Where to get a Pioneer HLD-X9? (1 Viewer)

[Mattias_ka]

I have a 16x9 shaped TV-set, not a HDTV because there are not such tv-set in europe that I know of.
But the Tube 32" Sony I have is the best on the swedish market and when I use the "zoom" mode (you have to zoom in the letterbox, in stretch mode you don't have the right picture) and I have no problem with that.
I also have a LCD PJ that I use with a 100" screen and the picture the HLD-X9 showcase is GREAT! But I'm now looking for a better CRT PJ so I really can enjoy my LD's.

Would you like a Magnavox top-loader to add to your fabulous collection

How did you know that!!??

 

[Jay Sylvester]

Rachael, I was under the impression that in addition to the ability to stretch 4:3 material, 16:9 sets also had a zoom mode that would simply enlarge the image, letting you view the image full screen with no distortion. On a letterboxed LD, this would result in cropping the letterbox portions of the image. Is this correct?
That's the way I'd prefer to watch letterbox material, but I'm concerned about the quality of a zoomed LD at a large screen size.
Nice TV btw. I'm jealous
edit: I think Mattias confirmed what I was asking.

 

[Luis S]

Rachel and all Ld experts I need some advice.Isaw a pioneer cld701 and v850 locally how are these players? what about rca or panasonic?Please respond soon as I want to pick it up before anyone else does.Thanks in advance!

Luis S

 

[Rachael B]

Jay, I'm just not the person to ask this question since I haven't too seriously considered too many big or small 16 x 9 RP sets due to a lack of space. When I'm at dealers I pick up remotes and fiddle with anything I can but I am remiss of the finer points here. I hated the Sharp set and gave up on it quickly and didn't even fully explore it. It was a floor model and turned out to have two burns on the tube. I like my Sony 450 very much. If you don't need a bigger set, I highly recommend it.
Luis, I gave you an answer on your thread about the two models mentioned. RCA players are all Pioneer clones. Panasonic players were pretty good. The LX-900 & it's little brother the LX-600 are really nice players. The only problem with Panasonic players at this point is if they break, they don't suppourt them well anymore.
Best wishes, guyz!

 

[Luis S]

Thanks for the speedy reply Rachel I went with the RCA because of what you said.Im glad I did! This is the ONLY way to see the old trilogy or Indy in the meantime.And the picture and sound are EXCELLENT!Thanks again!

Luis S

 

[Jay Sylvester]

Well I just put down a deposit with Nicolas for an LD-S9. He doesn't have any now, but expects a shipment in the near future. I'm really excited
Thanks for your help everyone.

 

[Jim Douglas]

Jay,

Did you ever get your S-9?

Jim

 

[Jay Sylvester]

I haven't heard from Nicolas since I sent him the deposit. He said it could be as late as June before he gets them in (I got a new one), so I'm trying to be patient.

 

[Jay Sylvester]

Well I was just contacted by Nicolas a few days ago. He finally received his shipment of LD-S9s from Pioneer, so I expect I'll see it on my doorstep sometime in the next week or two. I can't wait to pair it up with my soon-to-be-purchased projector and an HTPC. Should be awesome
Thanks again Rachael for all of the great advice!

 

[Rachael B]

Post an impression when U get it. You're welcome!

 

[Jay Sylvester]

I received the player on Monday. So far, I've watched Backdraft, Star Wars SE, and ESB SE. The difference between my CLD-79 and the LD-S9 is easy to see. There's less noise, colors are more vibrant, and details are much easier to make out. Overall, a very worthwhile purchase.
I plan to keep the 79 hooked up to my Wega, which I've moved into my home office/gaming room, and put the S9 in the living room with my digital projector (coming soon). I look forward to running it through an HTPC as a scaler and really giving it a workout with all of my favorite discs. I'm sure seeing Star Wars on the big screen will make all the time and money spent worthwhile.
One more time, thanks for all the help

 

[Rachael B]

Jay, even if you had the 99 or 97 you'd see a difference. Nicolas, had a spec sheet for the S9 that said it performs at 52 db. The S9's 52 db looks alot better than other models supposed 52 db performance. I think the reality is that the S9 does 52.5 or 53 db. I've never seen the Runco players or it's little brother the MSB Silver that spec out at 54 db, as does the X9. Anyway, the U.S. players I have seen, including Theta and Mac, just don't have the colour detail of an S9.
I have some suggestions for discs to reveal the player. Put in your worst looking disc and guage the improvement. AUSTIN POWERS DTS has remarkable colour for LD. I know it's hard to get, but look... The Special Edition box of STAR WARS looks way better than the THX. TOY STORY AC-3 CAV boxset. It might be the single best looking U.S. LD... my subjective opinion, of course!
You might want to try a few Nipponese LD's. Try for some "SQUEEZ" anamorphic titles. There are 7, I can't name them all. Actually, there are just 6 different films. T2 has two releases THX and regular octane. I have the regular octane version and it has the best detail I've seen on a non-Muse LD. I've seen better colour though many times. I'd like to get STARGATE on Squeez. I can't remember the other titles right off hand.
If you want to see LD-G-raphics done right try a Nipponese delight like STAR TREK INSURRECTION, "MULTI AUDIO" edition, PILF-2787. It lacks AC-3 but the PCM track suffices very well, me thinks. It has English on the digital track and Japanese on the CX analog track. You can move the LD-G subtitles on and off the screen. They're not burned in. PILF-2786 is INSURRECTION with AC-3 sound and burned-in subtitles, it only changes which subtitles you see using LD-G.
I like Nipponese 2.35 to 1 films on LD. The sub's are out of the frame and in the black ba-er. I'm more lukewarm on 1.85 to 1 titles where the sub's are in the frame. X-MEN looks real good but not as good as the DVD, or close, but good for LD. BLADE looks real good and the AC-3 track rocks, and it's all on 2 sides. Side 2 is over 63 minutes, an LD oddity... It's mandtory you get STIR WARZ PM if you don't have it already!! Have fun and best wishes!

 

[Jay Sylvester]

I have Phantom Menace and the Toy Story box set, but I started setting up my system last night so the S9 has already been moved out into the living room. It's not hooked up to my TV anymore. It's okay though, because I'm sure I could spend days going through all of my discs to see the improvements. I'd rather get it hooked up to the projector and start enjoying my movies
I didn't realize there were non-Muse squeeze discs. I assume these work on 16:9 TVs (or 4:3 TVs with squeeze) the same as anamorphic DVD? I'll have to check them out. Overall, I find the audio portion of LD to be much more satisfying than DVD, so if I can get a pleasing image on my projector with the S9 and an HTPC scaler, I foresee my LD collection will continue to grow even more.