Pioneer SD 533 - The Real Deal? (1 Viewer)

[Bleddyn Williams]

I'm finally in the position of being able to get a big-screen TV. After doing a fair bit of online research, I'm thinking the Pioneer 533 is looking like a good choice for a RPTV.
Our viewing is standard definition satellite from Dish, and plenty of DVDs, of course! What I've found out is that the Pioneer is good at providing a decent pic for TV - an important consideration, as the last thing we want is a huge ugly image to look at. Pulldown and line doubling sound good.
HD is a future consideration, but not right now.
I plan to have the set calibrated, hopefully by Gregg Loewen, when it has settled down. Seems the set has great flexability with its settings.
What I'm asking, folks, is there anything specifically for or against this set that might not be obvious from online research? Have I got anything wrong about this set in my comments above? And those of you with the set - have you been happy with your purchase?
Is buying a set from an online vendor a good idea? Somewhere I was reading that the one-year warranty isn't valid from online vendors - any truth in that?
It seems like a huge jump from a 27" regular set to a 50" projection set, and as those of you who have already made the jump know, its something you really want to get right.
Any help and information my brothers at the HTF can provide would be both welcome and greatly appreciated! I'm really excited about this, but desperately want to make a good choice.
Bleddyn

 

[Brian L]

Well, I just ordered the 533 from OneCall, so I will know soon if I made the right choice!

OneCall is an authorized Pioneer dealer, so there are no warranty issues. Obviously other vendors may or may not be authorized, so the buyer beware.

For me, the sets tweakability was a big selling point (if you search on the 533, you will find a current discussion between a few folks regarding this set).

Almost all the reviews I have found are very positive. The only negative was from a single user who seems to have gotten a bum set.

I am confident that I made the right choice, but the proof won't arrive until next Tuesday!

BL

 

[Jim FC]

Weel Brian, Pioneer's Elite line of TVs is pretty much universally regarded as the best RPTV on the market, and what you have there with the 533 is essentially the stuff they were putting in Elites a couple years back. I have been very impressed with all Pioneer RPTVs I've ever seen; in fact, my current TV is a 13-year-old Pioneer 45 incher. Still runs like a champ.

I would double-check with Pioneer, rather than Onecall, to verify that they will honor their warranty if purchased online. I know for a fact that there are no authorized online Elite dealers, but maybe that's not the case with standard-line Pioneer. Good luck!

 

[Brian L]

This is a link to the Pioneer web site listing authorized internet dealers:
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pi...0~6040,00.html
OneCall, and a bunch of others, are listed.
That said, it is good advice to be cautious.
BL

 

[Bleddyn Williams]

Brian, does One Call give you a trial period to return the set? Or is that just too awkward with online purchasing?

When you get your set, please post your first impressions - I, for one, would love to hear them!

 

[Brian L]

OneCall does not have any sort of return policy unless the set is damaged in shipping.
If so, you have 48 hours to let them know. You also need to note if there appears to be any damage on the box that could even indicate damage, and you MUST do this when you sign for it.
I am scheduled to get the set Tuesday AM. Of course, as luck would have it, I leave Tuesday PM for a short business trip (Dohhhhh!).
I won't have a chance to even connect it to my main system until Friday, and then I will need to do all the user calibrations etc. 72 point convergence for each screen mode could take some time!
I guess I will plug it in straight out of the box, and hook up one of my DVD players, just to make sure I get a picture, and everything seems to be in order.
It will be next weekend before I can really perform any serious evaluations.
This is going to be a long week
BL