Pioneer PDP4280XD Review

[Frank]

Phantom, Like all pioneer models it will show its true color when it has a perfect calibration. Thats why the higher models have a isf calibration option.I will tell you what i have learnd.For all standard defination tv's(SD) the Pioneer is the best of them all.The bad side is this tv needs fine tunning to get there.I think all normal pani's cannot win from this tv. So that leaves the top models from Panisonic to fight with the lower end price models of the pioneer.The price of the pz here is the same as de cheapest version of the pioneer.

So we have the 4280XD against the 42PZ700.

42PZ700 is a tv made for Full hd, not that good with sd materials.

4280XD  Made for SD TV.

Phantom, The final point is what do you want.If you are looking for a television to view Blu-ray and Hd dvd.Then the 42pz700 is the best choice at the moment.If you are going to watch SD and hd materials then the Pioneer is the best option.

[swinster]

Phantom, Like all pioneer models it will show its true color when it has a perfect calibration. Thats why the higher models have a isf calibration option.I will tell you what i have learned. For all standard definition TV's (SD) the Pioneer is the best of them all.The bad side is this TV needs fine tunning to get there.

Can the 4280XD model be calibrated or is this just an option for the 428XD model? In addition to the extra £200 between the two models, how much does calibration cost or can it be done by yourself (do you need special equipment)?  Is this, or any of the aditional features of the 428XD model worth the extra?

Swin

[TomJones83]

I have a question for Vincent:

I have read the review in it's entirety (great stuff!) and I'm a bit confused about film- and video mode deinterlacing. It seems the tv has a problem with 1080i/60 material, does this mean that it won't perform very well with film material on 1080i broadcast hdtv? Or does this only apply when you are outputting 1080i/60 from a hd-dvd/blu-ray player? This is not a problem if it only applies to the latter, as I will be getting a player that outputs 1080p/24 anyway, but I live in Sweden and 99% of hdtv is broadcast in 1080i so good deinterlacing is vital in this area, a maker or breaker so to speak. 

Very thankful if you can help shed some light on this issue!

Cheers
Tom       

[Vincent]

I was wondering what this TV was like for gaming with the PS3, there seems to be an accepted wisdom of gaming=LCD, is this truly the case?

It's a case of give and take. For gaming, LCD is brighter and not prone to image retention/ screenburn, but suffers from more motion blurring. Having said that, the Pioneer PDP4280XD can go as bright, and I've not seen even the slightest hint of image retention, so I guess the only shortcoming when it comes to gaming is its low native resolution which means that you can't full take advantage of the HD games.

Can the 4280XD model be calibrated or is this just an option for the 428XD model? In addition to the extra £200 between the two models, how much does calibration cost or can it be done by yourself (do you need special equipment)?  Is this, or any of the aditional features of the 428XD model worth the extra?

I have calibrated the greyscale and colours on the PDP4280XD entirely through the user menu, but the PDP4280XD offers a Day and Night ISF mode which requires special software from an ISF calibrator which will add £250 or more to the cost. As far as I'm concerned, the only possible reason I would spend extra on the PDP428XD is the availability of 9-point gamma control that MAY iron out the skewed gamma tracking between 0-20% stimulus, thus improving shadow detail.

I have read the review in it's entirety (great stuff!) and I'm a bit confused about film- and video mode deinterlacing. It seems the tv has a problem with 1080i/60 material, does this mean that it won't perform very well with film material on 1080i broadcast hdtv? Or does this only apply when you are outputting 1080i/60 from a hd-dvd/blu-ray player? This is not a problem if it only applies to the latter, as I will be getting a player that outputs 1080p/24 anyway, but I live in Sweden and 99% of hdtv is broadcast in 1080i so good deinterlacing is vital in this area, a maker or breaker so to speak. 

Worry not, you're in PAL land, HD broadcast will be in 1080i/50

Warmest regards
Vincent

[TomJones83]

Cheers Vincent, you are a class act.

[swinster]

Yes, thanks Vincent. I may now be able to justify the cost of the PDP4280XD. If ISF calibration cost around £250, than that's nearly £500 more for the PDP428XD.

Is it possible to put up a "how to" post to manually calibrate these screen. Although the review gives a certain amount of information, I have little knowledge in this area and as I do not have the screen as yet, I'm not sure how simple it would be to follow your procedure.

One final point (but nothing to do with this screen), do you know of any roomers of 1080p Pioneer 42" displays and when they would be due - maybe this will have a knock on effect on the price of these units.

[dotslasher]

Vincent can you give us the settings you have used and which gave you the best picture result?

It would be much apreciated.

[swinster]

Here's also another thought highlighting the world of rip off Britain.

In the states they have a Model called the Pioneer Elite PRO-950HD, which I guess is similar to the PDP428XD as it is the flagship 42" plasma over their. This can be bought for $2700 which converts to £1333! Even with the addition of VAT at 17.5% that would be around £1566. They also have a PDP4280HD (HD not XD) model, which I guessing is almost identical to the model as reviewed by Vincent. This can be found retailing for $1995, or £985 (£1157 inc VAT)!

Wouldn't it be good if a few of us could get together and import them and save a packet. Of course, there is the problem of shipping in one piece and if anything goes wrong you might have difficulty in returning it, but I would think that they would work with no issue in this country.

[Andreas]

Hi Vincent,

The review was excellent and has convinced to stop looking around and finally to go for a 508XD. If you were to make the settings you used on the 4280 available, how well would these work for a 508?

Thanks,

Andreas

[TomJones83]

A question for Vincent or anyone that has seen a 428 and/or 508 in action:

PWM noise, is it visible from a viewing distance of 8-10 feet? How noisy are these pioneers compared to other high-end plasmas or lcd's?

Cheers
Tom   

[gav121]

Vincent can you give us the settings you have used and which gave you the best picture result?

It would be much apreciated.

Same,

After reading your review(Excellent btw) I've finally decided on what plasma to get, can you give us the settings plz,

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[OldVicar]

Hello,

Took the plunge today to buy this television after reading the excellent review by Vincent.

Would like others very much welcome publication of the settings to optimise the performance of the television according to input.

Kind Regards - Daviid 

[dotslasher]

so nobody has any decent settings?

[gav121]

Anyone>>>>>

[swinster]

I am seen some setting over at avforums http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=544315. I do not know if these are similar to Vincents, but as he has not posted back  I guess this is the only source at the moment. I do not have my Pioneer yet, so I can't validate these setting, but from what I have read over there, they are a good starting point.

Chris