Pioneer 506XDE or FDE ??

Mo-S3

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Do i go for the SDE or settle for the FDE? im not really fussed whether i have freeview with the xde but what else does the xde have that should make me say no to the fde.
All this gets confusing. I was even considering the 505xde but having read reviews on here that the 5th generation are not thta good ive scrapped that idea so im back to this xde/fde dilema now.

Anyone outthere shed some light on this ? :suicide:
Thanks
 
The Pioneer website lists the full differences between the XDE and the FDE models. The screen is identical but the Media Receiver and remote are different.

Here is a summary of what the XDE has over the FDE though:

- Built in Freeview Tuner
- Extra HDMI input (INPUT4)
- Front PC Input
- Picture in Picture
- Home Cinema Gallery via PMCCIA slot
- Silver/Black Media Receiver as opposed to totally black MR
- Silver brushed aluminium remote as opposed to plastic remote
- XDE remove controls STB/DVD/DVD-R/VCR too
- Digital Optical Output
- SR+ system to control other Pioneer kit
- Subwoofer output

I'd say that there is really no option : XDE!
 
There is virtually no difference at all between 5 and 6 series BTW, even side by side the picture looks the same. All the hype was simply hype, as usual. The 2 HDMI ports might be useful if you have no plans for an AV amp any time soon though, on the XDE version. If you have sky+ you might consider there is little point in the freeview part of it. Personally I'd rather have a stand alone freeview box anyway, a PVR, if freeview is what you want.
 
MAW said:
There is virtually no difference at all between 5 and 6 series BTW, even side by side the picture looks the same. All the hype was simply hype, as usual. The 2 HDMI ports might be useful if you have no plans for an AV amp any time soon though, on the XDE version. If you have sky+ you might consider there is little point in the freeview part of it. Personally I'd rather have a stand alone freeview box anyway, a PVR, if freeview is what you want.

I though that your view of the Pio's analogue inputs is that they are rather poor?

Why in that case would you prefer a standalone freeview box that has to come in via RGB Scart to one built into the XDE that has its own dedicated digital path to the screen?

Surely the D->A and then A->D of the external method alone blows that agruement out of the water.

There is a big difference between the 5 and 6 series. The blacks for one, the contrast ratio for 2 and the price for 3.
 
Differences in price are inconsequential, discounting blurs this issue too much. The differences in blacks and contrast are on paper only, not really visible in the real world, even, as I say, side by side. I do agree that numbers of D/A conversions, and vice versa are a bad thing. However, if you wanted to record freeview in any way, you'd be doing this several more times instead of just once. This only applies to recording devices, if you see what I mean. Any recorded program would be d/a converted untold times if it were an external HDD/DVDR, once to output, once to record, once to play back, and again to display on the screen. I prefer to stick with just 1, or buy the new Sony HDMI freeview recorder.
 
Hi Mo-s3

If you are thinking of getting a scaler later on or watching HD material through a PC, then you should choose the XDE.

(Ideally, regarding a scaler, a non-TV panel would be best - but that's another topic)

Both require the VGA input for optimal results. The VGA port is at the front of the media box (and some people don't like this). The box can be placed out-of-view if this is a concern, as the remote sensor is on the panel.

Regards

Doc
 
Not quite sure what induced you to buy the XDE with kit like that Dr! But good point well made on the PC input, it's to my mind the most important difference. You might be able to make a desktop PC work with the HDMI, though not brilliantly, but most laptops are VGA out only. So for a quick bit of web surfing, the VGA is vital.
 
Hi MAW

I got the XDE first, caught the bug, and the rest of the kit followed afterwards.

I get a superb picture using the VGA input and native resolution, but still some final tweaking needs to be done (front & back sync widths on the Crystalio, to eliminate that occasional tearing).

After seeing the results using native resolution, I can not bring myself to use the HDMI input for the Crystalio @ 720p (although still very impressive results).

Doc
 
Thanks for the replies, ive no plans as of yet to get sky+ so im not going to be expecting the world form the plasma and nit picking every minute detail like some people do.
Tha majority of my viewing is from cable tv which is currently fed throughmy Yamaha AV amp and then fed to the Hitachi plasma via S-Video. I have a dvd player and a vhs recorder as the moment whic also feed directly into the av amp.
Scaler...... hmmm not a chance as of yet i dont think i really have the need for it and it would be a waste of money as the majority of programmes are fed form cable.

With all this in mind i just needed advice whether the FDE panel will suffice or do i still go for the XDE?
 
The XDE will give you alot more flexibility and is a bit more future proof (it is definately worth the extra £)

Also, you'll be suprised with what a scaler could do with cable TV.

Doc
 

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