[bk8]

OK, Please bear with my first post, folks... thanks in advance:


Topic 1: I have done some research in the many past weeks and was first leaning towards the Panasonic TH-42PHD5UY mostly based on the "shootout" on *******************.com. However, I have yet to see a great picture from any Panasonic 42 inch that I've looked at in Brick and Mortar stores. I always liked Panasonic products, but was worried based on actual viewing. I imagine in all the stores I've seen the Panasonics, they probably were set up/hooked up incorrectly. I've seen the Pioneer 433cmx model (actually the 4330hd) in real life and it was beautiful and based on this forum, like the "future" expansion capability of the expansion slot. However, again was worried how the shootout scored the Pioneer 3rd with a "rating" of 43 while the Panasonic got a 62.(whatever those numbers stand for...)

Anyway, I can't bring myself to buy the Panasonic without seeing it perform nicely in real life. Any new input on these two from anyone out there?


Topic 2: If I do go with the Pioneer 433cmx, what else will I need to watch regular TV? Can someone guide me as to the pros/cons/necessities of the options I have: i.e. TVP-1000 card vrs. PDA-5002 vrs. no additional card at all?


Topic 3: What if anything else do I need to view real HDTV? Do I need a scaler / line doubler / whatever that is, and is that part of one of the TVP-1000 or PDA-5002 cards mentioned above?


Summary: Could one of you much more experienced people, sit back, and tell this novice what to do, to put it "all together"?


T H A N K S !!!!

 

[DonBerg]

Don't base your choice on one guy's opinion - thats all that plasmatvbuyinguide.com article was. Also it was not an unbiased article, since its from a plasma reseller site - they might get more profit margin on the models they rate better. In any case, its a very slight difference, and there is no clear winner between Panasonic and Pioneer offerings, they both have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. You have to decide yourself which point is more important.

 

[Veech]

That's very interesting, I wanted to start a Pio vs Panny PQ thread, but I realise it's all subjective. Yesterday I compared the two 42" models side-by-side at Circuit City and found basically the same thing, I was disappointed in the Panasonic. Agreed, it had a more "natural" and "life-like" quality to the picture, meaning is was fairly humdrum (to me). The Pio knocked my socks off. One problem, the flesh tones looked a bit 'bold" on the pio, I would have dialed 'em down a bit. The Panny had very muted flesh tones, but I wonder if that's in-store adjustments that can correct that.


I like some "wow" factor. I tend to boost the bass and treble some when I listen to music. I tend to add pepper or garlic to season my food. And I liked the punch of the Pioneer's picture quality. I'm hoping they're the same 42" to 50", because I'm almost certainly going to Pioneer 50. I also like the upgradeability of the video card slot. ymmv..


Veech

 

[sanjiva]

Veech,


It definitely confirms "each to his own eye" syndrome. I checked the local circuit city where they have placed Panny 42 HD, SD and Pio 43" model all in once place which makes it very easy for people to compare. They were playing some HD material on loop. To my eyes, both Pannys had far superior PQ compared to Pio. The Pio had vibrancy in colour but were little fuzzy or grainy. They were not crisp, natural and smooth like Panny. And black levels were definitely there to be noticed, especially when credits roll or black screen comes up.


If I had to grade them on a scale of 1 to 10 purely on PQ, my rating would be 7 for Pio, 8.5 for WD and 9 for HD. But again, that is purely my opinion.


I felt bad becuase if the PQ of Pio was even as good as PQ of WD, I would go for it purely due to its upgrade path.


Sanjiva

 

[jhersco]

I had read that the Panasonic 42PD3-P was the best 42" plasma monitor, despite it's lower pixel count than the "true-HD" models. When I viewed it side by side with the more expensive 42PHD4P, by Panasonic, I was convinced. It clearly outperformed this HD model in brightness, contrast and overall PQ with both SD and HD sources.


Then, I saw the Pioneer 4330 (mostly the same components as the 433 CMX,) and the Panasonics side by side at Tweeter. Everyone in my group saw the same thing: The Pioneer had a considerably more detailed picture and was brighter overall than the Panasonic 42PD3-P. The Panny's blacks were slightly deeper, but the advantage narrowed when we set the Pioneer black level to high.


Using SD sources, both brands suffered compared to HD. I could not see any significant difference between the 4330 and the 42PD3P.


Since then, I've learned that the 433CMX is superior in PQ to the 4330; has a video card slot that provides for future upgradability, and costs a lot less. From what I can see, with the video card, it is a Pioneer Elite (minus the wide bezel,) for a whole lot less money.


Contest over. I'm getting a 433CMX.

 

[bk8]

Thanks so far to those that have answered, and please, more opinions are highly valued. Sanjiva: If that Circuit City is in the NY-NJ area, I would like to go compare them for myself!


Any thoughts out there on my topics 2 and 3?


thanks...

 

[sanjiva]

Hi bk,


No, the circuit city I went to is in San Jose, California.


On your point 2, you would definitely need one of the cards for the input. It is a must for 433CMX. TVP-1000 has a built in tuner but nothing really fancy to justify the additional cost. You would be satisfied with 5002. With 5002, you would need a tuner to watch regular TV (You can use your VCR for that purpose).


On point no.3, you do not need any scaler etc. for HDTV. Yopur plasma is ready to receive the HDTV transmission. You need the equipment and connectivity to receive HDTV transmission broadcast by Dish network or avaialble on OTA. You can search the forum for details on different HDTV receivers/set top boxes as well as HDTV programming available.


Hope this helps somewhat.

 

[bk8]

It sure does help. If I use the VCR for the tuner, what kind of picture will it produce? It is a BASIC Panasonic w/out s-video output. It seems like a shame to hook up the Cable connection to the plasma. I believe it does have the yellow video output.


I also want to try to get HDTV over the air. Anybody have experience with this and suggestions for an economical receiver and antenna setup?


Thanks

 

[Brucer]

Some of you may be interested in this thread about CC HD loop:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=199276


On all occasions when I saw Panny 42 TH=42PW4 vs either panny HD or Pio PDP-4330 the SD panny looked better. Most significantly when the feed was 480i.


.02


Bruce

 

[Brett]

Hi Bruce,


From all I've heard here, the Panny probably beats the Pioneer 433-cmx with analogue inputs. However, has anyone had a chance to compare the 43" Pioneer at its best performance (ie with a DVI feed) to the SD or HD Panasonics? To me its a choice between a $3000+ SD Panasonic or a $4000+ HD Pioneer. Blacks are an important criteria, but visible pixel pattern close up, and pixel to pixel native rate are tangible factors too. Anyone care to tell us where its at?