The Official Pioneer 8G KURO Owner's Discussions Thread - Page 448

Yeah I thought that too until I found myself (in no way a tv junkie) watching HD cable broadcasts at 2:00am. Try to get some rest now, you'll need it.

Great decision to go Kuro. I've never heard or seen a complaint from a Kuro owner except for buzz/ stuck pixels. There seems to be close to 100% satisfaction with picture quality. That in itself says a lot.

Atri

Just so I know everything going into this purchase (which will be by far the biggest puchase I've ever made) What is the deal with the buzzing (how loud / bad is it?)? And how many "stuck pixels" are there / how many have been reported? Also these are all covered by the manufacturers warranty correct?

Hello Htwaits or UMR, Any chance one of you guys can go into more detail on how much a difference the calibration made on the video side of things. I know a couple scenes you said WOW, but what made the difference, color accuracy? You also said that sharpness is improved? Is their a special tweak that improves sharpness? Any difference in shadow detail? Black levels?
And, was it really worth the difference strictly on the video?

I equate it to looking at things the way they were supposed to be. Have you seen that Claratin commercial, where everything is fuzzy and then they take a layer off and it's clear...

So watching the set pre-calibrated vs post-calibrated can show you what you are missing and what things should look like. UMR does a great job of showing this, by demonstrating what his settings are changing and how it looked before and how it's supposed to look.

Russ

Keep in mind that I'm just a happy owner, and that I didn't ask UMR to explain everything he did.


Skin tones, especially faces, are something we all spend a lot of time looking at. Green or red tint to face tones are bad. One WOW was for the skin tones produced by the 6010 after calibration. If the faces are right, everything else should follow. Accurate gray levels make color accuracy possible.


Before calibration my sharpness was set to -11. It's now set to -15. The finest line on UMR's test pattern was about twice as wide and soft before calibration.


Yes, there is more of it, and the colors (faces again) look better. There was a red tone to grays that is gone now.


I'm not positive, but I think there is less glow to the screen when the room is dark, and there is no signal. In any event the blacks convince me that they are black.


Do you mean, "Would I pay for both, and be happy just doing the video?"

Let's put it this way, I was offered a free video calibration from some one who I know to be an outstanding video calibrator. I chose to pay UMR do both audio and video, and I'm very happy with the results.

I've added your questions to the original owner's report that I posted in the "Kuro Owner's" thread. You can check it out using the "flat panel" link at the bottom of my post. Thanks for the questions.

Thanks Htwaits. I know i've been skeptical on pro calibration, especially top tier tv's like sony and pio, but it sounds like it's worth it, especially audio. My current set up my speakers really have no choice but to be where their at. So it probably would not be worth the audio for me at this time.. Boston Acoustics are sweet speakers, i use to have them in my car and they are preety sweet. I have MbQuarts that use to be big rivals with bostons in the car audio world. Enjoy the kuro and calibration. I'm not jealous at all, really

That's true for us too. Audio calibration seems to accommodate a lot of that. For instance, our surrounds are fine for me, but if you add a person on either the right or left of where I sit, they will be too close to the surround on their side of the room. There is no way to move the people or the speakers, so UMR adjusted the levels to make them tolerable for the person sitting next to one of them.

I'm looking into ceiling surrounds, but for me that's a very confusing topic. At least now our effects track the object on the screen that's making the noise.

Seeing is believing. I know screenshots isn't the end all but it would be cool if someone took some of their best screenshots and then compared the same scenes after calibration. Best buy now has calibrated kuro's next to non calibrated ones's next each other. The one thing i noted was the whites were more subtle on the calibrated.

I wouldn't use BB to determine the value of professional calibration.

I just run 3 channel up front. I need a better room, and sometimes i get to distracted when the speakers are close behind when i did put some back there. No big deal. But subtle effects is all that's needed imo.

True, but you could see the whites where different. Which proves there is a difference. I wouldn't use best buy to calibrate my tv that's for sure.

I just may be able to afford a Pro-150 this year. But I have questions ...

1. Are the 9G's going to be made by Pioneer or Panasonic?
2. Are they going have "0" blacks?
3. What other improvements are anticipated?
4. Will they sell for about the same price as the 8G's?

Despite the fact the Canadian dollar has been at or near par for many months the prices in Canada have not dropped, partly because we get a 2 year warranty. The list is still $9000, which means they are selling for $6000-7000 in stores.

Should I wait for the new 9G's or buy the 150FD before they are all gone?

As far as stuck/dead pixels it doesn't seem to be significant enough percentage of pios to be concerned with. Its simple, buy from a reputable source and understand their return policy. If you're not happy return it within the proper time frame (ie 30 days) I haven't spent alot of time on other product threads, but, I did check out Samsungs and Panny's before deciding on my 6010 (). Pixel issues don't seem to know which brand you bought. I would advise anyone to make their choice based on the quality of the picture, which to me is Pioneer, hands down.

I decided to check for buzz again and found that when I put my ear about 1" from the screen I hear a slight buzz. When my ears is about 4" or more away the buzz is gone. By moving in and out I came to the conclusion that the buzz is created by interaction between my electromanetic field and the Pio's.

Does this make sense to any of you tech heads?

Atri

From page 8 of the 1150HD manual....."The screen of the plasma display is composed of extremely fine pixels and these pixels emit light according to received video signals. This principal may cause you to hear a buzz or electrical hum from the plasma display". From that, I'm gathering that they're saying this is normal IF you hear the buzz/hum. On my 1150, I don't hear any noise at all. I have read in these forums however, of Pio owners complaining of very loud buzzing and have returned their sets for exchange.

I received my 5080 two days ago and I'm still trying to pick up my jaw from the floor. The image on this thing is a thing of beauty. Please forgive my exuberance but you have to understand that I'm coming from a 10 yrs old 27" Toshiba CRT ...

After reading so many messages of people that have had various problems, I was quite nervous but I'm happy to report that I have had zero problems so far ... no buzz, no IR/Burn in, no stuck pixels ...

I guess it's the nature of these message boards that only people with problems usually post but I would like to tell potential buyers that the 8G Kuros are something else to see and given the current favorable pricing, they should definitively be on your short list.

This thread has been an invaluable resource and one of the major factor that has influenced my decision to go and actually look at this model in person at a local shop. When I compared the image quality with other competing models, the choice was easy.

Thanks to all.

Ok, so I just got my new 5010 after returning the one I bought that I thought was used but in fact had 600 hours on it already, just set up the new tv and am watching the shallow seas epidode on Planet Earth bluray, using standard settings, and for some reason the picture quality appears even better than my last tv, even just using the standard settings??? I don't get it, I'll wait till I've got over 100 hours on the tv then apply dnices settings again to see if this increases the picture quality further. Wow thats all I can say. Anyways can someone tell me how to attach pictures???

You have to upload them to a picture hosting site, like Flicker for example, then link the pic url in your post. Good job getting back at those lying SOB's that sold you a used TV. Glad we were able to help.

Would facebook work??

http://http://www.facebook.com/photo...4&id=877100513Here are a couple of pics I took using my sony cybershot point and shoot, forgot to turn off the lamp in the living room so you can vaguely see the reflection in the pictures.


http://http://www.facebook.com/photo...5&id=877100513

When I bought my 5010, Best Buy through in "professional" calibration for free. My plan was to wait until I've got over 100 hours on the panel before having them come out to do their thing. But should I even bother with the BB calibration if it's that bad? Is it better than nothing if it's free? Or are they likely to make the TV look worse than if they didn't touch it? It seems like I should have them do their thing if it's free, but I don't want to waste my time if there really is no value to it.

Nothing is free I would still try it out, unless someone can say that it is completely not worth it from them.

That's what I was thinking. As long as they don't make it look worse than it does now, I've got nothing to lose, right? Do you think 100 hours on the panel is enough before scheduling them or is it safer to have more hours?

It will depend on the quality of the tech in question, and what gear he has access to. Unfortunately you are playing roulette with techs, so you have no idea.

If they are going to do some user-menu thing I guess it would be ok. I don't think I would let anyone from BB into my service menu.

Just seeing how to get pictures to show.

Like this?

As I have said before, you are about as likely to find a technically qualified person working at Best Buy as you are at McDonald's. Why not wait and get a certified ISF professional to calibrate your display? It will be worth the $300 or whatever, just to keep one of those BB clowns from messing up your set!

Just recently moved into a new house, and the wife wants a big screen mounted on the wall. After a couple of hours of research, I've decided to purchase the Pioneer 6010FD. I've been to the local BB to observe it in person, however the price is close to 6k (almost MSRP). I would rather not buy it at BB, and would like to buy it online. However my wife is a little hesitant in giving me permission to order something of this value online.

So basically I am looking for the best place to order this tv online, any sites that you guys recommend? PM me if you have to. Thanks!

Well, I wouldn't pay for a Best Buy calibration, but since it's free it might be a good way to see if their service is really as bad as people think. It could very well be, but I guess I won't really know if I don't give it a try. At least if they really do mess up the set in some irreparable way, I can always have Best Buy replace the TV.

How long should a real calibration take? Best Buy says that it will take between 60 and 90 minutes. Does a real calibration take longer than that?

I would recommend one of our forum sponsors. You will save a couple thousand bucks and get great service. Two of my friends have used Invision Displays with great success. Oh, and give your wife a hug and "permission" to get a new outfit.

Mike

I have not researched the various online sources, but I have one important tip: make sure you buy from an authorized Pioneer dealer, so that you have a valid warranty. This holds for local vendors as well.