Pioneer Plasma PDP-4345HD and PDP-4312HD

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

suresh_kumar_c2@yahoo.com wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I saw PDP-4312HD Plasma TV at Costco yesterday for 2999USD. Does
> anybody know what the differences are between 4312 and 4345?? I cant
> find any sites (including Pioneer) that talks about 4312.
>
> Is this a scaled down version of 4345?? Please help, the model at
> Costco seems to be a good buy.
>
> - Alex

Saw the Pioneer 4312 HD plasma over the weekend at Costco as well. It
appears to be a 4th generation model which is the same glass as the
consumer 4340 and 4345 models. However, the 4312 looks to be a
repackaged version of the Pioneer commercial PDP-434CMX plasma. Which
means it has no tuners - neither NTSC or digital ATSC - nor a cablecard
slot. It has the full set of connectors but only one of each - 1 HDMI, 1
component, 1 S-Video and probably has a VGA port although I can't
confirm the VGA port. To use this as a TV, you need to have cable or
satellite set-top box or external ATSC tuner along with a A/V receiver
to switch between DVD, cable, VCR, whatever and to get 5.1 sound. If you
have only a cable box and DVD, you could run the cable set-top box into
the Pioneer via component cable and get a DVD player with a HDMI output.
There is a thread in the plasma/LCD forum on the Pioneer at
www.avsforum.com.

The label and box at Costco did specifically state no tuners so they
are making the effort to be clear on that. The last time I looked the
previous Costco only version, the Pioneer 4310, was around $4500, and
the new 4312 has much better color, so this is a huge price cut for a
newer better model.

Alan F

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Alan,

Thanks for all the information - that helps.
Since you seem to be very knowledgeable in this area, my budget for a
plasma is 3K and I've narrowed my choices to two TVs. A Panasonic
42PD25U EDTV which seems to be the most popular EDTV out there and the
pioneer 4312.
Which one would be your pick??
Thanks again.

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

mastermind73 wrote:
> Alan,
>
> Thanks for all the information - that helps.
> Since you seem to be very knowledgeable in this area, my budget for a
> plasma is 3K and I've narrowed my choices to two TVs. A Panasonic
> 42PD25U EDTV which seems to be the most popular EDTV out there and the
> pioneer 4312.
> Which one would be your pick??
> Thanks again.

Not a simple choice. Depends in large part on the rest of your A/V
setup. How do you get HD or TV in general: cable, satellite or Over The
Air (OTA)? If cable, then you need to get an HD capable set top box
(STB) for the Pioneer. If OTA, then you need to get an ATSC tuner for
the Pioneer. The 42PD25U Panny has a built-in ATSC tuner and cable card
slot, although the cable card slot (for digital cable) has enough
limitations that I would still go ahead and get the cable STB. The
Pioneer 4312 is a monitor, so you probably need to have a A/V receiver
which can switch between DVD, cable/satellite, VCR or whatever.

As for the display quality, the only criticism that is made of the
Pioneer plasmas is their so-so black levels. The 4th gen Pioneers have
good electronics, excellent rich colors, but the Panasonic plasma beat
them for better black levels. If you watch a lot of movies in a darkened
room, the lower near CRT black levels of the Panny will make for more
detail in the dark scenes on the screen. OTOH, the Pioneer will be
excellent for sports and HD TV shows as will the Panny.

The biggest difference is ED vs HD. At the same price level, I would
be inclined to get the HD Pioneer, so long as you have the rest of the
gear. I brought a commercial Panasonic 42" HD plasma last month - the
TH-42PHD7UY - from an on-line dealer for around $3400 plus DVI card &
shipping and am still stunned by picture quality on some HD stuff. But I
have a Yamaha 6.1 receiver with two component inputs and a bunch of
S-Video inputs which I use to switch the Panny between DVD, cable, and
a Tivo box.

If you have only a STB and DVD player, then you could get a HDMI DVD
player and hook it up to the Pioneer that way while hooking the cable up
through component.

Ok, that was a longer response than I planned to write, but I hope
this helps more than it confuses. Buying a TV these days is a LOT more
complex than it was back in the days of simple CRTs with stereo and RF
or composite inputs.

Alan F

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Interesting info on the Pioneer pdp-4312. I too was looking at it in
Costco (Denver).
I asked the salesman if Pioneer makes a high altitude version of the
set and
he pointed to it and said "THIS IS IT - rated to 8500 ft plus" ....
Is this accurate ?
I plan on using a set at 8,300 ft and I have a feeling he was
shovelling salesmanship
in my direction..

Paul

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

<kbtrans@qwest.net> wrote in message
news:1106665509.194196.30970@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> Interesting info on the Pioneer pdp-4312. I too was looking at it in
> Costco (Denver).
> I asked the salesman if Pioneer makes a high altitude version of the
> set and
> he pointed to it and said "THIS IS IT - rated to 8500 ft plus" ....
> Is this accurate ?
> I plan on using a set at 8,300 ft and I have a feeling he was
> shovelling salesmanship
> in my direction..
>
> Paul

I'd contact Pioneer and get that in writing.

Leonard

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

"Leonard Caillouet" <no@no.com> wrote in message
news:vXKJd.42064$jn.670@lakeread06...
>
> <kbtrans@qwest.net> wrote in message
> news:1106665509.194196.30970@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
> > Interesting info on the Pioneer pdp-4312. I too was looking at it in
> > Costco (Denver).
> > I asked the salesman if Pioneer makes a high altitude version of the
> > set and
> > he pointed to it and said "THIS IS IT - rated to 8500 ft plus" ....
> > Is this accurate ?
> > I plan on using a set at 8,300 ft and I have a feeling he was
> > shovelling salesmanship
> > in my direction..
> >
> > Paul
>
> I'd contact Pioneer and get that in writing.
>
> Leonard

I did contact Pioneer. I got an automated response saying
they would contact me "soon" with an answer.

48 Hours later with no word I wrote them back and told them
don't bother. After hearing about their "customer service" on the
hdtv forum and experiencing the lack of response TO A
POTENTIAL CUSTOMER GETTING READY TO SPEND
THOUSANDS ON THEIR PRODUCT that I was going with
NEC. The Costco salesman was blowing smoke and Pioneer
was no help at all.

Paul

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 08:57:43 -0700, "dopey" <dopey@nhl.com> wrote:

>
>"Leonard Caillouet" <no@no.com> wrote in message
>news:vXKJd.42064$jn.670@lakeread06...
>>
>> <kbtrans@qwest.net> wrote in message
>> news:1106665509.194196.30970@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>> > Interesting info on the Pioneer pdp-4312. I too was looking at it in
>> > Costco (Denver).
>> > I asked the salesman if Pioneer makes a high altitude version of the
>> > set and
>> > he pointed to it and said "THIS IS IT - rated to 8500 ft plus" ....
>> > Is this accurate ?
>> > I plan on using a set at 8,300 ft and I have a feeling he was
>> > shovelling salesmanship
>> > in my direction..
>> >
>> > Paul
>>
>> I'd contact Pioneer and get that in writing.
>>
>> Leonard
>
> I did contact Pioneer. I got an automated response saying
> they would contact me "soon" with an answer.
>
>48 Hours later with no word I wrote them back and told them
> don't bother. After hearing about their "customer service" on the
> hdtv forum and experiencing the lack of response TO A
> POTENTIAL CUSTOMER GETTING READY TO SPEND
> THOUSANDS ON THEIR PRODUCT that I was going with
> NEC. The Costco salesman was blowing smoke and Pioneer
> was no help at all.
>
>Paul
>
Funny. I was also interested in the same set, and I received timely
responses from both Pioneer and Costco. In fact, the guy from Pioneer
with whom I spoke on the telephone (he called me, BTW) was surprised
at the Costco price. I may buy in 30 days.

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

I appreciated Alan F comments. Should a potential purchaser of the
4312 really be concerned about the lack of a built-in tuner. I have
Comcast cable, so I think monthly fee for a digital HD box is same
with/without a built-in tuner, but I have not verified this yet with
Comcast.

If you/I want to play it safe, the Pioneer PDP4345HD with stand alone
tuner box is probably the way to go. Problem is it is much more
expensive than the 4312. But reviews on picture quality rate it a
10 (unless you primarily watch B&W movies in the dark)!!!

Unless you are having a Super Bowl party and need to impress your
friends but don't want to break the bank, probably the 4312 is the
way to go. Or wait 90 days and the 4345 will probably come down to
the current 4312 price. Any comments?





Jerry

847-334-1468



PS The thread on the Costco offered PDP 4312 at www.avsforum.com is
excellent. Just take your time to find it from their home page.

Archived from groups: alt.tv.tech.hdtv (More info?)

Hi,
The best programs on HD are INHD 1&2 on cable, and Discovery HD, and HD Net.
None of these need an off the air tuner. Oh sure if you live in a major
metro area you could use an OTA tuner to get network stations in HD with 80%
of programming being on the trashy side. With Cable OR Satellite, an OTA
tuner is not required. Indeed, Dish Network's HD receivers usually include
an OTA tuner. I know for sure....I owned an 811 for a year. I was able to
get public TV's HD channel even before our cable station had it offered. But
now I'm back with TimeWarner Cable and their new 8300HD DVR. Love it!
So I don't see the need for an OTA tuner.
Roger