets.

tdamico

Your reading my mind. My heart is set in Pioneer, my wallet is set on Mitsubishi. Guess I'll wait until the Pioneer prices drop a little.

X

Good luck on a price drop -- I haven't seen any and I don't think they have any reason to do it. I found the 510HD for $4700 delivered. And the two year warranty on the Pioneer is pretty good too. I paid with a Platinum Visa and got an extra year free.

tdamico

I guess the next question is where? The best I have found is $4,764, without shipping.

SirPablo

X, what is your total setup? DO you have a page with some pics? I'm curious cause you seem to have some pretty good tastes in your HT setup.

Always listen to X

X

http://www.4electronicwarehouse.com

You have to call them -- ask for Matt, he's a good guy and has one himself. They are Pioneer authorized (as well as Marantz) -- you have to be careful about that.

X

Thanks for the complement Sir (may I call you by your first name?). Others might, and often do, disagree. Sorry that other thread got locked before I answered you. Gee, I wonder who got banned?

Sorry, I have no page with pics or any other description. Just what I post here and at the avsforum. I'm not really into bragging, just helping people trying to make similar decisions that I've already researched and/or made.

I think I do have good taste. Unfortunately, not the time or money to completely fulfill it. But I'm inherently cheap and I have found paying extravagant sums does not suffice in assuring that you get the best quality. When I make a purchase I do extensive research and then live with what I buy for a long time. And I rarely have any remorse. As an example, I still have a Marantz 4400 receiver with the original 53" tall, 140 lb. AR-9 speakers. And it still sounds wonderful for stereo.

Frank S

tdamico
Sound like you need to do what I did! After researching long and hard I went with the Pioneer SD582 58" HDTV instead of the Elite because I was not going to be watching much NTSC material but mostly Progressive Scan DVD's and HD! I discovered the SD models are exactly the same except for the Line Doubler, Cabinet, Screen, and one extra BNC input on the Elite. When viewing Progressice Scan DVD's and HD the picture was identical to the Elite but the Elite had the edge when viewing NTSC material! So if you are buying the iScan anyways you should go with the Pioneer SD and the iScan! Also the SD models are around $2000 less then their Elite counterparts!

tdamico

Frank:
Thats exactly the type of information I was looking for. So the answer to the question is that a good HDTV with a line doubler will be comparable to the picture I would get from an HDTV with a built in line doubler, correct? Also, are there any benefits to having the line doubler as a seperate component or not?

JimRochester

Although you seem to have made up your mind on the Pioneer, I have to tell you I picked up the 55907 Mits and love it. The stretched mode in 4:3 is fantastic. I never use narrow mode. I have the 5109 player with component video so I don't utilize a line doubler.

tdamico

Jim:

Quite the opposite. I have a Mitsubishi 50" RPTV now that I have had for over 5 years and love it. But in the last few years, I have built a HT system and my viewing habits have changed from broadcast TV to a combination of broadcast and DVD. I initially looked at and was actually going to purchase the WS-55907 or the WS-55857 but then I read a post somewhere that said that watching satellite TV through any of the sets was horrible. DVD's were great but satellite sucked. Well, I do watch satellite (Dish) about 1/3 of the time so I was concerned about the picture. In my research, I saw that Pioneer had received outstanding reviews on their built in line doubler and what a huge difference it made in watching Satellite. But...the cost seems to be huge. Hence my original question. Would a Mitsubishi and an external line doubler get me the same qualilty picture from satellite viewing as a Pioneer? And what would be the benefits, if any, with haveing a line doubler as a seperate component.