Pioneer PDP-4270HD 42'' Plasma TV

PDP-4270HD, everything I could have wanted... and more

Strengths: Incredible picture quality, brightness, minimal reflection off the panel, quiet, beautiful enclosure, deep blacks, great handling of 480i/p all the way up to 1080i/p.

Weaknesses: Price, remote, further reduces my desire to get off the couch and be productive.

Summary: For years I've been struggling with the big flat panel tv question. LCD, DLP, plasma... which one to get. Every time I'd go down to my local Best Buy or Fry's I'd take a look at the models they had on display and routinely walked away feeling that my old projection TV was giving me the better picture... until I saw the Pioneer PDP series (4270, 5070, etc...). I went to Best Buy with my girlfriend and after asking the same questions I had so many times before I was introduced to this new(ish) series by Pioneer.

My two most significant requirements were:

(1) that I could continue to watch my SD DVDs and SD TV channels and not feel that I had lost the picture quality I had with my 8 year old 27" Sony projection TV.

(2) that the tv wouldn't dominate my small living room (my girlfriends requirement actually, but sounded reasonable to me).

The PDP-4270HD tackles both of these _easily_.

I stuck in my favorite DVD right after it got delivered and even without any picture calibration I was blown away. My DVD player always had component outputs on the back and the ability to produce a 480p signal but I had never had the ability to take advantage of it with my old tube. On the PDP-4270HD it was truly magnificent. I couldn't have been happier. I was also worried that the 16:9 aspect ratio would make displaying my older letterbox and 4:3 picture DVDs an uncomfortable experience but I was pleasantly surprised. The PDP-4270HD's ability to adjust the picture to fill the better part of the screen was truly impressive.

On the aesthetics front, the piano black finish of the TV enclosure is very easy on the eyes and quickly blended in with the rest of the decor in my condo. For about 5 minutes after we installed the PDP-4270HD we laughed at how much larger it was than our old TV but we quickly got used to it and by the end of the first day my girlfriend was saying that we should have gotten the 50". :-)

One last thing, when I bought my 27" Sony, it was the third TV I had tried out. The two previous TVs (Toshiba and Phillips) had a very difficult time displaying deep blacks and it drove me nuts. On the PDP-4270HD I can honestly say that I think the blacks are even deeper than my old Sony. It rocks.

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Pioneer PDP-4270HD 42'' Plasma TV

Strengths: Display quality, stylish appearance, size footprint

Weaknesses: Only 1080i resolution capability, internal fan humming noise

Summary: The Pioneer PDP-4270HD 42'' Plasma TV is an excellent big screen choice for those who love a beautiful picture displayed on a stylish display. We purchased this unit for three main reasons - Pioneer plasma reputation, stylish appearance, excellent design for size considerations. The room where we have the display would basically only allow a display of this size - no larger. We got a 42 inch footprint beacause this Pioneer has its speakers mounted below the display and not on the sides ( as a Sony plasma we were considering did). It fills the corner space of the room perfectly. The PDP-4270 can only display 1080i resolution which is perfect for the non Blu-Ray DVD sources we are using it for. The inputs include a Dish Network HD hookup and a Sony HD compatible 1080i DVD player. All I know is the HD pictures this display puts out are amazingly clear and with brilliantly rich colors. Stunningly beautiful! The hum of the internal fan I listed as a weakness is really nothing to be concened about - it only is noticeable after the display has been on for several hours and can only be heard when the volume is off. I can't evaluate the speakers with this display since we have our audio being managed by a Sony AV receiver with theater speakers. The menu options on the remote are numerous and allow great flexibility in tailoring the video display to your desires. The possible hookups on the back of the set allow great flexibility. We highly recommend the Pioneer PDP-4270HD to anyone interested in upgrading their video experience.

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Pioneer 4070HD

Strengths: Great picture quality, sleek design, and black frame. Tons of imputs and easy to set-up.

Weaknesses: Reflective screen, remote size, and the PIP controls are not up to standard.

Summary: After some months of looking and researching what flat panel television to buy I settled on the Pioneer 4070HD. The price was right at 1,330.00 and considering it had dropped almost a grand since christmas and I figured that it was the right time to buy.

I really like the color and clarity of this television and would say that it beats all of the 760p Plasamas and 1080p LCDs in those catagories. I compared it side by side to a Panasonic plasma 1080p with a Blue Ray disc and could hardly tell a difference. The television does not lag behind when playing games like some LCD's.

The sound on this set is really good and I love the glossy black frame. Plenty of connections/inputs. The main complaint that I have about Television is the super reflective screen. I was told that Pioneer had the least reflective screen for a plasma but it does reflect the light. This TV sits in a room with 6 large windows and a glass door and I get a lot of glare in the morning and afternoon, not much at night. The only other complaint that I have is the remote control. It is ugly, bulky, and difficult to use. It has a flip down latch for the pip and it is hard to open with just one hand. There are also some other things I hate about the PIP like you can't PIP two stations with the same input. Also you can't watch one station with sound and flip the PIP from channel to channel. You must swap and change only the channel with sound while the PIP stays the same. If you like to use PIP this is not the TV for you.

The standard def channels, standard Tivo connection,and low quality cable stations are just ho-hum on this set, however the HD channels and DVD's are awesome. For the price this is a great tv, just don't plan to use it in a really bright room during the daylight hours without some glare.

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Awesome!

Strengths: Excellent picture, ease of setup, sleek glossy black finish.

Weaknesses: None.

Summary: I purchased this TV after reading the review of its big brother, the PDP-5070HD on Cnet. The direct competitor to the PDP-4270HD is the Panasonic TH-42PX600U, which I was planning on buying initially, since it is at least a couple of hundred bucks cheaper, making it the best value on the market.

However, when I went to the store to check them out the Pioneer's picture was much better & its glossy black finish intensified it additionally. Basically, the Panasonic is better for longer viewing distances, since the picture does not "fade." When you're viewing it in a regular living room, though, its picture is not as rich as that of the Pioneer. The Pioneer, on the other hand, would probably not be as suitable for very large rooms. In general, the optimal viewing distance for a 42" plasma is about 10 - 10.5 feet, giving you an idea of what's a long viewing distance.

In addition, the glossy black finish on the Pioneer really makes it easier for you to concentrate on the picture, whereas the silver finish of the Panasonic unfortunately distracts from whatever it is you are viewing.

Feature-wise, the two TVs are similar, even identical. These are the two best 42" plasmas, so the choice is yours--if you're looking for the best value, it's definitely the Panasonic. Yet, if you could afford to pay a bit more (by convincing yourself that you only buy a TV once & want it to be as close to perfection as possible), definitely get the Pioneer.

Finally a word of caution: Pioneer only honors the warranty on plasmas purchased from authorized dealers, so definitely check Pioneer's website for the list of authorized internet dealers.

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Awesome TV

Strengths: Great color depth and movement.

Weaknesses: Pricier tv compared to other plasmas, but worth the cost.

Summary: This tv ranks among the best, if not the best. It provides the viewer with the most realistic, dramatic picture available from a plasma screen. We were going to buy one of the lower-priced models, but the amazing picture quality really is worth the extra $$.

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Love This TV!

Strengths: Smart looking cabinet. Excellent picture!

Weaknesses: Not as good on non-HD channels as I hoped.

Summary: This is a great TV, just like other reviewers have said. HD broadcasts show up great and when paired with an HD DVD player, movies are almost life-like. I considered getting the 50" version of this set, but given the size of my room, the 42" was the better choice. Be sure you are back far enough from the set so as not to get a distorted picture. The standard broadcast channels are a little fuzzy, but maybe that's just due to the contrast to the HD channels.

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Great TV

Strengths: Great picture and sound. Easy to setup.

Weaknesses: Buzzing noise after it's been on for awhile. Runs a little hot like all plasmas.

Summary: I really like this TV. It is my first flat screen and I have not been disappointed. The HD channels are crisp with the HDMI cable and the sound is strong. Standard def. (SD) channels look remarkably clear, though not at the same quality as the HD stations. I think the SD stations look much better on this Pioneer than many other plasmas and LCDs I've seen before. My only negative remark is a buzzing noise can be heard when watching from the center of the TV. The buzzing is amplified by placing it near a wall. I hung a blanket behind the set and couldn't hear the buzzing anymore. The buzzing cannot be heard when watching from left or right of center.

I found a great site that helped me adjust the picture to my liking even more so: www.avforums.com/forum...

Pioneer makes great TVs and this is no exception. I'd recommend looking at the newer model of this line since fewer places carry the 4270 now.

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I love pioneer

Strengths: Nothing compares to Pioneer plasma. The most vivid colors and great black level.

Weaknesses: Wish it had a commander box like my pdp-5060hd. It makes hooking things up a snap.

Summary: Well this is the second Pioneer plasma I purchased and love it. The set up is consumer friendly from the remote to the inputs. The remote has individual input buttons for each source which might not seem like a big deal until you have to always cycle through inputs like on my Samsung. It gets old fast. I love how each source has it's own setting...great aesthetic design even though the speakers are permanently attached on the 42". Speaking of, the speakers sound pretty good for being somewhat small. I have it in the bedroom so it sounds ok with no external audio. Picture does is leaps and bounds better than a LCD. My samsung has artifacts and noise when playing dark scenes on blue ray but the pioneer is crystal clear. The only dislike I have is my pdp 5060hd lost a pixel after a year and a half which is pretty uncommon.

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great plasma tv, pioneer 4270HD

Strengths: awsome video quality, very good sound, user-friendly UI and remote, simple and clean black outfit

Weaknesses: not support 1080p

Summary: I have shopped around to buy a new flat and big screen TV, and also hesitated between plasma and lcd. Most reviews about this plasma from many sites such as pricegrabber are great, and several salespersons recommended the pioneer plasma, which presents the best quality ever. This is not a new model but it offers a great price. I believe that this is the best big screen tv for a new shopper like me if you want the cost-effective big screen tv with the best quality. I've enjoyed several types of video such as sports, movies, and animations. Especially, computer-graphics look excellent.

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Truly the best picture

Strengths: Best looking TV with the best picture, color quality is top notch. Sound is great as well.

Weaknesses: Have not found any and do not expect to.

Summary: I researched TV's for 6 weeks prior to my purchase and now own this TV since November 2006. By far this is the best TV out there at 42 inches. No problems with dark colors as with LCD's, the sound is great. This TV delivers the best picture available.

I would definitely recommned this TV for anyone who wants the perfect picture and sound all in one package.

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