The Official Pioneer 8G KURO Owner's Discussions Thread

[sma]

Originally Posted by harneloot

Does anyone know if there is an avsforum discount for shopping with the sponsors? I read that in a post on ResellerRatings.com and was wondering if it was true, and if so, how to make use of it?

As far as I know the one that had the coupon got rid of it but just made the regular price the same as it used to be when one used the coupon. Do a search in this thread on coupon and it may turn up.

[johni]

Originally Posted by WaveRat64

I was just wondering if anyone has run the TVblink Benchmark DVD against their new Kuros to test the SD capabilities of the panels?

I downloaded the file and ran it on my dvd at 480p output. The movie clips looked good to me. Nice shadow and dark area detail. The cartoon outlines were smooth with good smooth movement. I'd say my 6010 handles SD DVD's quite well.

The test screens I had difficulty interpreting. I just don't have any experience looking at test screens. I could see pixelation of the moving colored circles and curving of the very thinnest lines on the test screen. Someone with more background with this than me would need to evaluate.

[ansky004]

I just got my PRO-150FD Elite 60". It's hard to believe how much better this panel is compared to a 50" Elite panel that is only 2 years old. The picture is gorgeous with deep blacks and a depth to the picture I haven't seen in a plasma before. I had seen posts in the past that mentioned Theatermax in NJ (732-616-1010). I found Craig to be friendly, knowledgeable and a great person to deal with. A Great price didn't hurt either. I drove to him to pick-up my panel and noticed that there were still 5 left after I got mine. Now, back to watching this panel.

[johni]

Originally Posted by harneloot

Does anyone know if there is an avsforum discount for shopping with the sponsors? I read that in a post on ResellerRatings.com and was wondering if it was true, and if so, how to make use of it?

It's true. I got a discount on my 6010. Check their price on the internet or call and ask for pricing. Then ask, "Is there any AVS member discount?".

[aelroeiy]

Well I got mine also from theatermax in NJ. Craig Sumer is a superb communicator, knows a lot, extremely easy to deal with but most of all has the products (4 more new pro 150 FD) and a great price. The TV is absolutely gorgeous, the SD channels look pretty good and blue Ray is absolutely an absorbing experience. Learning from the posts of many smart people on this forum I did not have any problem making my decision to get one of this.
However, In contrast to others I decided not to do any break-in as suggested by some on this forum. I discussed this issue with Pioneer technical customer service who indicated that there is no need for that.
am I truly causing any harm by not doing that? any comments will be greatly appreciated
thanks.

[Robert D]

Originally Posted by aelroeiy

Well I got mine also from theatermax in NJ. Craig Sumer is a superb communicator, knows a lot, extremely easy to deal with but most of all has the products (4 more new pro 150 FD) and a great price. The TV is absolutely gorgeous, the SD channels look pretty good and blue Ray is absolutely an absorbing experience. Learning from the posts of many smart people on this forum I did not have any problem making my decision to get one of this.
However, In contrast to others I decided not to do any break-in as suggested by some on this forum. I discussed this issue with Pioneer technical customer service who indicated that there is no need for that.
am I truly causing any harm by not doing that? any comments will be greatly appreciated
thanks.

Good question and since I get my 150FD in two days I'm wondering the same about this burn/break in period issue.

[allenshelley]

Originally Posted by Challkhmc

Or do I split the coaxial cable input before the box into one signal to the box and the other coaxial straight into my 5010? Or is there another option to get PIP?

Yes...you have to split the signal BEFORE you get to the cablebox. Otherwise, anytime you change the channel (which is done on the cablebox) for one PIP screen, you also change the channel for other PIP screen...the cablebox can only be on one channel at a time. So the output of the cablebox is gonna be THAT channel. Any split you do AFTER the cablebox is a split of THAT channel. Does that make sense?

Based on the above...an HDMI splitter (which I agree would be expensive if it even exists) would simply split the single channel coming out of the cablebox into two different inputs, so you would see the same thing in both PIP screens.

[Challkhmc]

That makes perfect sense Allen. Why wouldn't they explain this in the manual? I'll give it a try. I assume that I'll have a smaller 720p image and a second SD image if I do it this way. Thanks for the tip.

[67bernie]

Originally Posted by Robert D

Good question and since I get my 150FD in two days I'm wondering the same about this burn/break in period issue.

Well, I pick up my 150FD here in Edmonton, Alberta tomorrow, but am forced to wait until Sunday for the Bell Expressview people to put in my HD satellite feed. For what's its worth, Pioneer Canada told me they were "200% certain" I did NOT need to run any kind of "break in dvd" for the first 200 hours. They just said don't watch a lot of standard def with the black bars on the sides for the first 200 hours, then you are fine to do what you want.

I have heard good things about having the Elites on Discovery HD for the first 200 hours, and this does a great job as a "break in dvd" without all the hassle. So when I'm not watching it, I'll have Discovery HD playing for perhaps 10-12 hours a day, but not 24/7.

I also have my doubts about getting it professionally calibrated after the 200 hours are up...I have heard some don't like the results (picture too "soft" or "muted" for their liking) and some that have this done on the 8G Elites find they are so well calibrated the settings were hardly changed at all from the standard. Plus it is "my" tv, so I think I would like to "play with the settings" on the Pro 150FD so it looks best to "me", not some computer calibration equipment measurement. I'll certainly try some of the setting members here (who are all generally a lot smarter than I am with this stuff) are having good results with. Mind you, I reserve the right to change my mind if I mess up or get convinced a profession calibration is worth the cost and results.

[WaveRat64]

Even D-Nice will tell you that you don't have to run the break-in DVD. For me the main reason for using the break-in DVD is to get the 1st 200 hours on the set ASAP. The first 200 hours is when the display is most susceptible to IR and Burn-in. By using the break-in DVD to get the early hours on your panel you get very even wear and don't give the wife or kids a chance to do bad things like pausing the DVR for an hour or watching a marathon of animated DVDs with black bars while you are at work.

Originally Posted by aelroeiy

Well I got mine also from theatermax in NJ. Craig Sumer is a superb communicator, knows a lot, extremely easy to deal with but most of all has the products (4 more new pro 150 FD) and a great price. The TV is absolutely gorgeous, the SD channels look pretty good and blue Ray is absolutely an absorbing experience. Learning from the posts of many smart people on this forum I did not have any problem making my decision to get one of this.
However, In contrast to others I decided not to do any break-in as suggested by some on this forum. I discussed this issue with Pioneer technical customer service who indicated that there is no need for that.
am I truly causing any harm by not doing that? any comments will be greatly appreciated
thanks.

[withnail_jet]

Can anyone with a 5010 tell me the country of origin of the product? I saw the lone (at the time, anyway) review of the 6010 on Amazon, and the reviewer stated that his/hers was made in the USA. I thought that to be interesting, and was wondering where the 50" is made...

[HiDef Bob]

Originally Posted by 67bernie

Well, I pick up my 150FD here in Edmonton, Alberta tomorrow, but am forced to wait until Sunday for the Bell Expressview people to put in my HD satellite feed. For what's its worth, Pioneer Canada told me they were "200% certain" I did NOT need to run any kind of "break in dvd" for the first 200 hours. They just said don't watch a lot of standard def with the black bars on the sides for the first 200 hours, then you are fine to do what you want.

I have heard good things about having the Elites on Discovery HD for the first 200 hours, and this does a great job as a "break in dvd" without all the hassle. So when I'm not watching it, I'll have Discovery HD playing for perhaps 10-12 hours a day, but not 24/7.

I also have my doubts about getting it professionally calibrated after the 200 hours are up...I have heard some don't like the results (picture too "soft" or "muted" for their liking) and some that have this done on the 8G Elites find they are so well calibrated the settings were hardly changed at all from the standard. Plus it is "my" tv, so I think I would like to "play with the settings" on the Pro 150FD so it looks best to "me", not some computer calibration equipment measurement. I'll certainly try some of the setting members here (who are all generally a lot smarter than I am with this stuff) are having good results with. Mind you, I reserve the right to change my mind if I mess up or get convinced a profession calibration is worth the cost and results.

It looks like the west coast is going to be the last place to get the new Elites! It is still several days before they are scheduled to come into the store. I am getting very frustrated reading everyone else's descriptions and purchases! I want to see one for myself!!!

[rberger]

Anyone know of an authorized Elite dealer in the southeastern USA ... preferably not FL so I can save sales tax? Of course, I'm not talking about the big B&M guys.

[KillerT2]

Originally Posted by RebelMan

I agree the resolution numbers game is mostly marketing. However, the higher resolution of 1080p does more to improve the picture quality than simply minimizing SDE at specific viewing distances. It's those qualities to which I am referring and that Ken is discovering and reporting about.

What exactly is it that 1080p does to improve PQ other than enabling a shorter viewing distance?

[BasementBob]

It used to be that Elites had to be sold in local bricks and mortor stores.
Has that changed with the Kiro's? Can the 150 be bought on-line and still be under warantee?

[David B]

BasementBob,
FWIW - I tried to purchase my 150FD from a forum sponser who is very helpful and informative on these forums but was redirected to a local B&M for the Elite. The sponsor indicated that Pioneer policy prohibited sale of Elite Kuro's online or by phone. I was tempted to go with the 6010 in the spirit of supporting a sponsor but did end up ordering the 150 from a local dealer. It may still be worthwhile to call the sponsors to see if others have different arrangements. Good luck with your purchase.

[optivity]

Originally Posted by donottosmeok

On the subject of "firmware updates," has Pioneer ever released "firmware updates" to the pre-8G 42XX/50XX (non-Elite) models? How was this done? What kinds of issues were addressed/corrected? I'm curious, because "firmware updates" for TVs is something new to me. Thanks.

I have not owned a Pioneer PDP prior to buying the PRO-150FD so I am not sure what Pioneer will do to resolve the problem where no incoming signal is displayed w/CableCARD & ANT A digital connection. Based upon past experience regarding the publication of firmware update(s) for the Panasonic TH-50PX50U leads to believe that Pioneer has to do the same for the 150FD, but the time frame is unknown.

[allenshelley]

Originally Posted by Challkhmc

That makes perfect sense Allen. Why wouldn't they explain this in the manual? I'll give it a try. I assume that I'll have a smaller 720p image and a second SD image if I do it this way. Thanks for the tip.

Don't know about the size/resolution (or whatever 720p actually stands for) of the images. But the signal coming out of the cablebox (set top box - STB) going into AntA will have all your subscribed channels (HDTV stuff, HBO, etc.) that require the STB for reception. The signal coming out of the splitter going to AntB will not have any of those channels because that signal is not going through the STB.

[ccotenj]

Originally Posted by HiDef Bob

It looks like the west coast is going to be the last place to get the new Elites! It is still several days before they are scheduled to come into the store. I am getting very frustrated reading everyone else's descriptions and purchases! I want to see one for myself!!!

that's because we on the east coast are buying them all before they get to you...

hey, you get all the good wine, good weather and beautiful women... don't complain...

re: break-in. be smart. stay away from black bars and bugs for the first couple hundred hours, and you should be fine. discovery hd works well for this, although you'll get tired of the same shows over and over again (sunrise earth is TRULY spectacular though, the blacks of the pio really shine on that)... just fill the screen... and change the channel occasionally if you are watching espn... ymmv, but that's what i've been able to gather from the various "experts" and what pioneer has said...

[Nuance]

robglasser, david b and sma, thank you for your responses; they were most helpful. According that the website linked to me, I am no further than 9 miles from the major network towers and will be no more than 16 miles when I move into our home in November (let’s hope). It seems that I need a small multidirectional antenna. Sweet! I don’t want to continue to hijack the thread, so I will take the discussion elsewhere. However, if anyone wants to PM me and give me tips on proper and ideal installation, I would appreciate it.

Thanks!

[johnsojs]

Hey everyone I need some help making a decision. I currently have a Panasonic
50PHD9UK and I am very happy with it. Recently I have been considering breaking down and upgrading to the Pioneer 6010. I hear great things about the 6010. What I want to know, hopefully from some of you current 6010 owners who have previously had a display close to mine, is honestly how much of an upgrade is this really??? My 9UK makes a gorgeous picture and it's hard form me to imagine it being that much better. I have a friend who will give me 1500 for the 9UK (I've had about 1 year). So it ends up being a 3K upgrade. Worth it??? How big a difference would I see really??? My seating position is about 9-11 feet. Thanks for all your help just trying to make the right decision.

[dvdguru]

I have the panny th50phd7uy and the 150d is being delivered this morning so my comparison should be of help to you

[JazzGuyy]

Consumer Reports just published some new ratings and ranked both the Panasonics (TH-50PX75U and TH50PZ700U) and the Samsung HP-T5064 above the Pioneer 5080. There main differences seem to be the Pioneer's lesser brightness than the others and some graininess (apparently on SD but it is not clear as written). Clearly another CR misfire.

[lentiman]

What are you talking about? Can you expand on this?

Originally Posted by optivity

I have not owned a Pioneer PDP prior to buying the PRO-150FD so I am not sure what Pioneer will do to resolve the problem where no incoming signal is displayed w/CableCARD & ANT A digital connection. Based upon past experience regarding the publication of firmware update(s) for the Panasonic TH-50PX50U leads to believe that Pioneer has to do the same for the 150FD, but the time frame is unknown.

[dieselgg]

Could someone please clarify which video codecs are compatible with the 950HD. For example the owner's manual states that it can play the following:

Movie MPEG PS (mpg, mpeg, mpe, m2p), MPEG-2 TS, WMV
(asf, wmv), MPEG4 (mp4)
Music MP3 (mp3), LPCM, WAV (wav), WMA (asf, wma)

However, the above imply that it is referring to the containers ... what about the codecs. For example the container can be mp4 but the video codec could be H.264 and the audio codec can be AC3 or AAC.

For the audio portion, if you have the optical out hooked up to your surround sound receiver that the AC3 will by that instead.

[Lespes]

Originally Posted by David B

BasementBob,
FWIW - I tried to purchase my 150FD from a forum sponser who is very helpful and informative on these forums but was redirected to a local B&M for the Elite. The sponsor indicated that Pioneer policy prohibited sale of Elite Kuro's online or by phone. I was tempted to go with the 6010 in the spirit of supporting a sponsor but did end up ordering the 150 from a local dealer. It may still be worthwhile to call the sponsors to see if others have different arrangements. Good luck with your purchase.

Internet sites that carry the Elite models indicate that you must call for purchase. You can't just add it to your cart. As these are authorized Pioneer dealers for the Elite, I can't imagine that Pioneer could invalidate the warranty because you ordered by phone. The mistake would be in ordering an Elite from a dealer who is not authorized to sell them.

Besides which, many Elite dealers have no Internet site for sales in any case. It makes no sense to think that they couldn't do business by phone.

[Manchild]

I was wondering if anyone here has any bias lighting going on behind their sets. I had my 5010FD calibrated last night and the calibrator recommended that I purchase a (fairly cheap) ballast/lamp that outputs D65 light to place behind my TV to lowly illuminate the wall. The reason for this was twofold: 1) having a D65 lamp source improves perceived contrast ratio and 2) having D65 light in the background minimizes eye strain and fatigue since your eyes won't be continually dilating/closing during bright or dark scenes.

This actually seems to make a good amount of sense to me and was wondering if anyone else has tried it.

[Robert D]

Originally Posted by Manchild

I was wondering if anyone here has any bias lighting going on behind their sets. I had my 5010FD calibrated last night and the calibrator recommended that I purchase a (fairly cheap) ballast/lamp that outputs D65 light to place behind my TV to lowly illuminate the wall. The reason for this was twofold: 1) having a D65 lamp source improves perceived contrast ratio and 2) having D65 light in the background minimizes eye strain and fatigue since your eyes won't be continually dilating/closing during bright or dark scenes.

This actually seems to make a good amount of sense to me and was wondering if anyone else has tried it.

Yes it does make good sense and I use this light http://www.goestores.com/catalog.asp...74596&detail=1

[dssturbo1]

Originally Posted by johnsojs

Hey everyone I need some help making a decision. I currently have a Panasonic
50PHD9UK and I am very happy with it. Recently I have been considering breaking down and upgrading to the Pioneer 6010. I hear great things about the 6010. What I want to know, hopefully from some of you current 6010 owners who have previously had a display close to mine, is honestly how much of an upgrade is this really??? My 9UK makes a gorgeous picture and it's hard form me to imagine it being that much better. I have a friend who will give me 1500 for the 9UK (I've had about 1 year). So it ends up being a 3K upgrade. Worth it??? How big a difference would I see really??? My seating position is about 9-11 feet. Thanks for all your help just trying to make the right decision.

of course the biggest immediate difference is that you get 44% larger screen area and that does make a big difference. the panny 50ph9uk is a very nice plasma but the 6010 will have better blacks and higher contrast as well as the 1080p. no exact # in a percentage upgrade but i do think you would be happy with the choice to move up to the 6010.

[Nambit]

Originally Posted by JazzGuyy

Consumer Reports just published some new ratings and ranked both the Panasonics (TH-50PX75U and TH50PZ700U) and the Samsung HP-T5064 above the Pioneer 5080. There main differences seem to be the Pioneer's lesser brightness than the others and some graininess (apparently on SD but it is not clear as written). Clearly another CR misfire.

That's a joke! The TV's listed are *FAR* less bright than the 5080. I mean
FAR less! Damn! Also, graininess? Haha, that's a good one. After months of
checking out these TV's in person in so many different stores (and even being
able to sneak a calibration here and there), I can safely say C.R. is definitely
messed up there. The 50PX75U is the sahara desert of graininess in comparison
to all the other plasmas. Man, they really aren't so hot for TV's are they?
Perhaps they messed up on their calibration or they got hit by GIGO and
didn't notice it.