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Official Pioneer PRO-1540HD/1140HD/940HD Owner's thread/merged thread

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351K views 3K replies 381 participants last post by  RIppolito 
#1 ·
I decided to make this first post more about the models vs what was originally my very first question about the 1140HD when I started this thread. So here's some information that has been asked over and over, so I thought I would gather them up a little. I'm sure I'm missing a lot.


Useful information regarding the 1540/1140/940HD Elite line of Pioneer Plasmas:

PRO-1540HD

60" - Dimensions - 57-7/8" x 34-5/8" x 4-5/8" - Without Detachable Side Speakers, 113lbs 3oz

Carton Dimensions - 61 ¾ x 39 ¼ x 16 ½
PRO-1140HD

50" - Dimensions - 48-3/16 x 28-1/4 x 4-1/2 - Without Detachable Side Speakers, 75lbs 10oz

Carton - 52 ¾ x 33 ¾ x 14 ¼
PRO-940HD

42" - Dimensions - 40-15/16 x 26-3/4 x 4-1/2 Speakers are NOT Detachable and is attached to the bottom, 69lbs 7oz

Carton - 46 ¼ x 33 ¾ x 14 ¾


- Do not lay flat for transportation. you may lay flat if you are not moving (ie stand installation)

Native Resolutions
PRO-1540/1140 - 1365x768
PRO-940 - 1024x768


1080p/24hz on HDMI only

Elite Catalog
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pi...log/index.html

PRO-1540HD Product Brochure - Quick Specs
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pi...PRO-1540HD.pdf
PRO-1140HD
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pi...PRO-1140HD.pdf
PRO-940HD
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pi...2PRO-940HD.pdf

Owners Manual 940/1140/1540
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pi...structions.pdf

Elite Warranty Info
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pi...538HEelite.pdf


What does the Elite have over the non-elites? (See page 11/12 of the Elite catalog)

*2 year warranty instead of 1

*New Exclusive First-Surface PRO Color Filter (consumer includes "pure" color filter)

*Intelligent Color Enhancement adjusts picture for realistic depiction of hues and detail such as skin tones

*New Selectable Color Zone Mapping based on NTSC or EBU standards

*New Block Noise Reduction - for improved clarity of fast moving objects on screen

*Active DRE (Dynamic Range Expander) detail settings for adjusting dynamic contrast, black level, ACL (Automatic Contrast Limiter) and Gamma

*New Intelligent DRE (Dynamic Range Expander) works in tandem with Active DRE settings to further optimize picture for the best image quality possible (on/off)

*Home Media Gallery - IP Network compatibility - DLNA, Microsoft PlayForSure

- File formats for Video - WMV9, MPEG1, MPEG2-PS, MPEG2-TS, MPEG-ASP

- Audio - LPCM, MP3, WMA, WMA9 PRO, AC3, AAC, WAV

- Photo - JPG, TIFF, PNG, BMP, GIF

*ISFccc Calibration Ready for professional customization of plasma picture according to personal preferences for contrast, tint, color as well as room conditions for day and nighttime viewing. Includes new independent RGB Gamma Control.

*Pure AV Mode - (Standard, Dynamic, Movie, Game, Pure, User) Same setting for all inputs with the exception of User, which can be adjusted for each input.

*LOCKED Day/Night Mode - available after doing ISF ccc Calibration. (Some calibrators do not recommend this method.)

*Side mounted speakers instead of bottom mounted speakers for the 1540 and 1140

Other pieces of information:

- VGA input does not have the same tweakable settings as the other inputs, but can do 1360x768 resolution, but at a sacrifice of picture quality.
- HDMI - can NOT take native resolution (1360x768) BUT try setting the refresh rate to 24hz and you will trick the set into thinking it's a 1080p resolution and may be very close to native resolution via HDMI.

- Yes, you can connect a PC to the HDMI inputs, even though the instructions say not to.

- D-Nice's recommended settings http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&post8564316

- If you have the dreaded blinking blue power light, try zero'ing out the zipcode for the TV Guide setup. See this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&post9098694

- Firmware available on Pioneer's site to upgrade the Home Media Gallery Software - http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pn...tailsComponent

- CableCard ready

- ANT A input includes QAM/ATSC/NTSC tuners

- ANT B input includes a NTSC tuner

- Some success for Apple/MAC users and Eyeconnect software from Elgato Systems for Home Media Gallery functionality.

Home Electronics Custom Install files (click on the category of file you are looking for)
IR Codes
RS-232 Codes
Pronto Files
Universal Remote Control Files
Detailed Product Information

Different Stretch Modes (taken from John F. Palacio in another thread)
Full = Linear stretch to 16:9 This is what you want with anamorphic DVD's. No cropping.
Wide = Non-linear stretching Center of picture is left relatively normal while the sides are stretched. No cropping
Cinema = Linear stretch (like "Full") but with added vertical stretch and cropping. This provides a less stretched look at the sacrifice of loosing material at top and bottom.
Zoom = Just like "Cinema" but with more vertical stretching and cropping.

How to get into the service menu to see #hours?

Start with the plasma turned OFF

Make sure you point the remote directly at the IR sensor in the tv


Press DISPLAY on the remote (just press, do not hold)

Wait 3 seconds

Press LEFT, UP, LEFT, RIGHT then POWER


If done correctly, the plasma turns on and the INFORMATION page is displayed


Then use the down arrow to page through to page 5

PANEL = the time the set has been on

MTB = the time the set has been plugged in


When you finish press the HOME MENU button


BE CAREFUL NOT TO CHANGE ANY SETTINGS! JUST LOOK!

To change the Side Mask to Black:


Enter the Service Menu

Start with the plasma turned OFF

Make sure you point the remote directly at the IR sensor in the tv


Press DISPLAY on the remote (just press, do not hold)

Wait 3 seconds

Press LEFT, UP, LEFT, RIGHT then POWER


If done correctly, the plasma turns on and the INFORMATION page is displayed


Press MUTE 3 times until the INITIALIZE screen is displayed

Press DOWN 3 times until SIDE MASK LEVEL (+) is displayed

Press ENTER


Set:
R MASK LEVEL 0
G MASK LEVEL 0
B MASK LEVEL 0


Press HOME MENU to exit

Factory Reset Procedure


1 With tv off/in standby....press home menu.

2 Within 3 sec turn tv on , Integrated Menu will appear.

3 Hold Display button until Final Setup appears in the top menu.

4 Arrow left or right until yes appears in lower menu.

5 Hold enter until menu disappears.

6 Wait 1 min.

7 Power tv off and unplug from the wall for 5 or more min.

DO AT YOUR OWN RISK!!


Thanks to everyone who's provided information, including D-Nice, Kr8z1, todd1010. If you think there's something important that should be on the first post, let me know.
 
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#1,454 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fred33 /forum/post/0


Any opinion as to what will accept my signal from my PC better; component, or the analog PC imput?

Is your question what will accept the signal better, or should it be what will provide the best picture? I haven't tried component and I don't recall anyone here who is using it. There are a couple people using DVI>HDMI and I think their's is working for them.


I use VGA connection and am very happy with it. I am sending 1360x768@60Hz from the PC.
 
#1,455 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fred33 /forum/post/0


Any opinion as to what will accept my signal from my PC better; component, or the analog PC imput?

I believe that the VGA input is the only one that does true 1:1 pixel mapping without overscan, so if that's important to you, take that into consideration.


BTW, I'm a new owner of a 1140 myself. Not even 24 hours old...
 
#1,456 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rammitinski /forum/post/0


What is this 5% repeat customer discount from Tweeter you mention?


Are you referring to that 5% off "AVID" card they give you after you've spent, like 4 grand there?


I used to have one of those, but it expired last year - March 31, I believe. I just bought the 1140 there and I was not aware of any discount I could've gotten otherwise. Maybe I should've brought the old card in and seen if they would've still accepted it.


(Also, what is the "new mover discount"?)

Yes, I am talking about the AVID card, which I received after buying our Sharp Aquos back in 04. When I first moved to the previous place and this one, Tweeter sent 10% off on any purchase (on sale items as well) and I combined that with AVID card. Although I haven't spent much since buying the Aquos and Denon 3910 in 04, I got a new card when it expired.


Also, they were open to negotiation when I asked while buying the 3910.
 
#1,457 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by theRchitect /forum/post/0


I believe that the VGA input is the only one that does true 1:1 pixel mapping without overscan, so if that's important to you, take that into consideration.


BTW, I'm a new owner of a 1140 myself. Not even 24 hours old...

I am waiting for mine to arrive next week. I hope I can sell my current hdtv.
 
#1,459 ·
Yep, I believe that should work....as long as it is in a format the HMG will read, like wmv or avi.

When shopping for my set I took a memory stick with WMV HD Content Showcase video clips on it and brought it to the store to try it out - that was pretty cool. Now I can stream them from my PC to the HMG when I want to show off to friends.
 
#1,460 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fred33 /forum/post/0


Any opinion as to what will accept my signal from my PC better; component, or the analog PC imput?

Depends on what you want to do with the PC. If you want to use it as an HTPC and view videos or if you want it as a computer? If you want to use it as a computer, go with VGA as that's the only input that can give you 1360x768.


If you want to use it for video, go with Component or HDMI, because the VGA input on the Pioneer's do not have all the customizability as their counterparts. I just had my 1140HD calibrated and we came to the conclusion that the limited tuneable settings on the VGA makes it poor for video useage. I ended up moving the xbox360 off of VGA to component.


Russ
 
#1,461 ·
Hey Russ, have you posted your initial thoughts on your calibration yet? I for one would be interested in hearing what improvements/corrections it made. If you did post, let me know where - I may have missed it.

Thanks,

Jeff
 
#1,465 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by KOAI /forum/post/0


Upon power up of my 1140 I get a display window thats saying 'starting up, please wait'.

Can anyone explain the reason for this?

Thanks

That sounds like the startup screen for a DTV box or something similar. Are you sure it isn't the startup of a satellite box or cable box? What do you have connected?


It also sounds like the startup screen for the Home Media Gallery looking for a connection. If you leave the set on, does it go away?


If it's not that, have you tried unplugging it and starting over. If that doesn't work, I'd call Pio (800) 421-1404.
 
#1,466 ·
Like the previous comment....I believe the "Start up" screen is from the Cable box.

I powered everything off to change a connection and when powered back up that memo appeared. If you notice the INFO line at the bottom of the screen (for cable) will say TO BE DETERMINED which lasts about 20 minutes, then the program information returns.
 
#1,467 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by nakenergy /forum/post/0


I just got my 1140 from Tweeter and what an awesome TV.


BTW did you get extended warranty and if so where?

If you purchase with an American express card, you are able to add an extra year to your warranty, which makes it 3 years. I was an early purchaser for the 1140, when it first came out and I paid a little more then the current prices. Because I was one of the early person's to get this TV, I did opt for an extended warranty, however I made sure that my warranty starts after the manufacturers warranty expires. So I purchased a 5 year warranty which will give me a total of 7 years, with one year overlap (year 3) with my american express card.


I think with a 3 year warranty, you might be good enough, but if you can get a good price on an extended and make sure it kicks in after the manufacturers warranty, like I did, it doesn't hurt. (I for one have had to use most of my extended warranties in the past.)


Russ
 
#1,468 ·
I hadn't posted any initial thoughts, but since you ask, I guess I will.


Let me first explain a couple things. I'm not an audiophile or a videophile. I've been watching HD for over 5 years. I also tend not to watch the same thing over. i.e. Once I've seen a movie, I don't really watch it again. Knowing that, I don't know if what I watch is the way it should be, I just know that it is what it is.


So what made me decide to get a calibration is that there are times, where I felt things could be better, but I didn't really know what. Also, since I don't watch things over, I figured I should get the best out of my TV the first time I watch something.


I had been using D-Nice's settings, but I think I might have goofed around with them as well. But that just goes to show you that I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to the video.


I had my set calibrated by umr from the forums here. He was aboslutely professional, friendly, and helpful. He came to my house on a Friday night at 7:00 PM and didn't leave till 12:30 AM. Talk about service... he answered all my stupid questions and if anything, I think I'm just a little bit smarter about video.


Anyways, on to the TV. Right away, umr was able to look at my set and point out some minor issues with color. For instance he felt the set was pushing greens. He felt the gray scale could be improved, but all in all, he said it wasn't too bad. Once again, I started out with some of D-Nice's settings, but honestly, looking back now, I think I might have been mucking around with things.


As mentioned before, umr does not use the C3 calibration function of the Pio's, because he doesn't like the locked down settings that can only be modified by the ISF technician, also there have been a number of instances where C3 has messed up people's sets and required them to be returned to the manufacturer. During my research, I did have this confirmed by other isf calibrators, including the person who does the calibration for Lucas Arts.


UMR used software and a sensor to measure the current state of my set and that software confirmed his intial thoughts about the greens. After a few hours of tweaking, he was able to get things in line according to the measurements. If you've seen his posts, he's able to present a before and after that shows how the colors were and how they should line up. All much more technical then I understand, other then: You were here, you should be here, you are now here, which is closer to where you should be then where you were.


So from a measurement perspective, my unit was off and he put it closer to on, but that wasn't the end of the video calibration. After that point, he point in some DVDs that he was quite familiar with and played various scenes over and over and over, while adjusting minor settings in the color. As he put it, the measurements put you really really close, but until you watch things that you know should be the way they are, then you can really see.


He tested, HD-DVD from my xbox360, blueray from the PS3, and DVDs from the PS3 and xbox3. After all of this is when we started looking into the HTPC and Xbox360 doing media extender functionality. During the testing of the xbox360, is when we decided that the vga left much to be desired, because of the limited tweakable items compared to component and hdmi. We watched one of his DVD's that he knew like the back of his hand on both vga and component and you could clearly see the difference, even after trying to tweak the limited VGA options. Just to verify, we tested the xbox360 while streaming an HD file of Lost via vga and via component. When watching on VGA, one of the dark scenes where the lady was sitting on the beach and the sun was set, I thought it looked okay. When we switched it to component, it appeared as a whole different scene. Details that didn't show up on the vga just appeared. That's what convinced me that VGA wasn't the right choice.


All in all, it was a great experience and the video is better. There have been numerous debates on if calibration is worth it and my stance is still the same. If you don't care about getting the most out of your display and are happy with what you see now, then it's probably not right for you. If you want to make sure you get the best out of it, then I think it's worth considering.


The analogy I used to explain to a friend who asked me afterwards, goes something like this. I own a light blue dress shirt and I know it's light blue and every time I put it on, it's light blue. Every one who looks at the shirt sees it as light blue. If one day I put it in the wash and it turned light green, I would know it wasn't right, but if you saw my shirt as light green for the first time, you would think, wow that's a nice light green shirt. If I told you it's supposed to be light blue, you would say... oh not so nice anymore.


I was watching my tv and the colors were off, but because I'm not a videophile I couldn't say that scene should have looked better. That tied in with the fact that I don't watch things over makes it even harder. Now that I know things are set right and I got a chance to see what details I was missing and how some colors were off, I can feel comfortable to know that what I see is what I'm supposed to see vs what I see is what I THINK I'm supposed to see.


That and finding out that the VGA isn't a good options was very beneficial for me. Too bad I spent money on the xbox 360 vga cable!


Let me know if you have any questions!


Russ

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kr8z1 /forum/post/0


Hey Russ, have you posted your initial thoughts on your calibration yet? I for one would be interested in hearing what improvements/corrections it made. If you did post, let me know where - I may have missed it.

Thanks,

Jeff
 
#1,469 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by nakenergy /forum/post/0


I just got my 1140 from Tweeter and what an awesome TV.


BTW did you get extended warranty and if so where?

Conga-rat's on the 1140!!!


The Elites come with a 2 year warranty and if you purchase it on your American Express card, AMEX will double the manufacturer's warranty, up to one year.


So, that is what I did, and now I have 3 years of manufacturer's warranty.


Oh, and at no extra cost



I am not a big fan of "buying" extended warranties. Others do not share this opinion, and they are not wrong. Just depends on your preference for risk. My industry experience shows that 80-90% of all electronic device failures occur between initial power on, and 90 days. The next 5-10% occur within 1 year. The failure rate after that declines sharply.


Obviously, these are industry trends and they vary widely. For example, things like digital cameras, portable audio/visual gear, cell phones, etc. will skew this data some - because of the manner and environments that they are used in. The failure rate is higher in this class of device. Equipment with moving parts also skews the failure rate higher, because moving parts fail more often than electrical parts. . However, for things like TV's, Receivers, an the like - that are in stable environments (assuming good power, ground, temperature, etc.) tend to fail, on average, much less.


I would never buy a digital camera without the extended warranty. On the other hand, I would never buy an extended warranty for a TV or a Receiver. First, the cost of the warranty is much higher (based on purchase price of device), and the risk/reward is much lower.


Generally, they are huge sources of profit for the seller, and amortized over a large customer base, *their* risk is quite low!!!


However, if you are very risk adverse, and are willing to pay premium for peace of mind - then the extended warranty might be a good choice for you. Basically, it's an insurance policy.


YMMV - steve
 
#1,470 ·
One other comment for all you Pio owners, and I hope I'm not getting UMR in trouble and I hope he wasn't just telling me this because I owned a Pio and I hope I'm not mis-representing what he said.


He said he feels that the Pio Elite plasma's are probably one of the best displays out in the market. He said unless you can not aboslutely live with the minor glare or you have direct sunlight beating down on the screen, these are some of the best and can't be beat. He also belives that plasma is the better technology out there and believes it will win.


I did counter his statement by saying that I do believe it's the better technology, but just because it's the better technology does not mean it will win. Most consumers don't care about getting the best picture. They care about getting the cool factor for under $2000. That's why LCDs have done so well. That's why 1080p has done so well, because people buy into the marketing jazz. I was at a friends house who was all thrilled about his 1080p 42" display as we sat over 9' away from it and how he had to have 1080p because the PS3 was 1080p and anything else wouldn't look as good. I just shook my head.... the uninformed consumer is a powerful majority out there.


Russ
 
#1,471 ·
Although UMR and myself have had our disagreements, he is a VERY good calibrator, and I would probably list him a one of the top 3 in the country.


I do find his comments about the Pioneer Elites interesting as they are contradictive to some of his previous posts. Perhaps he is paying more attention to the specific model number he is calibrating now.
 
#1,472 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by KOAI /forum/post/0


Upon power up of my 1140 I get a display window thats saying 'starting up, please wait'.

Can anyone explain the reason for this?

Thanks

I just got my 1140 last week and as part of the shipping material was a notice that a display window would pop up the first time the set was powered up and that this was normal. Last night the power went out as we were watching the TV and the window popped up again. I don't believe it is related to a cable box since I don't have one. I do think that it is looking for sources though. Enjoy your TV and learn from my mistake and only lightly wipe the black bezel with the special cleaning cloth.
 
#1,474 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by russwong /forum/post/0


I hadn't posted any initial thoughts, but since you ask, I guess I will....


Russ

Thank you very, very much Russ for your post! I for one appreciate it and thank you for your honesty.
 
#1,475 ·
Not sure if this post should be in the Burn-in/SA8300HD thread but after searching those threads and not really seeing an answer i'll give it a shot here. I am new owner of a 1140 and am starting to get a little concerned about the on screen info/guide/menu from the Cable box that pops up when channel surfing. I think i can see a little IR from this and i have only had the set a couple of weeks(already completed the break-in period using D-nice settings and still continuing with those settings). I am not too worried about this issue yet but was hoping to get some possible feedback from people with some plasma experience(My first HDTV/Plasma) as to what if anything you guys are doing to minimize the risk of B/I and I/R from the on screen info/guides/menu's that display every time you channel surf with a STB. Doesn't appear that this info bar can be eliminated. I can only imagine that over time this info bar will burn-in pretty nice.

Thanks

Tony
 
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