Customer Reviews

Pioneer PDP-4270HD PureVision 42-Inch Plasma HDTV

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is my first review on Amazon, usually I don't see any point in writing any. But because no one has reviewed this awesome TV, and because I spent over a week dedicated to going to stores all over town (Best Buy 5 times, Ken Kranes 3 times, and several other stores multiple times) I feel I know what I'm talking about - at least more than when I began looking. I also have jet lag and can't sleep so learn well, young Jedi.

First off, don't get sucked into the hype of LCD's like I almost did. If you look at this Pioneer TV then go back to a top of the line LCD like the Sony XBR3, you will realize the picture quality of LCD is a total joke.

Also don't get sucked into the contrast ratio game. Ie this TV has 10,000:1 or that one has 7000:1. All the paper statistics on a TV are worthless. You gotta go and see it. I almost bought the new Sharp Aquos LCD. From what I read about the contrast and colors it sounded amazing, in fact I almost bought it sigh unseen, but when I finally saw it in the store it looked like garbage.

Looking back, I totally got sucked into the LCD trap and was so close to buying the 46" Sony XBR3 (their top of the line LCD), but something told me to hold off before I blew $3700 and take one last look at all my other options including plasma.

I walked into Best Buy and found myself totally captivated by a movie on a flat panel TV. It felt like I was really at a movie theater - the picture quality was amazing. I asked the salesman about it - he said it was last year's plasma. The whole world of plasma was opened up to me. And I'm so glad it did, because the plama picture quality is the best out there. A salesman explained to me that plasmas have phosperous (or some element that sounds like that) that LCD's can never have, and that is what makes for their superior color. Whether that phospherous line is true or not, either way it was clear to my eye that higher end plasmas looked so much better than any LCD out there.

I've had the Pioneer 4270 plasma set up in my living room for over a month now and I couldnt be happier with it. It's 5 times better than the top of the line Sony LCD and $1500 cheaper - price was not a factor for me - I just wanted the best flatscreen.

Word of warning: it is a plasma TV and they are subject to burn in. So if you are planning on using it for video games, as a computer monitor, or have kids that may leave the DVD player menu screen on the TV for days this might not be the best choice. (Video games often have static score boxes, etc which never move and could burn into your screen.) That aside:

Here's some reasons why I think it's the best flat panel TV out there:

1. Picture quality is awesome. By picture quality I mean the colors are awesome.
-Artifacts are little bits of snow or bits of the picture that don't form completely on the screen. Look at a small bit of the screen andyou will see may see it doesn't look accurate. It's caused by a TV's processor not being able to handle the signal. On the Pioneer the artifacts are not even noticible. Once you see the pioneer picture you will see how aparent artifacts are in other televisions.
-The Pioneer handles fast paced movement across the screne great. If you look at some of the lower end LCD's you will see someone appear kinda jumpy as they move around on the screen.
-The blacks on the Pioneer are still not as defined as a a conventional picture tube television, but still they are as good as any other plasma/LCD as far as I could tell. You can wait till they improve the technology years from now, or enjoy a new TV now. I found it not a big issue at all.

2. The sound is great and has great volume. For watching TV I couldn't expect better sound. the speakers on the TV are hidden really well so you hardly even know there are speakers in the TV. The speakers are in the bottom of the TV and are removable.

3. Multiple HDMI inputs. You really need more than one, unless you plan on blowing an extra $600 on an HDMI switching stereo receiver. I have my HD direct TV in one HDMI input, and my Sony HDMI DVD player in the other input. And I think I have a 3rd HDMI input I can use as well, say for a video game system, etc.

4. It looks spectacular even when it's turned off. Just sitting in my living room - it looks amazing. I had it sitting on my coffee table while I figured the best way to mount it. It looks great with the stand it comes with. Clean, simple, smooth lines.
-It is a bit heavy, about 60 something pounds without the stand. I needed it set up in the corner of my room, and yet still mount it on the wall. I looked at some articulating wall mounts as an option, but thought it might be a little risky especially since the wall is not really that sturdy. I opted to get an amazing looking pole stand called, "Premier Mounts PSD-VT Vu Terra Home Theater Stand."

5. I didn't have to read the manual to start watching TV. It's so simple to get going right out of the box. Some stores may try get you to pay for someone to come to your house to set this up for you. Total rip off. Just plug the power cord into the wall, plug the HDMI cord into the TV, hit the master power switch and it's done! Note- there is a master power button hidden on the bottom of the TV which you need to push to turn the TV on. Then you can use the remote to turn it on/off at will. I know I freaked out at first thinking the TV was broken because it wouldn't turn on at first.

6. The black piano finish border is very pretty and the black border helps to focus your vision to the screen. The Sony XBR2 has a silver border and I felt my eye wanting to look at the border rather than the picture. I read some reveiwers of other TV's complain about the shiny finish to TV's. The border on the Pioneer is reflective but - I never notice it while i'm watching TV, even in my white, sun-drenched living room.

7. Brightness: I have never once been watching this Pioneer and thought to myself: I wish it was brighter, even when I watch it on a sunny day here in Los Angeles. LCD's may have a brighter picture, but what good is it if the quality of that picture sucks.

8. Watching movies is a dream. It feels like you're really watching a movie in a theater! I find myself wanting to watch more movies now at home. The 42" screen and the quality of the picture and the processing power of the TV really make it feel like a movie.

9. The 42" size is perfect for my living room. I watch it from about 12 feet away. Any larger of a screen and it would totally dominate my very spacious living room. Coming from my 25" CRT tv, it feels so strange for my eye to move around this 42" screen looking at different parts of the action... Even my dog sits on the couch and often stares at the TV.

10. The price is amazing. I got mine in October, 2006 for about $2200 delivered. It was a pretty comon consensus among the salesman I talked to that Fujitsu and Pioneer made the best Plasmas. One salesman told me that Fujitsu made the best plasma TV (it costs $4000). The same day a Magnolia salesman told me Fujitsu sold inferioir products. I didnt see any difference in quality between this and the $4000 premier plasmas like the Fujitsu. In fact one salesman told me Fujitsu took over the Pioneer TV plant. To back this up the batteries that came with my remote were labeled "Fujitsu." I didnt see any difference between this and the Fujitsu.

Some extra things:
Once you upgrade to a sweet flat panel TV your other components begin to look like antique relics. So I just tossed the old garbage and bought everything new.

Here's what I got to go along with this TV:
1. Premier Mounts PSD-VT Vu Terra Home Theater Stand. The poles are silver and look very cool and spacey. I didn't put the front plates on so I coould show off the silver poles. The two poles are hollow and you can run the cables through them. The instruction stronly urge a 2nd person to help lift the TV onto the stand.
2. Mirage Nanosat 5.1 speaker system. (This is absolutely stunning and it's black and silver speakers perfectly match the TV's Black finish and silver highlights. It's got a really powerful subwoofer and the speakers mount easily on the walls and have a sweet removable swivel on each of them so you don't need to mess with special mounts and it mounts right up against the wall. The sound is awesome. I paid $600 and I'm so glad I didn't get sucked into the Bose hype. Plus with Bose speakers you can't connect them directly to your reciever, you have to run them through their subwoofer. Also Bose won't play one of their cube speakers by itself at their store = suspicious!
3. Sony DVPNS75H Single Disc DVD Player - it has the best reviews of any $100 price range DVD player. It's worked great for me. It's HDMI and simple to use. Only drawback is my old dvd player could scan at 8X speed, this one can only get up to 2X as far as I know. It has chapter skip so not a big problem. I'm very happy with it.
4. I bought a pretty new 5.1 yamaha receiver off of craigslist for around $60. With optical outputs from the DVD and HD Direct TV receiver who needs a HDMi receiver for $600? I would never hear any sound difference between optical and HDMI. Plus I don't want to have to turn the receiver on just to watch TV.
5. UNIVERSAL REMOTE MX-650 Omega Remote Control: it replaced my 4 remotes for all my equipment and looks pretty pimped. Without the universal it would be a pain to swich the DVD player on, the TV on, setting the TV input to DVD, etc. I push one button on the universal remote and the macro button turns everything on and set to the right input. It's digital screen lets you customize individual buttons. If you are not slightly tech savy don't plan on setting the remote up yourself.
I also tucked my components to the side of the couch so the TV would be by itself in all its glory -- so I needed a stronger remote becuase the components were not in my line of sight. I even got an RF box which I didn't need because the remote is so powerful.
6. HDMI cables - don't buy the brand name rip offs. I needed two 25 foot cables and would have had to pay over $500 if I bought the monster brand. Instead I paid $20 each online and they work just as good. Same thing with my speaker cables - $20 for a roll of 100 feet. Even if there is a tiny difference I am not trained enough to be able to see it or hear it save myself $450.

Also a word to the wise about screen size. As dorky as it sounds, make a cut out of the size of the TV and the screen, and put it where you would watch TV. (I found a mirror in my apartment that had the approximate dimensions and put it in the corner of my living room.) I thought I wanted a 46" TV, but after looking at a mock up in my living room, realized that would be ridiculously too big.

Also measure how many paces it is to the TV from where you would be watching it from and look at TV's in the stores at the same distance. This will help you gage your picture quality.

And in case your wondering I have no affiliation with Pioneer or Amazon, etc.

Thanks for reading and good luck!

Hello
My quest for buying a new large flat panel HDTV has been in progress for a year. In past I bought Sony's XBR1 40" (was the largest at the time) LCD TV. However, when I brought it home, there was something in it that did not please me. I couldn't nail exactly what it was. Maybe it was my expectations from it that it would blow me away (paid $3,400 for it at them time). BTW, I have a home theatre system in my basement fully loaded with top of the line DLP projector, B&W nautilus speakers, DEnon, upconverting etc. So needless to say, I was used to seeing good quality home theatre experience already. I was wanting a better TV than my 27" Sony CRT in my living room. Again, something bothered me about the LCD XBR that I purchased - it kept tiring my eyes and I found myself trying to focus on the picture. My living room isn't that big about 15x14 ft. So I returned it to the store.

Six months later, I was back in the market and was impressed with Sony Blue Ray and new XBR2 demonstration playing in the stores. It didn't like the Silver but was happy to discover the XBR3 option which is black. I loved the styling on the TV as well - after all it should look turned off as well.

Now comes the negotiations and purchasing. Yesterday as I was negotiating at Ultimate Electronics on the price on Sony XBR3 I ran into a movie playing on new 1080p Pioneer plasma that absolutely captivated me. I never seriously considered Plasma was not an option for me. I had ruled it out because it had glass on it. Also, I have always bought nothing but Sony TVs - Sony stopped making Plasmas so I automatically thought of LCD as the technology of future. Later I find out that Sony had neither LCD or Plasma plants and chose one to invest in unlike Samsung who makes both.

The whole new world suddenly opened up to me. I am a technologist at heart and got pretty excited by the new "discovery :-)" of plasma TVs. I spent the next 4 hours doing side by side comparison of Pioneer 50 inch 720p (1080p models were out of my budget) and Sony XBR3 (1080p). The salesman was kind enough to sit with me and make this happen. My comparison included side by side playing of Blu Ray DVDs, 1080i HD signals and regular DVD player.

I suddenly realized why I wasn't satisfied with my previous XBR experiences. There are MAJOR differences between the two technologies.

Here is what I noted:

1. The artifacts on SONY XBR LCD seem very prominent and unavoidable.

2. LCD pictures seemed blurry to me. I think its due to how it renders its image - despite 1080p the edges seemed "fat" and artificially generated.

3. Motion based video was aweful on LCD due to refresh problems - yes, the refresh rates are getting faster but there still major issues with this technology. It leaves ever so slight trail of objects as they move. It is there only for a milliseconds but human eye is very powerful and doesn't miss much. This gave it a sense of blurriness that cannot be missed. At times you also see jaggedness in edges but I think that's due its digital processing circuitry.

4. The whole XBR watching experience seemed artificially extra bright causing eyes to tire and take a break. I think LCD has back light panels that are probably the source of this. I felt I was forcing myself to watch it even though the material was an documentary on bahamas. When I was watched the same material on Pioneer, I felt like I was actually there - Bahamas seemed very inviting and full of pleasure.

I started to research more on plasma and found its main drawback is the potential of burn-in where the pixels remember the picture if you display it for a long time (1 - 2 hours). However, there are numerous articles on internet on how this isn't much of a problem anymore and the burn in problem in plasmas now match that of traditional tube TV. I never worried about my tube TV so I figured my type of usage will not affect plasma as long as I follow directions during the "break in " period of first 2 months.

I bought the 42 inch version - I am glad I did since it looks pretty big in my living room. Cost wasn't a factor in my decision. Pioneer 42 was about 1200 dollars cheaper despite the fact that I was getting a GREAT deal on Sony 46 XBR3 at 3,300. Both were in stock.

The Pioneer looks absolutely stunning so far in my house both in picture quality and looks. Its piano black finish is very modern but classic. My upconverting DVD player makes regular DVDs look stunning. Can't wait to get Blu Ray when it gets a little cheaper, until then Samsung upconverting DVD player works pretty good. Sound from this television is much better than I have ever experienced on Sonys through years. I have never purchased a Pioneer before but beginning to become a fan of it.

Good luck with your purchases.

If you are in the market for a flat screen TV, make sure that you don't buy on a whim and you take your time. Go out and sample what the market has to offer with your eyes and don't focus on labels or brand names. Let your sight and opinion do the shopping for you and then look at labels and product history afterwards. If you follow these instructions and just focus on the best flat screen television you can find, there is one word that will stand above the rest:

PIONEER.

When I first went shopping for a new television for the first time in 8 years, I knew that I wanted a plasma because of the better display of black levels versus LCDs (both technologies have their pros and cons). I enjoy watching TV most in the dark and I also like dark visuals more than bright ones (probably ones of the reasons why I love 'Batman Begins' so much). With the prices having dropped so much in the past year I felt like I would seriously be upgrading our main monitor in the near future and I did exactly as I instructed, just looking and taking in the picture on all the different models that are available to consumers today and after looking and looking and looking there was only one Plasma that truly stood out from the rest. Pioneer has been making commercial Plasmas longer than most anyone else and they have proprietary technology that produces the most gorgeous picture possible. Whether the signal is 1080i, 720p, HD-DVD/Bluray, or standard DVDs, when you put it on a Pioneer plasma the picture is like watching TV again for the first time. Blacks are perfect, colors are exceptional, it truly is a joy to watch nearly anything on this piece of equipment.

With standard programming, the best bet is to just set the Plasma to the setting 'USER FULL' and just get used to widescreen as fast as possible. The picture doesn't look nearly as good as the HD level content, but it's still more than acceptable and doesn't ruin the experience.

Overall engineering of this Plasma is exceptional as well. The bezel on this is produced with a black glossy finish that simply looks exquisite, a perfect complement to nearly any decor.

The remote that comes with this unit isn't too bad but most people that buy something of this quality will probably use a universal remote anyhow. The remote isn't going to win any awards but it's nowhere near the hideous quality of the remotes that Panasonic ships with their televisions.

PROS: picture quality, black levels, casing, menus, overall quality

CONS: none

Some issues from other users have been related to a slight buzz emanating from the TV and while this is present, if you have the television on with any volume at all you won't hear it.

For LCD buyers, if you are looking for a TV that does bright colors better and something that is more energy efficient (Plasmas are hungry when it comes to power) you probably can look elsewhere, but if you enjoy movies and want a picture that is incredible no matter what the viewing angle or height, there simply is no match for a Pioneer plasma, the Rolls Royce of high end televisions on the market.

Yes, I LOVE my Pioneer Plasma, simply the best television money can buy.

***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION

After several weeks of research and personal independent studies I've concluded that the LCD cannot come close to replicating the picture quality of a Pioneer Plasma. I don't care if it's 1080p, 720p, 540p, if it's a Pioneer Plasma the picture quality is far superior because of the CONTRAST and DEPTH. All LCD's have a screen door effect that makes the picture washed out, not to mention the lack of depth. I personally returned the Samsung 1080p LCD for the Pioneer 4270. My old Panasonic 540p plasma performed very comparable to the 1080p LCD.

Shell out the extra dough for the Pioneer, you won't be disappointed.

After months of online research and store visits, weighing Panasonic plasmas vs Sony and Samsung LCDs, I decided on the Pioneer 4270. At several stores, I could see the Pioneer was far above the rest, but it was so expensive! Fortunately the price dropped. I got a great deal through Beach Camera and they delivered in a few days.

The HD channels are gorgeous. This set delivers an experience closer to a small movie screen than television. Even the sound is great on the built-in speakers. Sure it's "only" 720p, but my research showed that 1080p is only worthwhile on 50+ inch sets, and even then less important than the black depth, color, contrast you find on this set. 42 inches is quite huge.

I also bought a slim Sony upconverting DVD player and the pictures are remarkably good. I'm still using the "break in" settings to prevent burn in, so the pictures will only get better. (Seach AVS forum for details, basically you turn down the contrast, brightness, and color for 100 to 200 hours)

I also bought a 3 year Mack extended warranty, where a Pioneer-authorized repairman will come to my house to fix it. $150 seems worth it for these fairly fragile sets.

With free shipping which took only 3 business days for me, Amazon offers the best deal for this beautiful TV.

Before buying this, two things concerned me about plasma and I almost chose Toshiba Regza 42 inch LCD (720p) which I could get at a simlar price. My concerns were:
1) Would 1024x768 native resolution enough to appreciate the details of high density video sources such as HDDVD, BlueRay, 1080i cable sources, etc?
2) How long would it serve me as a TV? Plasma is known to have burn-in problem.

1st question was resolved immediately. It displayed 1368x768 resolution for computer screen with some dithering algorithm on its native 1024x768, and the result was almost identical to native 1368x768 at 6 feet distance. For the 2nd question, I may need about 5 years to prove, but recent PDP technologies are getting good reviews in terms of the life time.

At the same time of my concerns resolved, I was impressed by how it deals with low resolution 480i DVD signal from my old Pioneer DVD player (DV-525) which is not even 480p. These are two major reason I recommend this TV.
1) You don't need very advanced upscaling DVD player. TV itself upscales very accurately and naturally. It also down scales(?) from 1080i source.
2) Color reproduction is so natural. It ditheres the color so well that you won't see the step-looking color gradation which is often seen from digital video sources on scenes such as sunset or deep sea.

There are more subtle but good things such as:
1) It remembers color and size settings individually for each video sources
2) For computer source, it has auto adjustment to fit the screen
3) It has USB host for picture viewing. Plug the digital camera through the USB cable as you connect to a computer, then you'll browse the phots. They look beautiful
4) Build quality is absolutely the best at its price range with metalic surfaces on the back.

This is a TV with a professional level video processing and fine-tuned color. This is NOT a big LCD monitor with a TV tuner. If you're buying a TV at this size, this may be the one.

There is no doubt that Pioneer lead the pack at the moment with regards to Plasma screens. I have tested the 4270 and am very impressed with it. Yet if you want a Plasma screen to fit into a home cinema then my recommendation would be to go with its predecessor - the Pioneer 436. Unlike the 4270, the 436 has detachable side speakers. It also has the greater screen size - 43". Additionally the 436 has virtually all the features otherwise found on the 4270, including the all important HDMI inputs.
If you just want a large Plasma screen for everyday TV viewing then I would recommend the 4270, however, if you want a large Plasma screen for home cinema, then I again recommend the 436. I have owned mine nearly a year now and am still absolutely delighted with it. This Plasma screen is still available on here and other sites too. Here is my review of it:

Basically if you are after a 42" to 43" Flat Screen TV then the Pioneer 436 is the choice for best picture. It gives a better picture than any rival manufacturer on either Plasma or LCD.
The superb picture is a result of Pioneer's Purevision system.
Exclusive to Pioneer, Purevision ensures that contrast is pin sharp, colours are clean and are not distorted, and black in particular is is beautifuly defined, with hues of incredible depth and clarity.
The fuzziness of colours like black you would expect on other Flat Screen TVs is simply non existent.
Watch a black and white film on this Plasma display and you will see what I mean.

I have foregone the optional side speakers and have plugged mine into a 6.1 Home Cinema System. Therefore, I cannot give any opinion on the performance of these speakers.
However, I would recommend a good HDMI DVD player to go with this Plasma Display. Look no further than the magnificent Denon 1920 DVD player which gives superb HDMI pictures, in conjunction with the Pioneer Plasma Screen.
One drawback of the Pioneer Plasma Screen is that it will clearly show up not so great pictures at source eg VHS, old TV programmes, DVDs with poor picture transfer etc.


A note for cleaning the screen and surround, invest in a Fibre Free cloth. Follow Pioneer's instructions re being able to use flannels or soft cloths and you will end up scratching these surfaces, in particular the gloss black surround. To repeat, the only cloth that will clean these surfaces safely is a Fibre Free cloth.
If you do end up scratching the Gloss Surround though, an application of a DVD/CD Restorer such as Bib Polish will normally reduce such scratching by 90% to 95%.

Screen burn is a hazard of Plasma TVs. Logos from News and Sports channels can remain afterwards! If you get screen burn, my advice is to select a channel without any logos immediately, and let it play for approximately 30 mins. I find that it does clear it.

Nonetheless, this remains a magnificent Plasma Screen, and well worth the additional money over its rivals. That superb picture alone will quickly make you forget any extra cost. Now a year later, I am still delighted with my 436. I think you will feel the same way too after purchasing one of these beauties.

I just got this TV yesterday and watched Discovery HD theater and was blown away! I adjusted all the parameters to the specs I saw on [...] and the tv was just awesome. The colors were amazing and brilliant! I hope the screen doesn't begin to fade as I've heard they can do. I also have an LCD and that doesn't come close as to brilliant as the Pioneer does. I am glad I spend the extra money for it!

The picture on this tv is outstanding. While it can process a 1080p signal, it cannot display it on the screen because of it's lower resolution. Nonetheless, football and basketball games in HD look great. You won't be disappointed choosing this over the Sony XBR2. Even with fewer pixels you will observe an amazing picture via the Blu Ray player on the PS3. My only regret is not considering the 50". Dust off your wallet and get one of these!

I did a ton of research before selecting the Pioneer 4270HD -- reading through the mind-numbing pages on electronics forums (e.g., AVS and a dozen others), performance reviews, and of course, in-person "kicking the tires" at my local BB and Circuit City stores. The other models I considered were the equivalent 720p Panasonic and Samsung models. (I had decided to go with plasma early on, for its ability to render more natural image compared to the LCDs.) When I was making the purchase, Pioneer was about to introduce the 8th generation line, the KURO, and I was very tempted to wait and splurge on the KURO -- I mean, *everybody* that knew anything about TVs said the Kuro represented a full generational upshift from the mere 7th generation line, to which the 4270 belonged. Given the substantial price difference, however, I decided to stick with my decision and order the 4270, and I never regretted it. If I had unlimited budget and had to have the "true HD" 1080p, I might have gotten the 50" Kuro. However, this is a 42" unit which would eventually be moved to my bedroom when we move to a bigger place. I will buy a 1080p when I'm in the market for a 60" plasma.

Why did I pay a premium over comparable Panasonics and Samsungs? Other than the reviews that all pointed to the Pioneer's unparalleled performance and also the "prestige" factor, I thought the colors on this unit were just so much more natural. I calibrated the unit when it arrived using the settings (the "D-Nice" settings on AVS) posted online, and never ran a burn-in disk. The calibration was spot-on, and it's just unbelievable. And I've never had burn-in on this unit.

The only issue with this TV has been the low-humming noise emanating from the back of the unit when the volume is set low (as reported by some people on forums). But this is never really noticeable when you're watching regular TV.

Amazon delivered this TV through a third-party mover, and they were fine to deal with. Came when they said they would, unpacked and left. The movers do not work in pairs, however. My team was just one guy. I would be a bit worried if this guy was moving a 60" unit by himself, but this is a 42, so it was fine.

Not sure if Pioneer will be able to sustain the significant price gap between their line and competitors' models. But if you can afford it, Pioneer is the Rolls Royce of HDTVs. I love mine.