Pioneer Plasma System Cable extension/alternatives?

kamaran

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I know the 436-XDE only comes with a 3m system cable aka Umbillical cord. Just wondering what alternatives people have gone for?

I know Wireworld do:

Standard extension
and
2 part leadwith a seperate DVI and system cable.

Has anyone tried any of the above? Do they make a noticeable difference to the picture? Does the 2 part lead justify the extra price difference (about £100 over the standard wireworld cable for a 5m cable)

Cheers me dears :) :thumbsup:
 
Hi Kamaran,

I upgraded the DVI cable (Wireworld Ultraviolet) from the media box to the screen but didn't bother with the system cable, couldn't see much point and I thought it was better to invest more money in the video cable alone.

As for does it make a difference? Don't know, never used the standard DVI cable which came with the plasma but I do know the pictures I'm seeing are fantastic and from what other people have said, it makes a difference to warrant the extra money and upgrade as with the majority of cables which are packaged with the product.
 
Thanks Peterm69,

So you have the standard umbilical cable connected but only using the system part, therefore have left the DVI part loose?

Anyone else?
 
I would go Bettercables over Wireworld, not as expensive, better, and they now do system cables if you want them. Over 3m on a 43" display the difference is noticable, but not massive. Over longer lengths I wouldn't use anything other than Bettercables leads.
 
A little aggressive for you MAW?

Liam, have you got a link for BetterCables that includes the system cable then? (I think I have seen them in the States).
 
I'm very very disappointed with the 436. The blacks are the same to my eyes as the 435, and there is still the picture noise, lack of inputs etc as before. What's so great about them? Black surround? Might as well get an LG, at least the blacks are black.
 
The screen has the same technology, and exactly the same media box. I can't quite understand this, if the thing is 1/2 decent, the media boxes would be different, and would scale the signal to panel native. What they actually do, and have done since the 1st HDE, the 433, it convert the signal to digital, and let the panel scale it to native. The 433 can be used without a media box, (the 434 onwards must have the control cable connected) It also converts all to 56.25 Hz, as far as we can ascertain, hence the infamous XDE video judder. It might be the bst plasma TV on the market, overall, depends on your priorities (the panny PV500 is fairly crap at wall mounting) but that's not saying much. None of the TVs are that much cop.
 
So you have the standard umbilical cable connected but only using the system part, therefore have left the DVI part loose?

Yes kamaran, just left the DVI cable unconnected, thought about cutting it from the system cable but thought it best to leave it in place in case of warranty claims etc.

MAW, come on, they're not that bad, horses for courses. I contacted you a while back before getting my Pioneer 436XDE, you recommended a Panel and I was open-minded but what let me down was the age of my amp. It's a great amp but doesn't have HDMI/DVI inputs so unfortunately I couldn't afford to upgrade the amp too.

The 436XDE is perfect for my needs, the same reason I use a Scooter to commute rather than a Suzuki GSX1300. OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration but just trying to get my point across and I know that what you're basically saying is for the money we're paying we can get better pictures, that's if everything you want connected to it is compatible.
 
peterm69, any chance you could switch the cables over to see if the Pioneer one results in lower image quality?

Assuming its not difficult to do/wall mounted...?
 
Are you saying the cables that come with the XDE'S that connect screen to media box are potentially of a lesser quality than some you can buy? :eek:
 
peterm69, any chance you could switch the cables over to see if the Pioneer one results in lower image quality? Assuming its not difficult to do/wall mounted...?

Kamaran, it is a pain in the bum, when I disconnected them to take the plasma off the wall to mount the speakers after remounting it took 15mins to get them back in, so don't count on it.

Are you saying the cables that come with the XDE'S that connect screen to media box are potentially of a lesser quality than some you can buy?

No, I'm not saying that, as I said, I've no idea as I've never used the lead which came with the plasma, I just had it within my budget to upgrade along with several other cables.
 
No worries Peter, I thought you may have yours on a stand/pedestal (should have spotted 'wall mount' in your sig ;) )
 
If you have the luxury of borrowing some I'd recommend that, I didn't have that luxury but as with all my new equipment I usually upgrade to better quality cables. Some would argue the fact that in the digital arena it doesn't make sense but analog, yes. My IXOS XHT611-150 Flat Profile Scart to Scart Lead, which I bought 2 of, made huge improvements over my existing leads, but never having used HDMI before, I was unable to compare.
 
I have a customer with a Pioneer 436 which I've calibrated to ISF standards. After a short demonstration, I showed him the difference between a Supra DVI cable compared to Pioneer's supplied umbilical. The Supra was better, but he also needed a 4m cable as opposed to 3m as his receiver is alot further away than anticipated.

However, we're still stuck with the 3m (black) serial cable which only just about links the two together. Can these be purchased cheaply in different lengths? If so, at least Wireworld won't have a monopoly over the Pioneer plasma upgrades.
 
More info on Bettercables here:

http://www.bettercables.com/

As I say, cheaper than WireWorld and to my eyes the longer lengths (8m, 12m, 15m) are the same or better than the equivalent WireWorld product. Bettercables leads can now run up to 31 metres without noticeable loss running HD signals!!!! That's a bloody long distance for a non-repeated DVI signal. They now also do the replacement MDR leads but I don't think it's on their site yet.
 
I'm very very disappointed with the 436. The blacks are the same to my eyes as the 435, and there is still the picture noise, lack of inputs etc as before. What's so great about them? Black surround? Might as well get an LG, at least the blacks are black.

Hi all,
After much dilberation with my credit card, i finally treated myself to a 436 xde, as I didn't want speakers, the looks of screen and picture quality were great and the idea of seperate tuner box to set up to the side suited my needs.

As regards the inter-connect lead, am i right in assuming one is essentially a DVI connection and the other a system lead?
I need more than 3 metres, can i just use a DVI alone or does the system one need to be connected also?

Maw, as regards your comment on picture noise, I have noticed that on bright images the plasma itself generates a great deal of noise, i.e. like load hum or buzzing, is this what your reffering too? As I am becoming quite concerned by this and wondering whether to take it back.

And another question, has anyone tried to use the tuner box to view pictures from a digi camera memory card? Apparently you need some kind of adapter to fit in slot?

Otherwise a good purchase at a bargain price!

Thanks for feedback
E-man
 
Back from the dead, this thread. Now the 436 is no longer made, nor any Pioneer media box system, these cables will tend to dry up. The system cable must have both parts connected. You can get a card adapter I'm told, never seen this used I'm afraid. Personally I have never seen a difference between a wireworld cable and any other quality DVI cable, though I wouldn't necessarily say the std Pio one is 'quality' especially if you need the longest one. They only come in 3 or 10m versions, though of course you could use the pio MDR and try upgrading DVI if you felt the need. The Pio 10m is a bit pricey for what it is, but a decent DVI is not expensive at all, unless it has a designer name, LOL! I used to be able to get Sharp 7m cables which worked, but not sure if these are still available, so 10m or wireworld are your options.
 
Back from the dead, this thread. Now the 436 is no longer made, nor any Pioneer media box system, these cables will tend to dry up. The system cable must have both parts connected. You can get a card adapter I'm told, never seen this used I'm afraid. Personally I have never seen a difference between a wireworld cable and any other quality DVI cable, though I wouldn't necessarily say the std Pio one is 'quality' especially if you need the longest one. They only come in 3 or 10m versions, though of course you could use the pio MDR and try upgrading DVI if you felt the need. The Pio 10m is a bit pricey for what it is, but a decent DVI is not expensive at all, unless it has a designer name, LOL! I used to be able to get Sharp 7m cables which worked, but not sure if these are still available, so 10m or wireworld are your options.

Maw,
Sorry to drag this thread along a bit now, but just to confirm a few things?
1 - Can I still view an image without the control cable connected, i.e. only a DVI cable linked between box and plasma?
2 - where would you be able to obtain a pioneer 10m cable?
3 - you mentioned about screen noise that you mentioned previously, am keen to know what you meant? As I wrote my screen seems to be making a lot of noise when bright colours occupy large % of screen especially whites!

Do you still have a pioneer?

Cheers chap
Eman

PS : what speakers do you have? am contemplating the B&W M1's?
 
Hello eman

01. No - both parts of the System cable need to be attached; otherwise the screen will shut down after approx 20 secs.

02. Pioneer GB Spares - though they rarely carry them in stock; its usually 2-3 weeks.

There are third party options.

Joe
 
some of these questions cannot be answered on the forum, rules prohibit. My email is public domain, try that. But:-
You must have both parts of the cable connected
Picturee noise does not refer to the racket made by a noisy power supply, but to lots of fizzing dots in the background of the picture.
10m cables, email
Speakers, I have Sonance cinema .5 in walls myself, I don't expect everyone to go so far, my guys put them in whilst between jobs!
 

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