Archive for March, 2008

Pioneer KURO PDP-6010FD 60″ 1080p Plasma HDTV

1920×1080 Resolution / 16:9 Wide / Deep intense blacks / 4 HDMI Inputs / Room light sensor / Smooth film motion mode / Cable Card Ready / SRS WOW Side Terminals - Component Video & Audio In, 16-32 ohms phones, USB in Dimensions - 57-15/16 x 41-5/32 x 34-23/32 inches Weight - 122.4 pounds, 135.5 pounds with stand

Customer Review:
great TV but wish I wouldn’t have bought from amazon!
I have nothing but great thing to say about This TV! But I figured I would warn some of you if you are thinking about buying a television on amazon. I bought this TV about 3 weeks ago. Shipping was about 4 days late from amazons estimated ship date. I was supposed to get free white glove delivery with amazon but only one driver showed up so I had to get my suit dirty and help eventhough amazon promised white glove. The box it came in was kinda beat up.

So I figured we would make sure the set works before I sign off on the delivery. Well, I plugged TV in and no power. Called Pioneeer support and they said “D.O.A.”. So I rejected delivery. I called amazon customer service to report this problem and boy was that fun! Amazon out-sources thier customer support to India and other countrys to save money (Amazon saves money but the customers are the one who end up paying ). the language barrier was horrible.

Could not understand anything this guy was saying and vice versa (thanks amazon). I will tell you this: If you live in the U.S. then get ready to speak to a guy from india who reads all of his answers from a monitor. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT!!

After battleing the language barrier they finally sent me a new set (Oh and by the way, Amazon will not expedite shipping for you replacement, they make u wait another week or 2 for your replacement set. A week later the new set arrived and I could not believe it but they did not send white glove delivery again. I had to help unload the truck again!! And guess what? The box was damaged badly again. So we took the TV inside and tried to power it up and it was ANOTHER DEAD TV!

Amazon uses Eagle (CEVA) to ship Televisions. They obviously do not handle with care. So I had to call amazon customer support AGAIN and deal with some guy from India who can’t understand a word I am saying. Instead of dealing with this nightmare again, I requested a refund. It has been over a week and they still have not credited my credit card. So I guess I will have to call India again and deal with Amazons horrible customer support again. IF you are thinking of buying this TV from Amazon (AMAZON, not one of the dealers that sell on Amazon) DONT DO IT!!! You would be better off buying from someone who specializes in Televisions. They only use respectable delivery carriers and handle with care. Eagle (Ceva) is who amazon uses and they do no know how to handle fragile plasma displays that can be badly damaged if tipped over. They do not put a “tip and tell” sensor on the box like specialists do either. The reason i picked amazon was becasue of the 30 day return policy but what good is that policy if your TV never works in the first place.

Customer Review: Best of The Best!
Buying this TV was my first step into the realm of HD and if you’ve done any homework on this model, you’ll find that it’s pretty universally praised as the best flatscreen TV currently on the market. Believe me when I say that this TV lives up to the hype of anything and everything you may have read. It took 2 tries before I got a working model to my doorstep (see my freight shipping company rant at the end of the review), but once I had this TV fired up, all I can say is I was in absolute mouth-breathing awe. (and I hate mouth breathers!)

From the jaw-dropping perfect picture clarity to colors so vivid they defy explanation, for me to say that this TV exceeded my expectations would be the understatement of the decade. Compared to any other flatscreen TV I’ve seen, the Kuro is bordering on reverse-engineered alien technology! If, like me, you upgrading from a standard definition set to this TV, regardless of the quality of your current TV (mine was a Sony WEGA, which we loved), this is about the equivalent of going from driving an rusty old Datsun with a rag for a gascap (for the Sandler fans) to upgrading to a Ferrari. I was watching some of the island scenes from “Castaway” from an upscaling Sony DVD player on this TV and the color and clarity was so mindblowing, there were scenes that almost looked like they were jumping off the screen in 3-D.

I also popped in Dream Theater’s “Score” DVD, a concert that my wife and I attended live, and it was like being there at Radio City Music Hall all over again. As just about every review you’ve seen here will attest, you pretty much can’t go wrong with this TV and it’s about as user friendly as can be even for the not-so-technically inclined. About my only complaint from that dynamic are all 4 HDMI ports being on a bottom panel in the back of the TV and a little tough to connect unless you’re looking directly up at them. If you can afford it though, the Kuro is worth every penny and buying on Amazon saved me $2000 off retail and $1,000 off even the lowest local store price I could find.

Just as an aside having nothing to do with the TV itself, Amazon needs to seriously explore other freight shipping options as they currently use Eagle Logistics exclusively for freight and based on my experience with Eagle, they just plain suck at what they do. White glove service it certainly wasn’t in my case. The local warehouse told me that they only have one 2-man team for larger shipments and it took them a full week to schedule delivery in my case (even after the 5 day wait for it to arrive at the local warehouse) and on the date we scheduled, they informed me that they would deliver between 10 am and 2 pm…

The “2-man team” ended up showing up at 5:00 pm that day in the form of ONE man, so I had to help unload the truck. On the first delivery, we pulled out the screen only to find that it had spider cracks all the way across it as though someone had either dropped the box from about 3 feet in the air a couple of times or some warehouse guys took turns doing target practice on the box with a sledge hammer. I don’t where it got mishandled, but someone had done a number on this thing. Fortunately, the second time was the charm, but they still couldn’t schedule the 2-man team until a week after the shipment arrived locally, so we had them send a one man truck and helped him unload it again. Eagle also does not offer expedited delivery, so count on a week plus for these guys to get anything to your doorstep and don’t be surprised when Larry, Darryl and Darryl show up minus Larry and Darryl.

Amazon.com Price

PIONEER PDP-6010FD MAIN LOGIC BOARD ANP2194-A AWV2508-B US $89.99 Auction Ends: Monday Aug-02-2010 9:15:21 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Pioneer KURO PDP-5010FD 50″ 1080p Plasma HDTV

1920×1080 Resolution / 16:9 Wide / Deep intense blacks / 4 HDMI Inputs / Room light sensor / Smooth film motion mode / Cable Card Ready / SRS WOW Side Terminals - Component Video & Audio In, 16-32 ohms phones, USB in Dimensions - 48-1/2 x 33-15/32 x 28-7/16 inches Weight - 84.9 pounds, 93.8 pounds with stand

Customer Review:
Unreal Plasma!
I’ve had this tv for about a month and am absolutely in love with it. I spent months reading reviews and customer opinions on AVS before deciding to make the leap. My other tv is a Samsung 4254 plasma that I purchased a few years back and I noticed considerable noise on the screen and artifact problems during movies. This tv is is worlds better than that one and none of those same problems exist. No buzzing as some have experienced btw. Now my only problem is my addiction to blu ray movies. I can’t wait to watch no country for old men on this set…friendo.

Customer Review:
Finally, a flat panel HDTV beats my CRT HDTV
I have been searching for a replacement for my 5-yr old Sony 34″ CRT HDTV for years. The search is finally over. My ISF calibrated Sony HDTV has been a great performer. Until recently, it had consistently beaten both LCDs and Plasmas with its excellent black level, outstanding details, accurate color (after ISF calibration fixed its “red push”) and lacking of motion blur. But due to the weight of the tube, anything bigger than 34″ would be a huge burden. After months of research and comparison, I finally found it.

This Pioneer not only matches all the performance areas that my 34″ Sony CRT HDTV has excelled but also adds the “WOW” factor thanks to its considerable bigger screen size. Now I feel I finally step into the picture instead of watching from outside.

The only major downside of this plasma is that the sound quality of TV speakers is nowhere near the quality of picture it delivers. As matter of the fact, it sounds much worse than my 34″ Sony CRT TV. So a separate quality sound system is more than a necessity to get full enjoyment from this TV. Now I only wish that I have more time to watch all my favorite movies on this Big TV again…

Amazon.com Price

Pioneer PDP-5010FD TV XSUS X Drive Board AWV2510 US $54.95 Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-01-2010 12:20:53 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Pioneer PDP-5010FD TV Power Supply AXY1206 US $79.95 Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-01-2010 15:55:33 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Pioneer PDP-5010FD TV Digital Logic Board AWW1316 US $69.95 Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-01-2010 15:55:35 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Pioneer PDP-5010FD TV TANSHI ASSY AWW1334 US $59.95 Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-01-2010 15:55:35 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Pioneer PDP-5010FD TV YSUS Board AWV2511 US $89.95 Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-01-2010 15:55:35 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

Pioneer PDP-5010FD LCD TV POD ASSY AWV2496 US $17.95 Auction Ends: Sunday Aug-01-2010 15:55:38 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

FHD DIGITAL ASSY AWW1316 from PIONEER PDP-5010FD US $89.95 Auction Ends: Monday Aug-02-2010 19:40:33 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

PIONEER PDP-5010FD TV POWER SUPPLY AXY1206 L@@K!!!!! US $69.99 Auction Ends: Tuesday Aug-03-2010 13:25:14 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

PIONEER PDP-5010FD X DRIVE BOARD AWV2510 GREAT L@@K!!!! US $54.99 Auction Ends: Tuesday Aug-03-2010 13:25:52 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item

PIONEER PDP-5010FD Y DRIVE AWV2511-A GREAT L@@K!!!! US $69.99 Auction Ends: Tuesday Aug-03-2010 13:26:52 PDT Buy this Item   | Watch this Item