Saw my first Pioneer 435 today at JB Hi-Fi Melb city today. All I can say is, WOW! Next to the Panasonic Viera and Sony and Hitachi (old model, not the new 7800), it is a country mile ahead of all of them! They showed the Channel 7 HD loop, and even with the poor connection they have, it was incredible. The 435 was in the same position as where the 434 used to be, using the same connections. I have not seen a HD NEC panel, and the experts in PQ here tells us that is better, but I am not dissapointed at all to have purchased the new Pioneer for its better overall asthetics. I really cannot wait to get mine on Monday!

Funny you know I rang up Trevor Lees Audio here in Melbourne today and all I got from the salesman was how crap they are compared to the old model.
He said the picture quality was not as good, sort of lost me straight away then so I can't tell you why.
Ive seen the NEC and loved it but liked the idea of Pioneer warranty and installation, but if the people selling them try to talk you out of it I well I think I'll stick with the NEC.

Already got a great price on a 50XM4W and will be ordering on Monday.

Sounds like the old .....get rid of the old 434 stock sales trick to me.

with a possible 2.7 billion colours compared to the old 1 billion ,I find it hard to believe that it is not at least as good as the 434, however Tue will be the telling time for me

Really? Why don't you go and look for yourself? Trevor is pro MXE, which is based on the old screen. Granted, I am not Angelo or others around here who are the true experts in these things. But my eyes tells me that it is very very good. Go check it out for yourself at JB.

Well if the 435 won a top euro award it can not be to bad. eisa

I'll drink to that

you guys should love it. i love my 434, and would only expect the 435 to be at least as good.

Trev *always* tries to flog off his old stuff to you until he finds that you have been looking around and know what you want. It wasn't long ago he was trying to sell me his (personal) old model Pioneer when I was trying to buy a 434 which he didn't have in stock but 'the old model was identical' Hm......

Well i've ended up getting the pioneer 505HD, went to JB nunawading they have it there.

Got a good price and will be installed this week apparently.
just have to wait for a call from Pioneer.

Very nice looking unit too, was really going to get the NEC but the warranty and overall look and speakers finally got to me.

Can't wait, but as everyone else seems to be saying I still need a cabinet for all my boxes.

Congrats! I am getting my 505 on Monday afternoon. We'll compare notes next week. What are you doing about cables? I am struggling to find a DVI/HDMI adaptor for my Teac STB. Apparently Lindy has it online, but I can't find it. Also not sure what cables to buy. Congrats again!

Thanks
Ive gotta get a couple of sets of component cables, my stb's all have component or svideo atm.

I'll let you know how it goes too.

39,39,39,39 hrs to go.........it's been brought forward to Mon 9am....yeha!.....looks like the Lg 4100p HD STB as no others available straight away.......looks like the old TV stand for a while.....can't find a decent stand,well I have but it's $1300 just for a glass top ,one shelf unit(pretty schmick but my wife will kill me)
38hrs and 50 mins now.......thats just 2 sleeps

Guys I dont think this panel will not disappiont many , Ive seen it running and it looks like the new generation plasmas are getting their act together.

Angelo

I was at JB getting a couple of SACDs and saw the guys there lifting the new pioneer plasma out of the box and onto the shelf. The guys were making alsorts of comments about it and one mentioned how the plastic screen had dimples on it!. I had a look once they were finished and yes quite noticeable. Just check your screens carefully on delivery and do not accept it guys if it has the dimples - don't know if this was a one off.

Lindy Adaptor is here You'll also need a DVI-D cable.

Thanks for that. I looked for the same thing at the JB City's displays, and there are no dimples. I will look closely at mine on Monday afternoon.

Thanks. Shiny_car found another one for me on the Lindy site with the cable attached (2M) for $68.95. It's better value. Model code is 41102 if anyone needs it.

Hi alebonau,
Were the dimples random or regularly spaced like you see on some lcd screens?

Does anybody have a comment on how the lack of reflections improves (or not ) the picture in particular contrast etc?
Thankx,
Dan.

looked random to me - no particular pattern.

well I will be checking mine in the morning that's for sure.......in just 12 hours from now.......ended up getting the LG 4100p this morning for $520......when will it end

so what'cha go for an AVR, matching speaker set and subbie? how's that DVI-D/HDMI DVD player?

slowly but surely you add more and more to your system. then soon enough, it 'needs' to be upgraded...again.

enjoy your new screen tomorrow! it will be awesome.

Thanks shiny car........I feel like that kid in the lolly shop........I have a slight problem though ..I just remeasured and the damn thing won't fit on the back of the toilet door.....seriously though my Sony gear will have to suffice for a few years yet(DVP735,STR940 andSAVE705)......I think a DVDR with hard drive will be added though so I can flick the VCR
Check out this storage equipment.......I was considering the AVSC2050 MC,AVSC2051MC or the AVSC2102......man do they look good in real life.....but expensive($1300 ea) the side units are between $1600 and $2000ea.
websites are www.bello.com.au and main site is www.bello.com but some of their items are not in the OZ catalogue....what do you think?

Oh wow, very nice. Mine will just have to stay on the existing cheapo Ikea unit that has serviced me for the last 3 or 4 years. I actually like the Pioneer floor stand, but don't want to commit to anything until I move into my more permanenet resident in a year or so. It has to match the rest of the furnitures I am going to buy.

mine too .....well on a $500 unit if I find one........other than that I'm just dreaming

Phoenix1, got possesion of it yet???
I can't do much work this morning. Keep thinking about my 505. Only a few more hours to go!

Hi WAY,

Congrats on the 505, this set is now top of my list and am likely to buy it sometime this week, the RRP is $9,999 what did you get yours for?

Thanks to Phoenix1's discovery, I somehow managed to use my Myer Source Card "10% off on first purchase" voucher during a Myer one day sale which already had the plasma on 10% discount. So it worked out to be $8099.10. In addition, I get $25 back for every $1250 spent (effectively another 2% off), then there is Flybuy and 12 month interest free. However, it is unlikely that this is going to be repeatable, so I think you will be better off asking others what they paid for it. Are you in Melbourne by any chance? Good luck in your negotiation.

I'm in Adelaide, my situation is a little different, I have a credit note with a local retailer after returning an LCD RP unit that gave me heaps of trouble, but that's another story.

I'm trying to get an idea of what the going price is so I can keep the retailer honest!

So anybody else that's priced the 505 please post.

Yep,Yep,Yep,Yeha..........the guys left an hour ago and I've been sitting in front of it mezmerized.........it is awesome.....cost me another $70 for 2 cables and setting up of the STB but I'd still be trying to do it otherwise.
I think I have a bit of learning to do ,so many options,remotes etc......probably won't ever use half the functions....just as well cause I won't remember them.
Watched Billabong Odyssey when they left(guys riding 50' surf),just mindblowing.
Don't believe anyone that tells you these babies aren't up to scratch......trust your own eyes.........sure there may be other brands up to par or with better features,there will no doubt be better stuff to come ......but let me reassure you this plasma is fantastic if first impressions are anything to go by. I'm watching ABC on SD and its great(well not really watching just admiring)
Way you are not going to believe how big and awesome your 505 is going to be. I know your eyes adjust after a few days....went through the same thing a few years ago (51cm upgrade to 68cm) ....but shite this thing looks huge....especially compared to in the stores.
Got to go ..........talk tonight after you get your baby.

That's great Phoenix1, I saw the new Pioneers on the weekend, in my opinion the best panels in the store.

Looking forward to WAY's first impressions and I might place my order right away.

Any sign of the screen dimples reported earlier in this thread or god forbid any dead pixels? Is this still an issue with plasmas?

Great this is all good news, mine is supposed to be done this week.
Waiting for a call, I'm even more excited now.

For me it was a toss up between the Pioneer and NEC but the pioneer just got over the line.

Both great looking panels actually and I think plasma can only get better.

Peter

Dimples,dead pixels...........I can't look

Dimples,dead pixels...........I can't look

sorry

Hi all,
I just had a look at them at HN today and had a play with the settings on a 505.
Very impressed overall, Motion judder is all but gone which was an issue for me on the 434's and 504's.
The lack of front glass does help with reflections, this was easily observed in this store with it's bright lighting.
Standard interlaced dvd even looked good off a cheap player - excellent sign!
Component looked brilliant, HDMI should look even better.
Only gripe is that the black gloss surround did seem to have more ripples in it than I remembered the old one to have.
I am sure that this is again partly the bright store lights highlighting this.
Hey Hyperspc and others in Adelaide, should we try and get a group buy going?
I am in for one - just need to decide what size!!
Dan.

[/quote]

That's great Phoenix1, I saw the new Pioneers on the weekend, in my opinion the best panels in the store.

Looking forward to WAY's first impressions and I might place my order right away.

Any sign of the screen dimples reported earlier in this thread or god forbid any dead pixels? Is this still an issue with plasmas?

[/quote]

Sorry guys, been too busy playing with my plasma to type this. One word describes it all really...AWESOME!!! I am serious, this is something I should have done a year ago. It really is great. 50 inch is great if you can afford the space and the price. Otherwise the 43 inch would also be awesome! In terms of PQ, I cannot be happier. I am still waiting for my HDMI/DVI cable, so TV can only get better. Haven't really tried the DVD yet, still trying to understand digital TV. There are so many channels for each TV station.

I can find any ripples or dimples, nor any dead pixel. Thanks all from Pheonix1 who educated me about the Myer deal to Shiny_car who has patiently educated me about cables to STB and all others on this forum. Made my experience of buying plasma so much easier.

Ok I am into day 2 now. Still as happy as yesterday...

However I have a minor problem. This morning when I switched on the TV on channel 70 (Channel 7 HD), the pictures didn't show. Changed the channels and still the same thing. I had to turn off the STB and turn it back on again for it to work. Is this a STB problem (I have the Teac). And yesterday there was no sound when I swtched from the DVD to the STB.

Another question...How do I access the Channel 7 and 9 HD loop that you see at the shops? I like the Channel 7 one where they show the cars. Nice!

This is odd, did the TV report no signal?

Does your STB have a volume/mute control? This could have been the cause of your loss of audio.

The HD loops are on 70 and 90 for channels 7 and 9 respectively, they only broacast the HD loops when they are not transmitting HD programs.

Good question Way ......9 loop is channel 90 I believe.....hit the remote yesterday and it disappeared and cricket was on. ....found out later it doesn't screen all the time...channel 7 I haven't tried yet.......so many buttons,so many remotes....we're a pair of noobs and lovin it

just a note on remotes ... I got delivered a Pio435 a few weeks ago and still admiring it's great PQ .. but ended up having 6 remotes that I frequently have to use ... and just got so tired of having all these on the sofa ... and the wife hated tryign to find which one's for which thing ...

ended up getting an oneforall Kameleon 6in1 remote ($198 dicksmith powerhouse) last weekend and now I've packed those 6 up and now it's perfect!! didn't take very long to program things in either ... and most of them just worked automatically anyway... very highly recommended ... the 6 components I have are the plasma, STB, DVD, AMP, VCR and a Hi-Fi which all works perfectly ...

it's extremely easy to use ....and it looks way cool in backlit blue and the price wasn't too bad compared to some of the $400-500 fully programmable ones ...

it's on the list.....sounds great

great to hear you guys are loving your pioneer's. GO PIONEER!

i'm yet to see the new ones in a store (not really hunting though), but no doubt will soon.



the only drop-out 'problem' i have with my thomson STB is because the incoming signal is too strong. i believe this is a recognised problem with digital STB's, and i notice it particularly on days with clear blue skies (= stronger signal). when i check the 'signal strength' via the STB-menu, it confirms the incoming signal is at least 90%.

the way i overcome this is with an inline RF signal attenuator. i bought a 'variable' one from jaycar; they also have fixed-level attenuators. pretty cheap (<$20 for variable IIRC), and does the job fine; i just have to adjust it every now and then to cater for the varying weather conditions (no big deal).

if your STB has a level-display, then see what strength you have. if it's really strong (near-max) then consider trying an attenuator.

All right guys, you have had more than enough time now, lets get down to the nitty gritty (pixels and dimples in this case! ) regarding the new panels ability with blacks and motion.
How do blacks (dark scenes and sci fi space scenes etc) look in low or no lights viewing situations?
Motion looked good in store as I mentioned earlier but how do the new owners feel it copes re judder on pans etc? To me it looked better than most others seen!

BTW the panels I saw had no screen dimples I could see just a slightly ripply bezel that I mentioned earlier which is made worse by bright store lights.

Keep the reviews coming!!
Thanks,
Dan.

On digital TV, I sometimes get judder. But it doesn't happen on DVD (on progessive scan) so I don't think it has anything to do with the plasma. I haven't tried watching on no light, but the blacks on normal lighting looks fantastic. I have no complaint. Oh, except one. I bought a Lindy DVI/HDMI cable. What a waste of money. It made no difference at all. This is compared to the component cable that came with the Teac STB which is a cheap cable! Has anyone else experienced the digital connection to a STB? I am wondering if a more expensive cable would have made a difference. Maybe I will just buy a better component cable?

If you have the movie called 'Fifth Element' starred Bruce Willis, that is a good one try out for color reproduction. That movie is so groovy with its color that anything slightly out will make the whole picture look kind of weird??? Anyway, have a look and see how Pioneer cope with those colors.

Cheers.
p.s. To WAY and all new owners, do give the plasma time to settled in. The picture does get better after a while. I remember my relative's Hitachi when I first saw it new and compared to now, the picture quality is certainly much better. So just give your plasma a chance. Like I said, give it a couple of week and then please give us a full rundown of your likes and dislikes of the plasma. That would really help us potential buyer on which to decide.

no problem

Ok, will let you know after two weeks. I don't have fifth element, but watched Ice Age on it late last night. All I can say is that these animations are made for good quality tv screen. It was just amazing!

Thanks Shiny_car. I will try that. Checked my signal strength last night. It looked like at least 90% (it's shown on a bar, so hard to tell).

Haha. That description and the face certainly describes us! I still haven't had the chance to see the HD loop on Channel 90. Must go home at lunch time one of these days to check it out.