The Official Pioneer 8G KURO Owner's Discussions Thread - Page 584

Yeah It seems everyone vouches for those two calibrators. I'll wait till I put this thing in a house I own which is hopefully soon. I've upped the contrast some to 40 and some other changes to d-nices setting and man it looks awesome. Colors are popping out like I wanted and the blacks are inky! Exciting that its looking like everything everyone praises about this TV and all for $250! So lucky!

INeeding to increase contrast is normal as plasma displays age. If it remains sound, a calibration from one of those guys will be money in the bank.

I too have a 5.5 year old PRO-150FDand it also still renders a great picture, just like new. As for the 8G/9G comparison, I seem to recall reading that the residual black level in the 9G sets had been reduced to only 20% of that of the 8G models. But since the black level of the 8G is almost zero, I don't think that there would be any noticeable difference on most real material most of the time. In other words, the difference between almost zero and 20% of almost zero, is, well, almost zero!

Hey I have a chance to grab a 5010 pioneer 8G unit...1300$ cash...its local...TV has about 6000 hours on it. You think that's a good deal?! Or should I wait for one of these 60 series pannys?

For that price range, as much as I like my 8Gs, I'd go with a new Panny for the money. You get a lot of features now and while the picture quality is not yet a Kuro they are getting closer with each release.....

I suppose this depends on what 60 series Panasonic display you are comparing it to.

One reason I did not prefer the non-Elite 8G Pioneer PDPs is they lack the "pure" mode setting:

"Pure picture mode delivers superior settings out of the box...

A picture mode entitled Pure is exactly that, delivering better out-of-the-box settings--before we performed any adjustments--than any preset picture mode we've tested, including THX on models like the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U...

Pioneer's picture adjustments start with seven total picture modes, five of which can be tweaked and apply to every input. Another, labeled Standard, is independent per input. We found Pure mode to be the most-accurate overall, to the point where we really didn't have to use all of those controls to get it to look its best..."

I am talking the panasonic st60 it vt60. Can't afford the ZT and prolly not the vt either. So it would be like comparing the ST50 vs 5010

great sets.This set looks awesome and I can't wait to see this in the stores and mess with the picture controls .thank you

I noticed tonight that the On Screen TV Guide apparently has gone away (there are no listings) on my PRO-150FD. I'd been seeing notices for awhile now that it was going to be retired over a period of months, and I guess now it has happened. Does anyone know if there's going to be an over-the-air alternative, or is the "TV Guide" button on the remote now essentially useless?

Thanks.
Edited by Diablo_692 - 2/20/13 at 1:27pm

I also have a PRO-150FD and noticed that too, last night. I had not heard anything about this happening, and at first was wondering if it was a malfunction, or if there was some problem with the local TVGOS source that updates the listings. I certainly hope that they resume their support ASAP.

Is it ok to have orbitor turned off after the set is at its 7200 hour mark? I'm hooking up my Mac mini and can't get the picture to display the whole screen on dot by dot without turning orbitor 2 off. When its on the screen moves around and looked it up and supposedly that was the orbitor affect. Is it important to leave it on in the expense of not having perfect screen size and location?

Don't do it. Even though extended usage reduces the susceptibility to burn-in, it doesn't eliminate it. Without the orbiter, station logos and scrolling text could burn in over time. Also, I think it is a very bad idea to hook any plasma to a computer, unless it is only going to be use exclusively with streaming video. Remember, computer displays are, most of the time static images, whereas TV images are normally constantly moving and changing. If you must use a large display with your Mac, then by all means buy an LCD for this purpose.

I've been using my PDP 5080 1368x768 about half the time for PC content since I bought it 4 years ago with no problems. Hooked up via HDMI to my pc, I don't even see a orbiter option on plasma menu. Using windows 8 I chose high contrast black mode under personalize high contrast themes. This makes all windows and backgrounds black. This will help with image retention/burn-in and use less electricity since plasmas use less energy when black is displayed. Plus the plasma will last longer and it wont won't buzz as loud as it tends to do when a bright picture is displayed. On my windows desktop I use a solid black desktop with no icons. I even removed the recycle bin. I also auto hide the taskbar. With these modifications you don't have to worry about burn in. Just make sure to have PC screen turn off after a few minutes of inactivity. I also have a chrome extension for my chrome web browser called high contrast. It has a invert color option I leave on most of the time but can easily be toggled on and off. Since most web pages are bright this extension is perfect for plasma PC use. Plus it's easier on the eyes at night. My PDP 5080 has worked great for me as a PC display. As plasma's gotten older image retention hardly ever occurs now. unlike when it was still new images would sometime remain on the screen for 10 or 15 minutes.
Edited by leiff - 2/23/13 at 11:04am

Is this correct? : With a 1080p/24p Blu-ray disc, my 6010 set to Dot by Dot, the display is 24p with no pull-down? Should Pure Cinema be set to Off or Standard for pure 24p playback without 72hz conversion?

So I'm coming the whole Kuro scene a little late. I've always heard and read in reviews that they are best in class when it comes to picture quality and black levels. I've never seen one in person and I have a question.

Where exactly would the Pioneer Kuro Pro 150 rank in the tree of Kuro Plasmas? Are the 9g's that much better than the 8g's? If so, can someone elaborate. Color, black levels, Video processing, motion handling etc.... I might have found a good deal on both a 151 and 150. Just curious how they compare to one another. Thanks!

I had the 150 and now have a 151. Get the 9G 151!

Would you care to elaborate??? Thanks

Yeah I could tell a pretty noticeable difference in blacks between the 6010 (8g) vs the 6020 (9g) I just got. There seems to be a video processing problem with the new 6020 which warranty should fix but that aside the black levels are noticeably better especially in a dark room.

The 151 matches a dark room, The 150 did not. Simple enough?

Works for me. Thanks!

Btw, what do you think is a fair price on a used 150? I haven't asked the gentleman the hours on the set. Not sure if he's asking too much or if it would be worth it.

I have no idea, I paid a slight discount retail for the 150, and Pioneer replaced it under warranty with a 151. I had the 150 for 22 months. I have the 151 almost three years now.

hi guys

My friend / client has a 150 that just died. Sissling sound, room smelling of ozone, and the top 1 foot of the display went blank.

Any recommendations for repair ? contact Pioneer ? Im sure it is outside of the warranty window.

Let me know.

TIA

Gregg

Hi Gregg,

Perhaps an upper buffer board/IC has cooked/fried itself ?

Probably best to contact Pioneer, or a tech place might be able to have a look and trace a suitable part cheaper than Pioneer maybe could

Hey guys. I have the opportunity to buy a brand new in the box Pioneer Elite Kuro 151FD for $2,500 no tax. There is no warranty from the seller as its just an individual, not a dealer that I know of. Is there too much risk involved or is this tv that amazing that this is a very rare opportunity not to pass up. Please help. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

You may get a better response from The Official Pioneer 9G Elite KURO Owner's Discussion Thread.

This is the 8G Kuro Owner's thread home to the PRO-150FD, which is the not so black predecessor of the PRO-151FD.

(However, if a deal seems too good to be true... it probably is.)

Lol. Thanks!

Hi there,
I just ran across your posting... I own an Elite Kuro Pro-111FD (so the 50" model); I bought one right before they stopped making them a few years ago... I have to say that to the day, it still has the best picture quality (including great sound too), and is the best plasma out there. You can tell this, by its deep blacks in dark scenes, and by the natural skin tones when people are shown. Panasonic only now has a model that comes close to it, but it took them some four years to almost "catch up". Yes, the 151FD doesn't have 3D capabilities or all the fancy extra stuff and/or "apps" other newer sets have, but who cares, it's a TV, not your iPhone... I had mine professionally calibrated as soon as I got it.
$2,500 is a bit high though, especially without any warranty, but 60" of such quality TV ... see if u can get it for 2K. My only suspicion would be: how come this guy has a brand new 151FD, four years after they were made. Where did HE get it from, or how come it was never used?
Anyhow, you may have bought it already by now, since your post is from 3/15, and we're in May now... Let me know if you did get it, and if so, are you happy with it?

For anyone in SoCal that might be interested (or know someone who might be interested), I just posted my Pio Elite Kuro 110FD in an AVS classified ad. I upgraded to a 60" Sharp Elite so it is time to bid farewell to my Kuro (and it's space heating super-power ability )