[JCL7000]

Hello all,


I'm in the process of moving into a new home and in the process of building my home theater. I saw a floor model Pioneer Elite 510(last piece of course) and can be had for under 2k. due to the RPTV's coming out now with emerging technology, should i make this move to get this TV?


Also what dvd player should i get with this tv if i do decide to get it?


It is either this tv or it will be toshiba 57hx81 which i can get for about 2500.00


also i have a general question about calibrations. I read constantly that regerdless of the TV you get , you should get calibrated , thus doing so will yield the best results. should i get a HDTV like your mits or panasonic and save the $ for calibration or should get the pioneer 53 in non -elite or tosh (57hx81)

Thanks and i look forward to your responses.


john

 

[Adi]

I wont get it just because its good buy.


Between Pioneer and Toshiba, which one do you like better? In case you decide on Pioneer, just make sure it comes with full factory warranty and possibly an extended warranty.

 

[JCL7000]

well i should say that the store that the pioneer is in is a reputable store (J&R in NYC) although i have not made such a large scale purchase such as this in the store. in response to the question i like them both but am looking to get the best for what i can spend.($ 2500)

 

[Adi]

Well, in that case you are struck between an obsolete model and soon-to-be-obsolete model. My choice would be Pioneer Elite for several reasons, including the premium name brand, picture quality, and cost/resale-value ratio. Since you are already getting it under 50% of retail price, if you decide to sell it in the future, your losses would be minimal.

 

[ScottSher]

The only thing that would scare me is that floor models could have been in "torch mode" for a long period of time. And one store I was in the other day had a Sony XBR 65" with a static picture of a state weather map and a static bright colored legend -- burn in do ya think? Now I am wary of floor models.

 

[JCL7000]

well they had the tv on a blue screen, so I could not see any burn in. here is what I find strange though... this store never had these in their inventory before even though it is a known dealer in electronics (in NYC area anyway)and yet they have the floor model (they also have the 2 bigger sizes as well) I'm going to see if I can get them to play a DVD as well as hook up a signal so that i can see the picture. Any thoughts on the calibration question i mentioned above? I mean should it matter that I spend less on a set (using a 50'HDTV as an example) and get calibrated than to spend more on a better reviewed set if I should get calibrated anyway?

 

[MattJ]

I would not recommend buying a floor model TV. In a showroom they usually run the contrast (white level) much higher than the max spec because brighter TV's "look better" and this helps sell TV's. Also the TV must compete with the flourescent lights, so again they crank up the contrast. This elevated contrast level accelerates the aging of the CRT phosphor or in the most extreme case burns it. In a month or 2 the CRT's may have the equivalent of a year or more of life used up. Some of the better stores are careful about this, but ofter not. If you do not know for shure how it was treated I would not go for it.


As for ISF calibration, I think it is worth it, IMHO.

 

[JCL7000]

But I guess what I'm wondering is that is it better to get one of the much maligned HDTV's like the mits and panasonics (according to some of the posts i've read) and forgo the "better TV's(pioneers and tosh) thus saving lotsof $ and putting some of it toward calibration? I mean it agreed that calibration is important, so my question is does it matter what brand you get as long as it is (in my case HDTV) 16:9 50-57 inch with a reliable history and not worry about the red push , the blue push,etc if a ISF calibration would straighten it out?

 

[artur]

John, It may be a refurbish model, check burn in on gray screen not on blue.

I would not recommend Panas, but Hitachi. You can check 24 2001 models tested and compared at www.consumerreports.org but it will cost you $3.95 for monthly subscription.

Best regards Artur

 

[JCL7000]

I've seen it (I'm a subscriber already) I used it as a reference in helping me out. thanks. Further searching around this site and on differents posts has basically confirmed my belief that one does not necessary have to get a real expensive HDTV to get the full benefits if you spend less and have a ISF tech work his magic....

 

[MattJ]

JCL,

I would agree with your last statement, $ does not = performance. A friend of mine purchased an Elite 710, and did not plan on calibration, but was not happy with the picture once he got it home and eventually went for the ISF cal and was pleased with the results.


Also have a look at this site: www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/index.htm there is a lot of information there on specific brands/models that comes from calibrators. For example some of the 2001 model Toshibas have a video bandwidth problem, they show pictures comparing test patterns. Just some additional data to help make your decision more difficult.

 

[JCL7000]

I shall take a look now. Thanks Mattj

 

[JCL7000]

Very informative. too bad about the toshiba though since it looks like a sweet set. Customer on the audioreview.com site gaveit great reviews and it was the 2nd best in the HT mag big screen shoot out. one more question though (no i'm sure i'll have more ) what is the experience of people using their directv on these HDTV's. Since I won't be able to get a HT tuner right away, I'm little concerned...

 

[Matt_Stevens]

Burnin is much easier to spot with a gray signal.


I saw a Sony with massive burn-in just this morning at the local Best Buy. It was in gray bar mode. I set it to full and presto, instant, viewable burn-in. REALLY bad too.

 

[JCL7000]

well i went to J &R today and wouldn't you know it the510 was soldalready. so was the 710.which leaves the 610 with a great price. again it is a floor model.all they had feeding it was a VCR playing through it.

the picture was goodbut a little dark. not as crisp as a dvd of course but not bad. My queation to all the elite owners is how is the picturewhen fed with a Directv feed? Eventually I will go HD but right this is what I have. also i want to geta DVD player but am confused of what will happen if i get aprg. scan player likephillps q50 or panny 56. Or should i get a non-prog scan dvd player and rely on thethetv's line doulber when it comes towatching a dvd? Natually I really thinking of getting the tv since at the price, i can't get any better than this. bBTw I sawno burn in when the atpe was playing but is there anywayof spotting this? sorry for the long post.

Thanks again.

 

[Matt_Stevens]

480p will beat line doubled 480i. Most Toshiba's force a squeeze with 480p, but some do not. Not sure about that model.


DirecTV will look awful on a large screen. You'll need to be at least 10 feet from the screen.

 

[JCL7000]

Matt_stevens or anyone else...


"DirecTV will look awful on a large screen. You'll need to be at least 10 feet from the screen"


is that the case of all HDTV RPTV's?? I mean I want to upgrade to HD but can't spare that $$ now. Is the picture from a 57-58' tv that bad from at least 8ft ?

Also for those who have/had older elite series, is there any regrets? I mean there is no burn in on this TV and the price is $2600 (pio 610) Floor model from authorized dealer. Sounds like a good deal no?

 

[PamW]

I have an Elite 710 that was a floor model and I couldn't be happier! We did check for burn in and how many hours it had been played on the floor. I haven't had the ISF calibration done yet - just a minimal calibration done about one month after we had the set delivered. I am a finicky female and I am very pleased - We don't even have a progressive scan DVD but this thing shows movies off quite well, thank you. We just had TWC put in the HDTV box last week and our jaws dropped. The picture does look better from about 10 or more feet away, but you can get away with being a bit closer. I hope my personal story helps you in your decision!

 

[Pacbellguy]

Hello All,


I just bought a Mits WS-65909 last night. It was a floor model and I saved about $1000. I checked and it was manufactured Feb of this year. The sales person is someone I trust from The Good Guys. He said it was only on the floor for a couple of months. I didn't think about checking for burn in. I still have 30 days to return it so as soon as it's delivered, I will check for it. I need to wait a little bit before I can get an ISF calibration done. Are there things I can do right away to get the best performance out of it?

 

[jor-el]

Anyone claiming that Directv looks terrible on a big screen must not have experienced analog cable any time recently.


I'm living just fine with directivo / hds-20 on a mits 55 from 6-8'. It would be nice if espn and local channels had fewer mpeg artifacts, but it beats the hell out of cable snow.