Pioneer 436 - worst of the bunch ????

[rpb]

I am looking to spend up to £2,500 on a 42” screen shortly.

I have spent some time in a Sevenoaks and a Comet, primarily looking at a Pioneer 436 and a Hitachi 7200.

My conclusions are that:-

1) the difference in picture quality between these two is marginal and if anything I actually preferred the Hitachi display.

2) Overall I preferred the display of two nearby LCD panels ! (Sorry if this is heresy in this forum)

Now admittedly the LCD panels were smaller and therefore any pixilation would be less, but I have now discovered that there are now some 42” LCDs on the market and perhaps I have been looking in the wrong forum all along.

I am sure there may be subtle differences that are apparent to the professionals on these forums, but I doubt the average man in the street (ie me!) really appreciates them.

In trying to decide between two plasmas I now don’t even know which format to go with and may therefore end up crawling back into my shell and sticking with CRT for another year.

 

[tjradiohead]

which lcd's were they out of interest?

 

[dickst3]

I was looking at 32" LCD's and ended up buying a 42" plasma. I would check out LCD's and plasmas in the size you want and decide from there. I came to the conclusion that LCD was better for smaller screens and plasma over 32".

 

[madshi]

rpb, the big problem is that in a typical store the light is so strong, that plasmas reflect like crazy, while LCD screens "eat" all the glare. Furthermore LCD screens are able to fire out more brightness than plasmas. Both facts together make LCD screens look on par if not superior in stores.

However, take this LCD you liked home and one of the mentioned plasmas, too, and suddenly with the much more dimmed light at home things will change. The reflections on the plasma will be much less, you'll need to turn brightness of *all* devices (LCD + plasma) down to not hurt your eyes, and finally you'll notice that plasmas have better contrast in dim light and better viewing angles and no motion lag and more natural colors.

LCD screens get better everyday, but as far as I can see, they're not there yet - in a typical home cinema environment, that is! If you have super bright light at home, too, then LCD might be a good choice for you.

All in all it's a bit a matter of taste, too. Plasmas and LCDs have a bit different look. Some prefer the LCD look. But one thing you must really hit into your head is that light conditions in a store are brutal and might mislead you into the wrong direction.

Perhaps you can find a store which has a seperate room with LCD and plasma screens with less light, maybe even a somewhat dark room?

 

[rpb]

Madshi - thanks for your input - I will bear this in mind

I can't remember offhand what make the LCDs were but sure enough the shop lighting was quite harsh which may have worked against the plasmas.

One issue I have is with the Hitachi speakers.

If I detached these could I bolt them on to some sort of speaker stand?

 

[jonnye]

'RPB'

Take a look at post No.13 from http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246932 <<This Thread>>

It will explain why basing a decision on a floor display from the big 3, can only push you further away from the real performance of the product you are looking to purchase.....an this is for any model, not just the PIO/PANNY.

Overall, I know where you're coming from at first glance, but if you look at they way some of these units are hooked up, even the most amateur of AV enthusiasts would be appalled.

Cheers

 

[rpb]

You guys keep dragging me back to getting a plasma

My head says Hitachi, my heart says Pioneer

Lets see what my bank manager says in a week's time!

 

[X6TUS]

that's what i used to think some months ago - but I have now gone Panasonic

 

[rpb]

The Panasonic PV500 rules itself out in terms of styling

The purists would say I should consider a PHD8 panel but I cannot bear the thought of having to get all the components together which I would get out of the box with a "normal" tv

 

[Badger0-0]

Madshi - thanks for your input - I will bear this in mind

I can't remember offhand what make the LCDs were but sure enough the shop lighting was quite harsh which may have worked against the plasmas.

One issue I have is with the Hitachi speakers.

If I detached these could I bolt them on to some sort of speaker stand?

The 7200/7500, whilst, IMO an excellent telly, has garbage speakers.
Having said that, the 7200 speakers are supposed to be excellent
If you are used to a typical CRT, you will be happy
But if you are used to any kind of 5.1 setup, you won't be.
Mine are there only for show, because the missus likes them
I'd dump them, personally.
12 + 12 watts doesn't cut the mustard by a very long chalk.
20 watts (and I rarely use that much power) out of my 1000 watt (admittedly £240) yamaha amp into £20 worth of speakers is absolutely no contest.
Whatever telly you buy, don't bank on standard speakers being good ,they're all rubbish.


HTH