questions about a Pioneer plasma display...

Mar 29, 2009 6 Replies
W

I'm going to ask Pioneer and my dealer about this, so I don't want this thread to get out of hand.



My new Pioneer plasma now has around 20 hours on it. Two things strike me as odd.



Though a Kuro, the display is faintly gray when turned on. I was expecting something closer to absolute black.



The faint gray is not uniform. There is a broad lateral "splotch" across the center of the screen -- sort of like an irregular galaxy -- that is significantly darker. This area is not noticeable in program material (except once in a while in star fields), and seems to be getting larger.



Is this a normal part of the breaking-in process? (These sets are supposed "pre-aged" at the factory.) Will the splotch grow to cover the entire screen (which would be a good thing, of course).



Anyone know anything about this? The set is under warranty, so I'm not too worried, but...



PS: I watched the Blu-ray of "2001" last night. It is a major revelation. The film never looked even remotely that good in the theater -- and by the theater, I mean 70mm Cinerama (Super Panavision) projection. This is a Blu-ray demo disk.


Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
U

Try the Blu-ray of "Planet Earth." Prepare to have your jaw drop.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
W

My jaw already dropped with "Amadeus". I'll wait until the "Planet Earth" price drops a bit.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
U

Dunno. $55 for 4 discs (530 minutes) is pretty cheap, IMO. Hell, the regular DVD is $48.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
A

Friend of mine is a Pioneer dealer, and over here, they had a program to train engineers from their dealers, to do a 'Super Setup' on their plasmas, for which the customer was charged. As far as I could make out, it was the standard setting up procedure that would be carried out at the factory within production time constraints, but with those constraints removed ie the job took around 2 hours I think he told me. Apparently, the results rendered the picture even better than 'just out of the factory',which for Pioneers, is pretty good anyway, as you have discovered with your new purchase.

Arfa

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
M

I would have to agree that this is not a defect but rather a need for more precise setup but after a longer on time is achived. PDPs are not "burnt in" at the factory for very long, just long enough to be adjusted.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
W

I spoke to a (seemingly) intelligent guy at Pioneer today, and was told that the "black splotch" I saw /was/ normal-- it had appeared on their office unit -- and it would gradually disappear after 100 to 150 hours.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required