pioneer elite tvs..whats the deal? (1 Viewer)

[JasonKrol]

can anyone tell me whats so special about the Pioneer Elites that make them cost 200% more than regular priced tvs for the same size.
I mean my Tosiba 50H81 was 2300 and the Pioneer Elite 53" is 6300.00 ?!?!
Just wondering, cause my friend is interested in one. Thanks!!
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- Jason
My DVD Collection | My Home Theater
"what ya got here is two people dragging a third..."

 

[KeithH]

This one is destined for the TV and Projectors Area.
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My:
HT Pics ; Equipment List ; DVD Collection ; LD Collection
KeithH: Saving the Home Theater World Before Bedtime
[Edited last by KeithH on November 07, 2001 at 02:10 PM]

 

[Gregg Loewen]

Yup...they're coming to take me away....
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Link Removed
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[Mikey Ber]

How do you like your Toshiba 50H81? I just ordered one on monday and haven't received it yet. Bought it new for $2100 at a place in Wilkes-Barre, PA (electron TV). I went to sears with 5 internet prices to match, and they shot down everyone. The salesman said they didn't give him a reason why the 1-800# didn't accept them. They wanted $2499.99 plus $35.00 delivery. I used their guide lines on price matching(didn't use yahoo shopping,or sites like it). The salesman stood there like I was gonna buy it for $2499.99. I talked with the manager and they didn't want to budge on the price. So........I went elsewhere, and glad I did. saved 400 dollars plus 24 dollars in tax, and 35 dollars delivery.

 

[jonathanR]

Jason:
Actually I'm looking in to buying a 53" Elite 520-hd for my father's new HT. I know here in Calif at a local Highend shop there selling the new model Elite 53" for $5400, not sure where you got your price tag. I was really looking to swade him towards a lower end mitsubishi or toshiba, but once he saw the quality of the line double and the fine picth screen, there was no going back. It is expensive, but the build quality is very high compared to thier standard models that you can find at bestbuy. Try www.pioneerelectronics.com for some comparisons.
John

 

[JasonKrol]

Mikey:
I love my tv!! I couldnt be happier!! If i had to remake the purchase I would do it in a second!! Although, I had to do some tweaking etc, and Im probably gonna pay to have it ISF calibrated..but DVDs etc..look incredible!!
I hope your as pleased with yours as Im with mine!
(my wife couldnt be happier either!!)
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- Jason
My DVD Collection | My Home Theater
"what ya got here is two people dragging a third..."

 

[Bill Lucas]

Jason,
The Pioneer Elite RPTVs are regarded as the best of the best and my trained eye agrees. The best typically demands a premium price.

 

[JasonZ]

the elites in the past were hands down the best and commanded a higher price. however, in the past year mitsubishi (diamond line) has caught up to the elite on dvd and hdtv at a much cheaper price ($4500 compared to $5500). i will say this, the elite blows away EVERYTHING when it comes to watching regular cable/satellite. i look at these 2 sets all day long next to each other and that is the ONLY difference.

 

[Henry Carmona]

Add about $2500 for the Piano finish
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"Charlie don't surf."

 

[Bill Lucas]

JasonZ,
There are noticeable differences in performance between a PROPERLY setup Pioneer Elite TV and a PROPERLY setup Mitsubishi. I've seen these sets side-by-side on several occassions and it isn't close. Most noticeably at CEDIA in the high definition exhibit. The Mitsubishi next to the Pioneer Elite was bluish gray, the colors were muted and the off-axis viewing was subpar. One would presume (and hope) that Mitsubishi took the time to setup the TV to operate optimally in this exhibit. Pioneer Elite certainly did. Regards.

 

[Allan Jayne]

Have they gotten rid of the lock in full (16:9) problem?
Aspect ratio control should always belong to the viewer.
Video hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

 

[Craig Robertson]

i believe with the '20 series Pioneer has done away with the lock in full "feature" and given aspect ratio control to the viewer. where it belongs, as Allan noted.

 

[Will]

Yes no lock in full for Pioneer Elite 520, 620 or 720.
Also no lock in full for Pioneer non-Elite 533 or 643.
So, no year 2002 Pioneer RPTV has the lock in full in
progressive problem present in pre-2002 Pioneers.
[Edited last by Will on November 08, 2001 at 11:37 AM]

 

[John Miles]

Besides the lock-in full feature, can anyone tell me what the differences are, if any, between the Pro-x20HD series and last year's Pro-x10HD lineup? Pioneer's site isn't helpful in this regard. They certainly look like the same TVs with "upgraded" model numbers.

 

[Todd Hochard]

I think the differences are:
1. New line doubler, improved over last year's Elite (is that possible? )
2. Different lenses.
3. "Reference Theater Mode"- whatever that does (some color calibration thingy, I think).
That's about all I can remember. Certainly not enough to make me run down and trade in my 510.
Todd

 

[Bill Lucas]

The new lens system in the 20 series is a dramatic improvement. Side by side convergence patterns reveal a blue halo is present around the red and green grids near the outside corners and sides of the grid and that the lines of the grid become quite blurry on the 10 series TVs. The blue halo problem is not an issue with the 20 series TVs and the convergence grid has much better corner and side focus. These changes were incorporated to give sharper images with higher resolutions such as HDTV.
The reference theater mode is a step in the right direction. It turns sharpness down, disables SVM, reduces contrast and brightness and sets the TV to a factory approximation of D6500K.
The line doubler is better but the Elite TVs still shine best when mated with a Faroudja Native Rate scaler sending a 540p signal. It's the best RPTV image I have seen to date. Regards.

 

[Len Cheong]

I saw a Pioneer elite 710 tv displaying the same image as a Runco 61 inch plasma costing 40K and the image looked exactly the same - breathtaking. Hats off to Runco for duplicating tube performance but also to Pioneer which seems like a cheap tv in this comparison.

 

[Will]

I have heard that year 2002 non-Elite Pioneers have
better line doublers than year 2001 Pioneer Elites,
but I don't know if year 2002 non-Elites are better
than year 2001 Elites in any other area.

 

[Will]

If you want a 58" RPTV you have to get an Elite

since nobody else makes one in that exact size.

 

[Phil A]

I previously owned an Elite non-digital set and my current Sharp 64 inch set was essentially very similar and shared many of the parts of the Pioneer Elite set of the same size. While my set has a black ash-like finish the Pioneer Elite set was $1,300 more. The shiny black finish is quite nice on the Elite sets. They also have more experience that most if not all manufacturers with the way things are stretched. With the new digital HD ready sets and progreesive can DVD or HD broadcasts, I am not sure that they are worth the premium to the same degree as they were in the past. But they do make a quality set.