mitsubishi ws-55311 or pioneer 533h5?? (1 Viewer)

[joe_waite]

hello again! i've now narrowed my decision down to the mits 55411 or the pioneer 533h5. this tv will be used with the dish network system, and i will be using it about 65% tv, and 35% dvd with alot of use of the xbox. please let me know what you guys think. thanks!

 

[Chris Lehner]

Joe, a lot of us in this forum recently purchased the Pioneer 533HD5. I myself was down to 2 sets, the same 2 you mention, the 55411 or 533(is it 411 or 311, because you say 311 in your header, but 411 in the post?). I opted for the Pioneer based on the following factors:

1) I was concerned about ongoing reports of Mits red push
2) I had heard/read the Pioneer has better stretch modes
3) I had heard the Pioneer had a better picture OTB
4) the price was a little less expensive (although I had to go through an online dealer, which I was concerned about. As it turns out, it was not a bad experience, although I've yet to need any servicing on the set.)

I'm happy with my decision and have heard nothing but good things from other new owners of this set. That being said, one of the reasons I chose this set was that I heard it looked nice even with SDTV signals, like those from a non-HD cable box or DirecTV dish. My experiences have not shown that, and I've heard similar things from other owners; my DirecTV does not look very good at all(I am switching to an HD cable box). On the other hand, I have gotten some VERY nice pictures from progressive scan DVDs, especially well-mastered ones like Monsters, Toy Story, SW II and The Fifth Element. So I don't think this set "makes everything look good", like I've heard it reported and I guess it comes down to the old adage of what you intend to watch. Not that Mits' tend to make bad sources look good either; they are maybe even more revealing of bad sources.

When I was eliciting opinions about the 55411 vs. 533HD5, I was told by more than one source it is a toss-up; that I would be happy with either set. I've heard from people who love their 411 as well (if you really did mean 55311, I would definitely opt for the 533 then; the 411 has enhanced focus and I auditioned both the 311 and 411 and found it to make a world of difference).

Chris L.

 

[Ron Boster]

Chris did an excellent job breaking down the benefits of the two sets. Another opinion is that of the last two ISF techs that I have used...both said the Pioneer was easier to calibrate, in part because it is closer to spec out of the box.

 

[Hanson]

The Pioneer stretch modes are excellent. With my Toshiba, the stretch mode with the most distortion looked really bad -- unwatchable bad. The Pioneer in this mode looks pretty good -- I'm not in the habit of using it all that much, but when I have to, it works well. The Hitachi is supposed to have even worse stretch modes than the Toshiba.

 

[joe_waite]

up top guys. going to sleep on it tonight and order tomorrow so PLEASE give some more opinions