Pioneer PDP4280xd - Picture a bit dark and grainy?

[admin_exported]

I have recently been considering buying a Pioneer PDP4280xd on account of the outstanding reviews. I have been looking at this TV in a few retailers showrooms (the likes of Dixons, Currys, John Lewis rather than from a dedicated TV specialist) and my impression of the Kuro is that the picture, although good, seemed to be quite quite dark and grainy (Night at the Museum was playing on Blu Ray) and the colours were a bit flat compared to other sets. John Lewis were playing the same movie on the Sony KDL40W3000 and the Pansonic PZ85, and colours seemed a bit more alive and less grainy. All reviews for the picture on this TV have been outstanding, so is it the way in which the TV has been set up in the stores (where more colour can be brought to life through calibration, and although I want true blacks to be black, I dont want the picture to be too dark/ underexposed) or is this the characteristic of the picture from Pioneer? I currently have a Panasonic Quintrix CRT television so am comparing everthing to this.Thanks

 

[Andy Clough]

I've said it before and I'll say it again! Don't judge a TV's performance in store. They're rarely calibrated properly, often have the brightness and contrast turned up way too high (to make them stand out on the shop floor) and the signal is being split to loads of TVs at the same time which can degrade it.

The Pioneer is an excellent set and one of the best in class. Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't buy the Sony or Panasonic, but remember, we test all TVs in our dedicated suite of listening rooms in proper test conditions which gives a much better indication of how they perform.

It's true that plasmas tend to give deeper blacks than LCDs, which err towards a brighter image. So to some extent it's a case of personal preference.

 

[nads]

having a PDP5080xd i would very happily recommend it to anyone for both SD and HD use.

very nice.