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KRP-500M or Pioneer PRO 111FD?

23K views 99 replies 43 participants last post by  jrhunkler 
#1 ·
Im on the market for a new HDTV, and after countless articles and forum threads, I think I have finally decided to get a Pioneer plasma. To be honest I wasnt even thinking about getting a plasma when I first looked because I heard all the horror stories about burn in and image retention. However, after some research I found that this is largely a thing of the past (let me know if this isnt true, lol)


Well anyways I seem to be stuck between the two 50 inch models, the KRP-500M and PRO 111FD. Besides the obvious diffrences in build, are there any differences in picture quality? is one supposed to be "better" than the other? It should be noted that I dont really care about slimness since I dont plan on mounting it.


2 things that I also would like to know about plasmas. First, why the heck is the 60 inch elite $2 grand more? I understand if it was $1k more, but I refuse to pay an extra $2k for 10 inches. Anybody know if I could get the 60 inch around $4k? Also, some readers mentioned a "break in" DVD where the picture is white or whatever. Does this DVD come with the plasmas or do I have to hunt that down?


Thanks!
 
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#52 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by VidPro /forum/post/17020669


I guess I'm an obsessive compulsive freak.
I bought the 111 ELITE because I thought I was getting the best minus the Sig series of course. And the cost saving too is kind of nice as well. Just say the blacks aren't that great and make me feel better.


They're so close it's really not even worth worrying about. The reason I went with the 500M over 111FD at BB was because it was slightly cheaper and it had a thinner profile which I wanted. The black level wasn't even a factor.
 
#53 ·
Interesting. All kidding aside I'd like to see the 500M in a light controlled room. On my 111 the blacks melt into the bezel ninety five percent of the time and only on mostly black screens is it apparent that there is a slight glow. My bias lighting pretty much gets to a ninety nine percent of the time. What really bugs me is that there ain't gonna be let's wait until next year for Pio fans.
 
#54 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xavier1 /forum/post/17020910


Well I thought that D-Nice did a 180 turn on the opinion of the darker blacks. It was referenced in another thread, and I didn't find the original post. But apparently it was said that after break-in the blacks of 600M and 500M were more or less identical. Honestly that doesn't make much sense that breakin would raise or lower the black floor, but who knows, some voodoo magic maybe


I don't recall him ever doing a 180 on it. This is the only comment from him I could find that comes close: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...98&postcount=7
 
#55 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by VidPro /forum/post/17021081


Interesting. All kidding aside I'd like to see the 500M in a light controlled room. On my 111 the blacks melt into the bezel ninety five percent of the time and only on mostly black screens is it apparent that there is a slight glow. My bias lighting pretty much gets to a ninety nine percent of the time. What really bugs me is that there ain't gonna be let's wait until next year for Pio fans.


Ah well I don't use any bias lighting on mine. The blacks are indistinguishable from the bezel but that depends on content. I've noticed really old tv shows don't do this when credits roll but the newer 1080i stuff looks completely black. The same holds true for newer vs older dvd releases. BD is always black though.
 
#56 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by 5150Joker /forum/post/17021200


Ah well I don't use any bias lighting on mine. The blacks are indistinguishable from the bezel but that depends on content. I've noticed really old tv shows don't do this when credits roll but the newer 1080i stuff looks completely black. The same holds true for newer vs older dvd releases. BD is always black though.

That's pretty cool. So in your opinion almost perfect except for purely black screens?
 
#58 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by VidPro /forum/post/17021309


That's pretty cool. So in your opinion almost perfect except for purely black screens?


Like I said, it depends on the source. If it's a 1080i/p source, the blacks are completely dark and match the bezel. If it's an older 480i source, the blacks sometimes do not melt into the bezel and look a bit lighter. BD titles always have full blacks that match the bezel. Here's a 1080p picture I took using output from my PC:





At the time I took this picture, the TV wasn't even calibrated so it looks even better now. It was taken using an old camera so in reality it looks quite nicer in person.
 
#59 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by hhaller /forum/post/17021515


Hurts, doesn't it? I keep going back and forth about whether I should keep my calibrated 111 or pick up a 500M...did anyone ever spill the beans on ISF settings for the M's?


D-nice posted the ISF settings for the 500M last night.
 
#60 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by 5150Joker /forum/post/17021625


Like I said, it depends on the source. If it's a 1080i/p source, the blacks are completely dark and match the bezel. If it's an older 480i source, the blacks sometimes do not melt into the bezel and look a bit lighter. BD titles always have full blacks that match the bezel. Here's a 1080p picture I took using output from my PC:





At the time I took this picture, the TV wasn't even calibrated so it looks even better now. It was taken using an old camera so in reality it looks quite nicer in person.

Hmm I'll have to check the difference between a BD and a regular DVD. I'm on the list to have D-Nice calibrate my 111 this September. I'm wondering if the perceived black level will improve.
 
#61 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marty1781 /forum/post/17018742


The cable box is the tuner, so your setup would work just fine with the 500M. You would need a tuner in the tv, for example, if you wanted to watch tv without the use of a cablebox. The 500M does not have an internal tuner so you will always need to use some sort of external OTA, satellite, or cable tuner (like a cablebox) in order to watch television with it.

Thank you very much for the helpful answer.
 
#63 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by gameboy115 /forum/post/17024759


Little confused here.


Let me make this clear. 500m has no speaker and no internal tv tuner, am i right?If I stick with cable box, that would be a problem unless I am using antenna to watch tv


500M has no internal tuner thus it needs cable or dish to watch TV. It also lacks speakers and a stand but both can be bought on ebay for a relatively low price.
 
#66 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by vinnie97 /forum/post/17041414


I use no back lighting with my 111FD and it doesn't take much (maybe 50% darkness in content) to make the bezel appear darker than the screen. I wonder how big of an improvement the 500M would provide.

Are we talking black bars? I swear my 111 might be a freak then again my eyes are not as young as they used to be.
 
#67 ·
I currently have a PRO-111FD. I do not use the speakers, I do not use the pedestal, as my TV is wall mounted.


Given that, do you think it would be in my favor to sell my 111fd for a 500m (even trade it terms of $$$$)


I'm thinking about doing it, as it won't cost me a dime in difference.
 
#69 ·
Trying to minimize remotes for the wife, so the 4 HDMI inputs are a nice feature of the 111. We have two HD DVRs (his and hers) and a BD player, so need at least 3 inputs. Maybe a HDMI switcher for BD and my DVR as she will only watch hers....things to consider.
 
#71 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex solomon /forum/post/17169577


Is there a difference between Pioneer KRP500 and Pioneer KRP-500M or is it a typo at Vanns?

vanns is selling the Pioneer KRP 500M.
 
#72 ·
Now that I own both, I was able to do a comparison between the two. Although my 500M is still in the break-in process, I can see that the black level of the 500M is definitely darker in a totally black room. However, with some ambient lighting present, it's harder to tell. This is IMO. Maybe I just don't have the eagle eyes of a certain reputable professional calibrator. :p
 
#73 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by FactionG /forum/post/17174417


Now that I own both, I was able to do a comparison between the two. Although my 500M is still in the break-in process, I can see that the black level of the 500M is definitely darker in a totally black room. However, with some ambient lighting present, it's harder to tell. This is IMO. Maybe I just don't have the eagle eyes of a certain reputable professional calibrator. :p

If you are speaking of me, I said the same thing a long time ago
 
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