Pioneer 428/ 4280 and Panasonic 42PZ85B info/ help please

[admin_exported]

Hi folks,

I've been watching this forum on and off for the past few months as the time has now come to look for a new tv to replace mys trusty old Toshiba 36" crt tv.

I've been looking at Plasma tv's and in particular the Panasonic 42PZ85B and also Pioneer's 428XD/ 4280XD but i'm unsure of what the main differences are between the 2 Pioneers. Is it true that they're both HD ready only, and don't do 1080p/ 24fps? I'm sure i read somewhere that the 428XD did 1080p/ 24fps.

If the Pioneer's can't do full hd then that's what's swaying me towards the 42PZ85B.

I havn't been able to view any in teh flesh yet, but from what i've read they're all good tv's. We'll be using our Pace twin freeview PVR in the 1st instance, our PS3 for games/ dvd's etc and also a freesat pvr in the autumn when they're available, for info on why we want one.

Also, regarding extended warranties, what are folks thoughts on these, what's the likelihood of something going wrong in the 1st few years? For example you can get the panny 42PZ85B for around £1000 online, and pay up to £300 for an extended warranty at the same time, but then again John lewis do them with 5 year warranty (from manufacturer) in store, which equates to the same as buying online.

I'm not sure how they stand legally by offering free warranties instore but if you buy online you don't get the warranty?

Any help/ info would be a great help to us. We'd like to continue to have a great tv picture (thats why we bought the Toshiba tv - about £1700 from new), but feel that we won't get the sound quality we've currently got from the TV until we get an AV amp.

Cheers,

Paul

 

[FuzzyinLondon]

There have been quite a few threads about this but I'll attempt to summarize.

The Pioneers 428/4280XD can both accept any signal up to, and including, 1080p24. Any signal is scaled by the Pioneer to fit it's native resolution of 1024x768. It does this brilliantly and from a distance of anything over 8ft away you would struggle to see a difference in sharpness between it and any Full HD set at that size due to it's superior performance in every important department other than resolution. It also boasts the best SD performance of any TV at that size. As a result, the 428/4280 is still considered to be the best all round 42" set on the market. There a a few significant difference the 428 and the 4280. The 4280 lacks a USB slot (for viewing pics) and Picture-in-Picture. Also, the 428 can be ISF (Imaging Science Foundation) calibrated by a trained engineer for optimal picture quality (you'll have to pay for a home visit). The 4280 can't but on the plus side it does come with a pedestal stand which the 428 doesn't. If you don't want PiP and don't think you'll ever be interested in ISF calibration, you can save a few quid by going for the 4280. Also, I have to say that the sound quality from the built in speakers is very good, although, obviously, not as good as a dedicated surround sound system.

The 42PZ85 already has quite a few happy owners. It's SD performance isn't as good as the Pioneer but it's excellent with HD. Definitely worth considering if you mainly watch HD and sit quite close.

 

[Anonymous]

i have the 85 and personally think ps3 games look amazing on this. for me graphically ninja gaiden sigma @ 1080 is the best looking game. use the superwhite output on the ps3 and also full screen on the dvd upscaler[in the ps3]

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="FuzzyinLondon"]As a result, the 428/4280 is still considered to be the best all round 42" set on the market. [/quote]

Fuzzy has said it all, although if you type pioneer 428xd in the search box at the top you will see the same thing said 100 times over. The Panasonic also has many fans if your budget won't stretch to the Pioneer.

IMHO the SD picture I get through my BT Vision box defies criticism.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks guys. I guess in the end you get what you pay for, hence the Pioneer's being at the top for that size of screen.

I'll have to make time to *** down to our lcoal John Lewis toa take a look at SD as well as HD. We've just come back from a local large curry's and they did have the 4280XD in there but they must have been showing SD and i guess their setup wasn't very good, hence the poor picture quality.

They did have an LG 42PG6010 though, which did look very good showing HD material. But at £899 there must be a reason its such a low price, i.e. not as good...

Did any of you purchase extended warranties or had to have anything fixed on them yet?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi mate, Your absolutely right with your summize, the pioneer is head, shoulders, and then some better than the lg. I had the lg for 24hrs (very disapointing), and then swapped it for the pioneer.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi all.

Sorry if this has been asked elsewhere but is the Pio 4280 at about £1,100 "half price while stocks last", a better TV to watch than the latest Pana PZ85 (or P800)? The Pana is 1920 x 1080 whereas the Pio is only 1024 x 768 - how significant is this? It would be used with Sky+HD - which still includes a lot of SD sports and other SD broadcasts - and, eventually, for Blu Ray films.

 

[Anonymous]

Where have you seen this 'while stocks last' offer on the Pioneer? Thought they were all sold long ago?

 

[Anonymous]

Ha! Turns out they only have one - and that is their demonstrator which has probably been in use day in day out for many months! It seems the price may be "flexible" so the question of PQ against the Pana PZ85 or 800 may still be relevant. Or, even with a good guarantee, is it not worth taking a risk on a demonstrator?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

If the 428/4280 has stopped being built does anyone know what pioneer is planning to replace it with?? Or any idea when their next generation 42" TV's will be launched??

Thanks,

Sam

 

[Clare Newsome]

There is no 42in set in current Pioneer Kuro plasma range, sadly. However, there's a chance there may be one next year, when their plasma panels will be supplied by Panasonic, who certainly have next-gen 42in production facilities.

 

[Anonymous]

"If the 428/4280 has stopped being built does anyone know what pioneer is planning to replace it with?? Or any idea when their next generation 42" TV's will be launched??"

When they reach agreement with Panasonic on using their plasma panels, hopefully before Sharp produce a 40" or 42" LCD panel and tempt Pioneer further away from plasma technology.

 

[Clare Newsome]

alsina:



When they reach agreement with Panasonic on using their plasma panels,




According to the man at the top in Panasonic, all Viera plasma panels will be available to Pioneer.

 

[Anonymous]

You can still buy the 4280 from richer sounds for £1300

http://www.richersounds.com/showproduct.php?cda=showproduct&pid=PION-PDPSX4280D

From what you've said, i presume this must be last years range. How would you rate it compared to this years sony 40W4500 ?? Specifically for my problem here:

http://whathifi.com/forums/t/161900.aspx

Thanks Clare

 

[Clare Newsome]

It's still a great set, and despite being HD Ready spec rather than Full HD, looks great with 1080 material (which you'll get from your Sky HD box and the PS3). If offers great colours, blacks and motion-handling, and is - of course - 2in larger!

The Sony set, however, will beat it for detail on those high-definition sources, and is available for around £400 cheaper....

Your choice!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Clare

You compare the Pio with the Sony 40W4500, but how does it compare with the latest Pana PZ range, particularly for motion as in live sport, and for SD broadcasts (which still look like being the main output on TV for the immediate future)?

 

[Clare Newsome]

Well the poster has Sky HD.... but if you didn't, then the Pioneer would be the best shout for SD broadcasts: less upscaling required, for starters, plus it has a great tuner, excellent scaler and superb motion-handling, as already noted.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Clare

Sorry to persist, but can I press you to say whether you think the 4280 would give better PQ than the latest Pana PZ range? I also have Sky+HD but,so far, the overwhelming majority of broadcasts still seem to be in SD. It seems that a lot of posts seem to be from people who game (which I never am likely to do) or watch a lot of DVD's (which I only do occasionally), so my requirements are mailny for normal TV -sport, current affairs, documentaries, etc - which mostly are still SD.

As I want to wall mount the screen, another plus for the Pio is that, imo, it looks neater than any other TV I have seen (apart from the 5090 which is too big), as most of the other sets seem to have rather untidy speaker arrangements tagged on the bottom.

 

[Clare Newsome]

I haven't seen a side-by-side comparison of the Pioneer with the '8' series Panasonic PZ plasmas. The latter are impressive, with excellent tuners, but are, of course, Full HD - so i'd still back the Pioneer for SD performance, due to less scaling being involved.

 

[Sorreltiger]

Like Clare, I can't tell you whether the Pioneer is actually better than the Panasonics. ÿHowever, I love my 4280 and I'm sure it wouldn't disappoint. ÿYou might find these points relevant:

Just about the best PQ is Sky Sports HD - if only England's performance yesterday in the rugby international had matched the Pioneer for quality! ÿPremiership soccer is fabulous.

The SD picture for channels with good signals such as BBC1 is excellent - what a shame Spooks isn't HD, but it's not far behind a good upscaled DVD.

Blu-Ray is great too. ÿjust send a 1080p signal and let the Pioneer do the rest (I just reset Pure Cinema to 'advance' as recommended. ÿThere isn't a trace of judder with motion or titles and the picture is extremely sharp. ÿAlthough I've seen full HD sets produce slightly more impressive edges, the overall experience sometimes makes you gulp. ÿThe advertising stuff about deep blacks is actually true - just try Batman Begins, for example. ÿColours are saturated but totally natural.

ÿJust remember to search online forÿinformation on how to set up your screen properly (easily found and achieved) or get it calibrated if its a 428. ÿIf there are still a few 8G Kuros out there, I'd take the plunge!

ÿ

ÿ

 

[Cliff1]

Clare,

Can i come in here.When you say 'less scaling being involved with the pioneer' are you saying that Full HD sets do not do SD as well as HD Ready sets.Why is that? Do Full HD sets have to down scale ?

 

[Clare Newsome]

Cliff1:
Clare,

Can i come in here.When you say 'less scaling being involved with the pioneer' are you saying that Full HD sets do not do SD as well as HD Ready sets.Why is that? Do Full HD sets have to down scale ?

It's the amount of scaling involved. To ultra-simplify it, SD is 576 lines, HD Ready sets have a resolution of 720 lines, and Full HD sets of 1080 lines.

So, an HD Ready set, 'only' has to upscale from 576 to 720, while a Full HD set has to upscale from 576 to 1080, which obviously involves a lot more processing.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Clare and everyone else who has joined in.

Your comments have been really helpful - especially the explanation about SD on HD ready v Full HD. I think I am going to go for the 4280 if I can still get one. The downside seems to be that Blu Ray may lose a tiny bit of detail but I'm sure it will still be loads better than what I've been used to. Sorreltiger - maybe when I have got one, our rugby will improve! I saw it on my 32" CRT and it wasn't any better - except that the Kiwis didn't look quite so big as they would have on your set!

Regards rjkbe

 

[Sorreltiger]

No problem - if you're into rugby, it's one of the best things on Sky HD IMHO. ÿThe picture quality is often quite staggering and I love the 'in the crowd' effect you get with the DD feed (I know some people hate it!)

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hijack the thread here but can I just ask, is anybody here using the Pioneer for PS3 games?

I have a V+ box so not much HD programming for me but I use my PS3 a lot. I've been impressed with what I've seen of the Pioneer with TV pictures but have never seen a PS3 running on it or say, the Panasonic PZ85.